Free Speech Contest Support Thread

[oggbashan]

Keep writing, reading and voting

please?

 

[impressive]

please?

Yeah. What he said.

 

[Guest]

1 x 2 = 2

 

[impressive]

Grind and bump.

 

[logophile]

OK, I think I'm going to do it. When is the deadline for submissions again?

 

[sophia jane]

OK, I think I'm going to do it. When is the deadline for submissions again?

June 6.

How's it going for everyone? Votes more plentiful yet?

SJ

 

[Medicine Hat]

Well, I decided to participate in the contest. Short editorials are right up my alley. I had a lot of fun with this one.

My story, "The Price of Freedom, " got posted the other day and I'm up to a healthy 9 votes. I've recieved a few very nice comments, and I thank those of you who've taken the time to give me your thoughts so far.

I must say I'm a little surprised at learning that so many of the entries have been getting flamed, vote-wise. I'd always thought that just about everyone at this site would be pretty open minded (I realize that the negative comments are likely coming from just a few individuals, so please don't think I'm tarring people here with a big brush).

On the other hand, it provides an interesting object lesson--those who've spoken out in favor of freedom have, historically, not been treated well (Braveheart, anyone?). I guess humanity's a little slow to learn...

 

[impressive]

How's it going for everyone? Votes more plentiful yet?

SJ

22 votes ... but that includes a couple bombs.

 

[angelicminx]

Well, I decided to participate in the contest. Short editorials are right up my alley. I had a lot of fun with this one.

My story, "The Price of Freedom, " got posted the other day and I'm up to a healthy 9 votes. I've recieved a few very nice comments, and I thank those of you who've taken the time to give me your thoughts so far.

I must say I'm a little surprised at learning that so many of the entries have been getting flamed, vote-wise. I'd always thought that just about everyone at this site would be pretty open minded (I realize that the negative comments are likely coming from just a few individuals, so please don't think I'm tarring people here with a big brush).

On the other hand, it provides an interesting object lesson--those who've spoken out in favor of freedom have, historically, not been treated well (Braveheart, anyone?). I guess humanity's a little slow to learn...

Ain't that the truth! I, for one, am pleased you entered into the foray.

To answer the above question of votes: I'm holding at 26 and my score is ho hum. I haven't had any negative comments, so I reckon the score reflects opinion on how the piece was written.

There is one new entry this morning. Check out the begging thread please, and if you haven't voted already please do so. There are 21 entries to date, so that means each person should get at least 19 votes (in theory ) in addition to regular readership, friends , and those interested in reading the entries. Sounds like it shouldn't be hard to get the required votes doesn't it?

I've started a new one. I hope to have it finished before the deadline, but I doubt it will go to edit, lol. Anyway, I'm done rambling for the moment, thanks for listening.

 

[dreampilot79]

I submitted mine at 10pm last night & it was posted this morning when I got up.

man!!!! you got service.. posted mine last Tuesday.. still pending.. still no views....

looks at the bright side... no nasty comments or e mail....

 

[impressive]

man!!!! you got service.. posted mine last Tuesday.. still pending.. still no views....

looks at the bright side... no nasty comments or e mail....

You just gotta know who to blow.

 

[dreampilot79]

You just gotta know who to blow.

wellllllllllllllll... I would suggest ME.. but that wouldn't get anything posted... but it would make ME feel better about not getting posted!

 

[Halo_n_horns]

Well, even to the detriment of my own essay, I've gone through and read, or at least given a really good skim to each of the essays, and given them all my vote, except one. If any of them made me feel like I didn't want to vote at least a four or a five then I just didn't vote. I'm undecided on the one.

Either way, congratulations to everyone. There are some really good pieces in there.

 

[oggbashan]

I'm still waiting for my second entry to be posted. Nearly a week now.

Entry 3 is 230 words short of the minimum 750 words and I'm not sure it is worth expanding. It has a simple premise which could be stated in 100 words. 750 is laboring the point.

Og

 

[cloudy]

Mine just got bombed again. A definite 1.

 

[impressive]

Mine just got bombed again. A definite 1.

I'm more concerned at this point about even qualifying. Only have 22 votes. *sigh*

EDITED: I should say "WE" are more concerned. Me 'n that other fella.

 

[bearlee]

Well, even to the detriment of my own essay, I've gone through and read, or at least given a really good skim to each of the essays, and given them all my vote, except one. If any of them made me feel like I didn't want to vote at least a four or a five then I just didn't vote. I'm undecided on the one.

Either way, congratulations to everyone. There are some really good pieces in there.

Okay, why didn't you vote on mine

 

[bearlee]

I'm still waiting for my second entry to be posted. Nearly a week now.

