UAE Community Blog: Hail the Emperor

11 February, 2008

Hail the Emperor

Has the last post by UAE Alias disappeared by itself or what? Never expected this from you SamuraiSam since you & your co-admin Secret Dubai talk so much about freedom of speech. I think freedom of speech is a two way road. I am really disappointed.

By the way, if this post offends your highness, don't just remove it but also remove me as a member of this blog too.

21 comments:

Unknown said...: You harp on about censorship and freedom of speech, but do you even know why his posts were removed?

Try being a little less inflammatory and putting some actual thought into your post!; 11 February, 2008 21:12
samuraisam said...: Sometimes I really wonder why I bother explaining anything as all; as you and 10 people have already tried the 'freedom of speech' argument let me try and explain it one more time.

"I allowed the first post (I really don't mind the occasional off-topic posts from contributors); it is when it becomes a common occurance (such as when it is off-topic three times in 5 days). If you disagree with my sentiment on this matter, I can't really help you.

I very clearly said "Please make this the last of your posts on this topic" on UAE alias' last post, I have been patient, my patience is now very close to banninate-mode because UAE alias is intent on not listening or digesting anything I have written on the matter."

It may be a freedom of speech matter if I was to say "I don't like your opinion so I am going to not allow it"; that is not what is happening here, I am simply stating that this is the wrong forum for such a post.

If this is a matter of freedom of speech, how about I invite some commercial companies to spam here with totally irrelevent crap so they get their fair say in random topics too?

Do you want me to explain it with smoke signals now? or how about I get a translator in here and get some Portuguese dialogue going to help you out? How about I get a Gorilla too, and he can do the fking Macarena and some breakdancing to give you a helping hand in understanding?

Should we analyze the situation point by point?

1.) XYZ person posts about ZYX topic twice in the space of a few days.
2.) The Emperor (that'd be me) states: "Golly Gee Willakers this is off topic! Please stop writing about it!" (I really used the word please)
3.) XYZ person keeps on writing about it

Does that help you in understanding the issue?
If this was about freedom of speech I wouldn't have even allowed the first or second posts.; 11 February, 2008 21:43
Proud Emirati said...: Dubai_Guy, ur contribution is far more important than someone's mood.; 11 February, 2008 22:30
Dubai Jazz said...: Sam,
I don't disagree with you. I think these misunderstandings are happening simply because there are no hard and fast rules for posting or commenting.

What is an acceptable post like? Pertinent to the UAE? People posted about the emergency rule in Pakistan three or four times before…albeit under flimsy linkage to the UAE (like some Pakistani TV station gets shut down in DMC ..etc..…)

What is an acceptable comment? You've banned anonymous commenting but racial, taunting, condescending and inflammatory comments are still aplenty.; 11 February, 2008 22:37
Dubai Entrepreneur said...: Dubai Guy,

My feeling? Don't let the door hit you on your way out If that includes PE and UAE Alias, so be it.

No one seems to understand that this has nothing to do with whether people agree with you or not.

Ugh.. why waste your breath?

Samuarism, you bother because you care. It's a problem you have when you are young and have passion.. the older you get the less you will care and someone else will carry on :) Been there, done that.; 11 February, 2008 22:54
samuraisam said...: dubai jazz: I misunderstand where the term 'misunderstand' is coming from.
I explained something, UAE ALIAS went against that; maybe they have a misunderstanding, as far as I'm aware I've quantified the situation . I allowed them to post twice about the given topic and only then did I step in.
I do not understand how there could possibly be confusion; UAE alias attempted to argue my request concerning the topic by saying un-emirati stuff had been posted in the past--clearly neglecting the fact that I think they are a dolt and that they were presenting an entirely different argument to that on off-topicness.

Last time I tried penning rules people started comparing me with the SS (right now I’m getting compared to The Third Reich and being called a follower of the Jews)—and even so, given all the explaining I’ve already done, would it do any use? Does anyone here sound like they’d take the time to read? The way posting on this blog is done prevents me from being able to moderate things very easily – which is unfortunate – for instance, I can’t really ‘lock’a topic like an admin might do in a forum, etc.
It is much faster for me to moderate the way I do at the moment; if I email people, I might have to wait 24 hours for a reply, what’s the point of that if I can just edit a post and explain what I did in the comments?

