Roleplay Debate

If you've been active in this forum for awhile you may remember the last time we did something like this. It's a roleplay sort of debate and it can be very fun, and something you'll enjoy. What happens is anyone who's interested posts here and says so and we will add you to our list. Then in about a week or so after everyone who wants to has agreed, we'll pick a topic.

After the topic is chosen, we assign each person to a team, either the team supporting the topic at hand, or the team against it. The team you're placed on may not be how you actually feel about the subject, but that's the point in the roleplay, to get in the shoes of someone else and experience their opinion.

If you're interested in participating, let us know in this thread. Also, if you have any topic suggestions feel free to tell us about them here. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, we'd be happy to have you. If you do choose to do this, we ask you to please take it seriously and stick to your side of the topic. Posts such as "I agree", "___ is right", "I disagree" are not acceptable for this. You have to always make a post with a meaning and importance so that the topic can flow and not become redundant.

Our Topic: Media Manipulation and the Internet
How the media affects society is often questioned. Some feel its influence is positive and informative, while others feel it causes much more harm than it does good. This issue becomes particularly controversial when the internet is brought into the picture. Virtually anyone has the ability to publish their thoughts on the internet. This is viewed by some people as an amazing resource for personal expression, and by others as a dangerous breeding ground for false information and biased facts.

Questions
-Should the ability to put information on the internet be regulated?
-Does this infringe upon free speech?
-Should these regulations be applied to other forms of media?
-What possible benefits/consequences may occur?
-Who is responsible for the content of the media?

Sources
Save the Internet
Washington Post article on internet freedom
Government controls over the Internet
Media Regulation
“Protestors Want Stronger Internet Regulation”
regualting News on the Internet

Teams
Pro-regulation
-Ol' Blue Eyes.
-bjtp
- Cobra
- Kurtni


Anti-regulation
- Misanthropist
- Anji
- Bittersweet.
- Vonny

I only added people who have been active recently, if I missed someone, join the team with the least # of people and I'll add you to the list when I get a chance

Should the ability to put information on the internet be regulated?
Yes, it should. For whatever reason, certain people have the misconception that regulating who has access to submitting information to the internet would result in people not being able to use it, and that isn’t true. As long as you aren’t submitting false, construed information, regulations would not affect you. It would only benefit people in a positive manner, by providing them with accurate, reliable information. It would also help out with spammers and help prevent other illegal activity.

Does this infringe upon free speech?
No, it doesn’t. Freedom of speech doesn’t give you the right to lie to people, spam or do other illegal things on the internet. It gives you the right to express yourself in a way that doesn’t harm others, and that last part could stand to be more enforced in all forms of media. And if someone does want to make a fictional site, internet regulation wouldn’t stop that. It would just mean that their site containing a biography on tree octopuses (or whatever ) would have to state somewhere that the information featured is fictional.

Should these regulations be applied to other forms of media?
It couldn’t hurt, could it? It would only make more forms of the media reliable and informative. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to do a school report and not have to worry if your sources are ok? A site under regulation is required to tell you if the information you’re reading it accurate or not. The same principle could be applied to articles, nightly news stations, ect.

Who is responsible for the content of the media?
Whoever, or whatever, is distributing the media. For example, if you’re watching the news, whatever network sponsors that news would be held accountable for it’s content. Just like with censorship, that netowork would be responsible for making sure that the information presented is not manipulated or false. When they do feature things that are opinions, they need to clearly state it is just that, so that no one is given the wrong idea by biased information.

By the way, I'll try and add more sources for the proregulation people. I had trouble finding some. If anyone has anything they'd like to contribute, let me know.

The Internet is a powerful tool, which can be used to either spread the truth, or to slander various individuals and corrupt the minds of unsuspecting youths.

Example number one. I was searching for information on the Rwandan genocide. Google brought up it's usual plethora of results, and unsuspecting me clicked on one of the first sites that came up. It was a white power site, disguised cleverly as an informational site. It presented bigotry and lies disguised as concrete fact. Imagine if I'd been younger, more impressionable. Imagine if I'd been unable to distinguish the lies.

Type something into a search engine, and you'll never know what could pop up. Porn, violence, hatred, they're all right there no matter what sort of parental blocks you put up. Kids can get whatever they want with a couple clicks of the mouse.

Someone should be regulating this. I'm not saying the Internet should be shut down, and every site policed. There should be stricter rules regarding search engines, and search tags. Pornographic sites, especially those detailing bondage and other violent practices should be made inaccesable to those under the age of eighteen, and require some form of identification to access.

Kids shouldn't be able to access adult material through the Internet. Free speech is all well and good, but when an eight-year old searches Japanese Anime and finds slash fanfics, that's where a line needs to be drawn.

Can I possibly join?

vonny:

Can I possibly join?

Of course.

Kurtni:

vonny:

Can I possibly join?

Of course.

Coolio!

However, in best interests to myself at the moment, I should start after my exams finish. Only a few more weeks to go. I finish on the 9th.

Oooh its on, bitches! XD

And I'm back, bitches.

I want someone to debate me on this. It's such a stretch for me to debate pro-government regulated internet.

[/offtopic]

Ol' Blue Eyes.:

I want someone to debate me on this. It's such a stretch for me to debate pro-government regulated internet.

[/offtopic]

the other team is too busy calling us bitches

Thats our debating talent showing off.

I need to write something serious, I have been busy lately.

When do we have to do this for?

Do we just spurt out thoughts when we're free and feeling debatatory?

bjtp:

When do we have to do this for?

Do we just spurt out thoughts when we're free and feeling debatatory?

Yep, post whenever and whatever as long as it's for the team you're on.

Kurtni:

Ol' Blue Eyes.:

I want someone to debate me on this. It's such a stretch for me to debate pro-government regulated internet.

[/offtopic]

the other team is too busy calling us bitches

Sooo. Regulating the internet. *cough*

Are we still doing this one? ..Or..new one..or..starting again next month..or?

vonny:

Are we still doing this one? ..Or..new one..or..starting again next month..or?

If no one likes this one we can just make a new one

Kurtni:

vonny:

Are we still doing this one? ..Or..new one..or..starting again next month..or?

If no one likes this one we can just make a new one

I'm actually really interested in doing that superior race one.

As long it doesn't dissolve into racist hateful remarks, of course.

i'm back again after a while so i'd like to join too, once you start again. Is that okay?

Can i join please?