Wow the censorship Nazis alive and well on Gather

I couldn't agree more and I'm black.

I think you have a definite gripe. It sucks when people have no backbone to be honest and up front.

I had the same problem with several of the video sites. Someone would flag my work and it would be removed without the issue being look at or investigated.

As a writer/author, I use many words to describe an occurrence which happened in the 1950s-60s. I can not (for example) use the term "The N word" as the impact of the story is totally lost. I have to use the word "nigger."

I would never use that word to degrade anyone. NEVER.

Someone sees that word in my story and immediately flags it, and it is removed. The entire point of the story may be to stop that word from being used.

Some people just do not use good judgement.

Correction: I did use that word ONE TIME

CRY BABY


As we get older, many of us look back upon our lives and wonder if we have any regrets. The mistakes we made along the way would mount into the thousands. Yet many of those would not be considered regrets. There is one incident that stands out in my mind above all the rest.

I was a seventeen year old boy in the United States Army and still had a lot of growing up to do. It appears that young Roger Dean Kiser could not follow orders, or directions of any kind. One day it all caught up with me.

There I stood in Bassett Army Hospital waiting to be handcuffed and taken to the Stockade, for six months of hard labor, for disobeying a direct order. The Sergeant asked me to turn around so he could handcuff me. Immediately, I yelled out the words "No nigger is going to handcuff me."

Those words had barely left my lips when I realized that I had made a terrible, unforgivable mistake. As I looked up, I saw a look of disappointment appear on the face of the black man. He had always been very kind to me when he and I had worked together in the barracks supply room.

I turned around, placed my hands behind my back, allowing him to handcuff me. I was so ashamed of myself that tears began to fill my eyes. I looked up as First Sergeant Vaugh walked around the corner.

"Shape it up Private Kiser and stop being a cry baby," he yelled. "You brought this upon yourself."

Little did he know that I was not crying because I was being taken to the Stockade. Being locked in a cage meant nothing to me. I had been locked away in a Jacksonville, Florida orphanage for more than fifteen years, not to mention two years in the Florida School for Boys Reformatory. I said nothing as he passed me by.

As we sat on the plane, heading to Fort Richardson, I could not bring myself to look into the face of the Sergeant. I sat there thinking about the words I had spoken to him. Through the one hour flight, tears constantly streamed down my cheeks. At one point he placed his hand on my shoulder and told me that things were going to be alright.

"How can this man be kind to me?" I thought to myself, as I began to cry even more.

As we entered the Stockade the Sergeant signed the release papers and handed me over to the guards. He wished me well, turned and began walking away. I wanted so much to turn around and tell him how sorry I was. With all my might, I tried to open my mouth and utter the words "I am so sorry, Sir," but I just couldn't.

For almost two weeks tears came to my eyes every time I thought about that incident. Guards and prisoners alike called me a "cry baby." Little did they know that I was crying because of my own shame.

Last night I sat down and I wrote the Department of the Army and asked if they might help me locate this gentleman. I cannot remember his name, but gave them the dates, times and places where we were stationed.

Someday, somehow I will locate this man and I will face him and apologize for my actions.

I am proud to say that I raised my children, and my grandchild in such a manner that that terrible word has never been spoken by any one of them.

I agree, you have the right to have your say, a right our fore fathers fought and died for. Words can be powerful and they need to be said and heard.

Most people don't realize how much music sways a young persons thoughts.

*sigh* Its that core group of "think-like-us-or-die-a-withering-death* Gathernobs at it again.

I thank you all for yur comments. It really bothers me that people who are supposed to be "progressive" can be so closed minded. It actually harkens me back to Stalin/Hitler regimes of anyone who doesnt think like us must be shut up at all costs!

Oddly enough, I still have no response from the coward who flagged the article.

Shawn anyone that has been on gather for more than 48 hours has more than likely been affected by these hateful flagging people.

I agree 110% that this is censorship.

I have never flagged an article and I never will. I have had several articles flagged one because the person thought I was stirring things up...which I was but that doesnt mean she had the right to flag me.

I blame gather for allowing this to continue to happen. They know who is flagging and why but they refuse to do anything to stop these people.

This site is for everyone the serious reader or writer or the people that want to play games or post and watch videos.

Gather should add to the TOS constant flagging for no reason is a violation and should warrant removal of gather membership.

Just my 2 cents

Maye they could put in somekind of reviewing mechanism so that if somting s flagged they can judge it for themslves beforeremoving it. There are many articles on gather that have made my head want to explode but I have never flagged someone. Maybe they could notify you whenomone flags your article with their user name, like hey do when you get a comment. I bet there'd be much less flaging going on.

Hey maybe I'll repost the video under the title Remember the 1st Ammendment Go Flag Yourself. lol

You won't get a response from the flagger. They are the lowest cowards on Gather.

You've got that right my friend.

Shawn there are many ways that gather could monitor the flagging process better and who knows maybe they will....just a note of caution. Reposting a flagged video or article is most definately a violation of TOS. I am not trying to be a gather nazi but this one I do know.

I hope you can get a response from gather on this and they will remove the flag. And keep in mind the people that run around flagging will stalk you for several days and continue to flag your articles or videos.....this has happened to me several times. I think I had 5 articles flagged in 20 minutes and from the same 2 people. Gather will not tell you who is flagging. The only reason I know who did it to me is they told me in a thread they had flagged and why. They are still gather members as far as I know.

Your definately a better person than I my friend.

I agree Lori a much better person than I. It's rather unjust that flagging automatically dispatches your article, just because someone doesn't like you your article goes into article oblivion.. I wish you lots of luck Shawn.. It iritates me to no end that there is such an unjust system in place giving ignorant people power over your writting.

FLAGGERS ARE SPINELESS COWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you. I appreciate the support.

I dont think a better person. I was ranting all over the place when I got flagged. I havent been flagged for quite some time now.

Come on, I really thought one freakin flagger would have the courage of his or her convictions to atleast attempt to defend his or her actions. Cowards the lot of them.

If they cant face up to their flagging then they were never doing it to help keep gather clean and happy. They're just doing it out of spite.
Shawn, I'm on your team.

Thanks for the support