Despite people trying to claim so; this is not at the moment an issue of freedom of speech, this is a moderation issue.

As for commenting (which is a completely different topic on its own), I don’t moderate as much as I once did because it is quite impossible for me to ban people etc; I make an effort to remove obscenely-racist/useless comments but by no means do I promise to (and for those who say, OH NO YOUR DON’T! think long and hard about all the times you’ve emailed me to complain about a particular comment and then shut up and go back to playing real-life frogger on SZR)

"People posted about the emergency rule in Pakistan three or four times before…albeit under flimsy linkage to the UAE (like some Pakistani TV station gets shut down in DMC ..etc..…)"
I searched and found one post about this (the post about DMC shutting down channels); even so, did you see 3 posts by the same author in the space of 5 days?

What I'd love to know is how come people go ape-shit if someone posts once about problems in India 3 trillion people step up to shout at the author for being off-topic, yet if someone posts repeatedly about Palestine it's an entirely different matter and people start use terms like ‘Muslim brothers’ etc despite there being 150 million Muslims in India? Please, someone explain that—and if you can’t, then really, do yourself a favor, shut up, and leave the moderating to me.; 11 February, 2008 23:38
Kyle said...: Dubai Guy:

I’m with the admin and blog owner here.

If an initial label with 70+ comments is not enough to satisfy someone’s ego, I don’t know what is!!!

That apart, I can’t fathom what a discussion on Gaza (in this blog) will accomplish. Not that any discussion on blogs accomplish anything to begin with.

Community Blogs, on the other hand, are a forum/platform for people to present, discuss, and exchange ideas. Some do it in an intellectual while some in a trivial manner. But a continuous posting in the same essence – well, that’s taking it to another level of demonstrating arrogance and/or testing someone’s patience; in this case the blog owner and its active admin.

I don’t think, this has anything to do with anybody personally and I don’t think you, as a level headed person should take this personally, as well! This, in spite of me having a beef against you when we sparred in an earlier label ;) – LOL

On a lighter note, I think the blog owner and admin have been generous and patient with UAE Alias in allowing three posts in a span of five days. I don’t think, as admin, I’d qualify because I’m not gifted with those virtues i.e. being generous & patient with someone inflaming an already inflamed situation.

Cheers :); 11 February, 2008 23:40
samuraisam said...: dubai entrepreneur:
"My feeling? Don't let the door hit you on your way out If that includes PE and UAE Alias, so be it."
I like your thinking... Hit three birds with one stone!; 12 February, 2008 00:29
Dubai Jazz said...: Sam,
Why people wouldn't care about the 150 million Indian Muslims?
Hmmmm, this is the kind of subjects that deserves a post of its own, or maybe 10 posts within three days time. : )
Relax Sam, take a pull of your shisha and chill. Let's close this chapter once and for all…..

LONG LIVE PALESTINE!; 12 February, 2008 01:05
hut said...: Sam,

I don't agree with you. I do not consider the UAE community blog to be solely about the UAE.
It's a platform for the community to vent their grievances and invite discussion.
I don't think posts have to necessarily be about issues directly related to the UAE. The Middle East conflict obviously touches the UAE, and affects on a daily level our (expats') interactions with Muslims because it forms their opinions about 'the West'.

I don't agree one bit with UAE Alias but I support her right to post whatever she feels important to Muslim society at large. If this shows up a certain political radicalisation of young UAE locals then I think this is welcome.

We are mature enough to discuss these issues in a meaningful way such as debunking the various myths surrounding 'the Nakba' etc.

Long live Israel and Palestine!; 12 February, 2008 10:18
Shezy said...: All those interested in Palestines issues- make a separate blog where you add endless commments of sympathy that "do not really make a difference" to the sufferers in Gaza.

GET REAL and stop posting what no one wants to read.

