freedom of speech on the boards

[bwaywrldmember6853]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 12:35am

I dont know where to begin this. My frustration started whenever the Patti Murin thing happened on the board. I understand this will probably get backlash but...I really dont understand how we got to this point. I dont know about everyone else, but I truly miss the days where someone could have a negative opinion about an actors/actresses performance/show without it getting deleted or being treated as hate. Im sorry, but the message boards are for discussion. Yeah, people can get nasty, but youre going to have that whenever you have something open to everyone like this. But there have truly been some threads on here that have changed my opinion on an actor or actress or a show before, which I think is awesome! What this world needs right now is more discussion and open mindedness. Which is why it kills me when things happen like the Patti Murin instance, or whenever people cancel a critic because they gave their show a bad review or said something that rubbed them the wrong way. I could be full of bs. Idk. This has just been bugging me for a while.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 12:40am

This thread will be either locked or deleted by morning. Not saying it's right, but it's gonna happen.

[Niles Silvers]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 4:38am

A publication is under no obligation to allow any and all comments, hateful or otherwise.  

[theaterlyfe19]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 4:55am

You can have a different opinion, absolutely. But everyone is going to feel differently about something. Not everyone is going to agree on things. It’s when you start being mean or rude or disrespectful to people that it becomes a problem. I know I haven’t helped this and I acknowledge that, but it’s not like other people have been much better and some need to stop acting so innocent. Just because you’ve been on the boards longer doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want and be hurtful. In a time where we’re talking about mental health, people really should rethink how they treat people and talk to them and don’t attack them.

[theaterlyfe19]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 4:59am

So before you tell someone to stop posting, to stop posting about something they may have brought up before, to say “get a hobby” besides commenting on these boards, rethink your decisions. If we wanted off we wouldn’t be here. Your hateful speech/comments aren’t necessary. And before you say “suck it up” yeah we’re not all the same. So it might be easy for you, but not for everyone else.

[Moderator]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 7:50am

Thank you for your thoughts on the topic to all who have posted in this thread this morning. As we always have, we support and welcome everybody to review, comment on, and discuss shows, movies, songs, and performers' onstage work as long as those comments do not cross any lines into personal attacks, including statements that are demonstrably inaccurate for the purpose of negatively commenting on an individual. 

While not the point of the OP's post, these rules apply to comments about other posters and individuals not on the message board, as well as artists. 

We genuinely appreciate the passion with which posters discuss theatre on the boards (including the disagreements), and we support that wholeheartedly, as long as it remains constructive and on topic. Thank you again for caring so much about the discussions had here! It's going to be a great spring season, so we are looking forward to more spirited debates over the coming months.