[Brer] I think Ambassador Kosh would say "Democracy is a three-edged sword". On one hand you have to listen to the will of the people, but on the other hand leaders are (supposedly anyway) in those positions because they know BETTER than the man-on-the-street what should be done.
There are times for voting and there are times for just making decisions based on what you know is or is not the right course of action.
That being said, I sympathize greatly with the admins on a certain level over this particular issue. Furry critters don't have birthdates or ID Cards, and an awful lot of art leaves it very much up to the discretion of the viewer how old anyone is. Sure, some of it is obvious -- but then you are diving into subjectivity when deciding whether to ban something or not. ("Well, there is a size difference, but the clothes suggest...") So many of the toony-style critters people draw sure LOOK young to most people's eyes...
Once the issue came up, there was no winning. Choose to allow and people defect on moral grounds (with every right to do so). Choose to ban and people from BOTH sides will start watching you like a hawk for messups. Choose to ignore it and you implicitly allow it.
Now I fear things will get even worse. The acceptance will draw people out of the woodwork to post LOTS of that kind of art (as well as the loss of some good artists as well, as you mentioned). It is only a matter of time before that attracts unwanted attention from outside (if not sooner if someone disgruntled by the decision helps the process along), and that will ultimately cause problems for everyone.
Democracy is a wonderful thing, but sometimes the will of the people NEEDS to be discounted in the name of the greater good. The trouble is always when and whether it is truly justified -- and that's where you get a lot of the stuff we are seeing in the US Government right now...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 06:41 pm (UTC)There are times for voting and there are times for just making decisions based on what you know is or is not the right course of action.
That being said, I sympathize greatly with the admins on a certain level over this particular issue. Furry critters don't have birthdates or ID Cards, and an awful lot of art leaves it very much up to the discretion of the viewer how old anyone is. Sure, some of it is obvious -- but then you are diving into subjectivity when deciding whether to ban something or not. ("Well, there is a size difference, but the clothes suggest...") So many of the toony-style critters people draw sure LOOK young to most people's eyes...
Once the issue came up, there was no winning. Choose to allow and people defect on moral grounds (with every right to do so). Choose to ban and people from BOTH sides will start watching you like a hawk for messups. Choose to ignore it and you implicitly allow it.
Now I fear things will get even worse. The acceptance will draw people out of the woodwork to post LOTS of that kind of art (as well as the loss of some good artists as well, as you mentioned). It is only a matter of time before that attracts unwanted attention from outside (if not sooner if someone disgruntled by the decision helps the process along), and that will ultimately cause problems for everyone.
Democracy is a wonderful thing, but sometimes the will of the people NEEDS to be discounted in the name of the greater good. The trouble is always when and whether it is truly justified -- and that's where you get a lot of the stuff we are seeing in the US Government right now...