A Post on why traffic is so bad is read far more and commented upon too.

SO all those who think you can make a difference by unwanted posts- YOU CAN'T.

You wanna make a difference the empty that wallet and contact the local charity.

To those that deleted the unwanted posts- well done.; 12 February, 2008 11:53
CG said...: I really thought that this blog was about things that are relevant to all of us here in the UAE. I am not saying that I am not interested in that particular subject, but I check in here to see highlights of items that are more related with day-to-day living here in the UAE. Salik, traffic news, Royal news etc.; 12 February, 2008 14:46
Dubai Entrepreneur said...: sam,

I strongly recommend putting together a Guideline for posts and comments which can be referenced, as opposed to this pointless exercise of trying to explain things over and over again.

Things such as what the UAE Community Blog is about should be defined. Everyone has a different way of seeing what this blog is all about.; 12 February, 2008 16:35
UAE ALIAS said...: I noticed my post was removed, but I was so busy to comment about that, so I just let go. Yet, I'm glad to see there are other people who noticed and decided to say something about it. My last post was actually related to UAE I don't understand why was it removed.
Sam this is not about me or my post, ppl aren't angry for me. I guess it's about you and people getting tiered of your biased scale of moderation.
Guess what amigo, people will occasionally want to post about stuff that you are "personally" against and they'll get upset when you show your disagreement in such undemocratic way.; 12 February, 2008 19:40
samuraisam said...: EVERYONE: I have updated the posting guidelines from several months ago; please take a read of them as I will be linking to them on the sidebar soon.

the real nick: I did allow 2 posts on the topic; but to enable someone to take over the entire front page with a multitude of posts which are off-topic isn't fair to anyone-- especially considering there are 700,000 matches on google for 'gaza blog' and 500,000 matches for 'uae blog'; this blog is the minority, not only regionally, but locally there isn't another platform like this.

UAE ALIAS:
"Guess what amigo, people will occasionally want to post about stuff that you are "personally" against and they'll get upset when you show your disagreement in such undemocratic way."
As pointed out at least 15.5 times... 'Occasionally' does not equal 3 times in 5 days. I let you post twice; that is markedly more than occasionally Go back to what you do best-- playing an oversized xylophone with your forehead.; 12 February, 2008 21:07
Dubai Jazz said...: UAE Alias,
To be honest, I wouldn't want of Samuraisam to be democratic. Because for him to be so in the abstract sense of the word, he should also allow for the other side of the conflict to post here.
And to tell you the truth, I am not in the mood to see some Jew poopers coming here and posting half-assed stories about the 'terror' (sob…sob) the Al Qassam rockets are causing to Sderot residents.; 13 February, 2008 00:16
UAE ALIAS said...: Thank you alot your majesty the EMPEROR for allowing me to post two posts on a topic that I and many bloggers believe in.
Accept my bows and my xylophone set, I guess you need it kido.
hehehe btw I loved this xylophone comment good one.; 13 February, 2008 00:19
Lirun said...: jew poopers?

btw i was once a welcomed member of this community..

it was due to a flood of offensive comments from some of the members that i removed myself..

dubai jazz.. feel welcome to email me with an explanation of what a jew pooper is.. i am most facsinated by this phrase.. never heard it before..; 14 February, 2008 02:32
AM said...: Lirun,
Strange that you still come here lol.

I live in the UAE and each time I check this blog (almost once a month, even less), I get disgusted by the amount of hostile comments. Almost every post has them ... months go by and the situation remains the same.

Yayya see you on facebook dude :); 17 February, 2008 20:16
Lirun said...: ;); 17 February, 2008 20:59
BuJ said...: Guys.. keeping the posting guidelines aside, I think the subject of Palestine touches every single Emirati and most expats in the UAE. Hence I see that UAE Alias has a point in posting what he did.

The fact that it isn't about the UAE seems irrelevant. It's like banning all Diana news items from the UAE, or better still, like banning all non-Emirati films from UAE cinemas.

Gotta have it with a pinch of salt guys...; 18 February, 2008 17:21