Entry 3 is 230 words short of the minimum 750 words and I'm not sure it is worth expanding. It has a simple premise which could be stated in 100 words. 750 is laboring the point.

Og

I don't know if it matters. I don't count words but I just took a look at one entry that I thought was short and started counting-I don't think it has 750 words-I'd submit it if I were you.

 

[cloudy]

I don't know if it matters. I don't count words but I just took a look at one entry that I thought was short and started counting-I don't think it has 750 words-I'd submit it if I were you.

Mine has 754.

 

[impressive]

Mine has 754.

Well, you've 4 to spare. Give 'em to Ogs.

Ours almost spilled over on to a 2nd Lit page. We got carried away.

 

[sophia jane]

Well, you've 4 to spare. Give 'em to Ogs.

Ours almost spilled over on to a 2nd Lit page. We got carried away.

Who is the other half of "we"? Am I totally clueless to have to ask?

SJ

 

[impressive]

Who is the other half of "we"? Am I totally clueless to have to ask?

SJ

A fellow AHer who has opted, for personal reasons, to not be overtly named. The story PCs, however, should make it obvious.

 

[Halo_n_horns]

Okay, why didn't you vote on mine

I double checked and voted on the one that I was shakey on. Except for any new ones, I voted on everything that was there at the time. I'll check again tomorrow.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I didn't enter the free speech essay contest. I thought about it, but I ran up against a couple of problems that in the end made me doubt where I actually stood on the issue. The problems I had were these:

--Literotica is not a free speech site. There are subjects we simply cannot write about in our stories, namely under-age sex, bestiality, scat, snuff, and gratuitous violence.

Personally, I don’t have much of a problem with these rules, although there have been times when the age prohibition made me change or self-censor what I was writing. No matter how you slice it, though, Literotica is infringing on my right of free speech with these prohibitions.

--More troubling was the fact that, after thinking about it, I'm not sure I'm entirely in favor of free speech. I don’t know if I'd want to post my stuff to a site that also published stories of 8 year-old girls being raped or snuff or sex with animals, scat play, &c. &c.. I find such material not only offensive but shameful and downright disgusting as well. It's the kind of stuff that gives what the rest of do a bad name, and so I'm dead set against it. I find it hard to wave the banner of free speech for someone who writes a story about people literally shitting on each other.

Such edgy material has the lure of the extreme, however, and I have little doubt that if Literotica accepted this kind of stuff we'd see a quick race to the bottom (I've seen it happen on other sites), and that would ruin the entire site for me.

So I guess that means that I support Lit's infringement on the right to free expression; which means I support censorship; which means I'm against free speech.

I haven’t read all the essays, but the ones I have read don’t seem to address this issue. I'd be interested in what you all think. Does your defense of free speech include the right to publish kiddie porn? And if not, why not? Or is your idea of free speech conditional?

Forgive me if this topic has already been addressed in this thread. It's late, and I didn't want to go through all 8 pages. Also, I apologize if you did address this problem in your essay and I missed it. As I said, I haven't read them all.

And just let me repeat that I'm not setting myself up as any sort of expert here. I don't have any easy answer to this, but I guess I'm not as laissex faire about this as I'd originally thought.


---dr.M.

 

[sincerely_helene]

I didn't enter the free speech essay contest. I thought about it, but I ran up against a couple of problems that in the end made me doubt where I actually stood on the issue. The problems I had were these:

--Literotica is not a free speech site. There are subjects we simply cannot write about in our stories, namely under-age sex, bestiality, scat, snuff, and gratuitous violence.

Personally, I don’t have much of a problem with these rules, although there have been times when the age prohibition made me change or self-censor what I was writing. No matter how you slice it, though, Literotica is infringing on my right of free speech with these prohibitions.

--More troubling was the fact that, after thinking about it, I'm not sure I'm entirely in favor of free speech. I don’t know if I'd want to post my stuff to a site that also published stories of 8 year-old girls being raped or snuff or sex with animals, scat play, &c. &c.. I find such material not only offensive but shameful and downright disgusting as well. It's the kind of stuff that gives what the rest of do a bad name, and so I'm dead set against it. I find it hard to wave the banner of free speech for someone who writes a story about people literally shitting on each other.



---dr.M.

The factor that continues to purplex me: if someone doesn't wish to read a story pertaining to the afore mentioned, why don't they just view the description/title/section and choose to bypass it?

I am not bisexual or gay, so why would I not just make a point to simply avoid that particular genre instead of boycotting the entire site because that one story did not suit my personal preferances?

This point has probably already been brought to the table; apologies if this is the case.