Avoiding like-minded message boards.

     There is a reason why I don't seek out message boards that consist of like-minded individuals, such as an atheistic or non-religious board. My suspicion is that when people don't get offended, don't get challenged, don't get frustrated, don't get upset and don't have their worldview shaken up, then that creates an unhealthy intolerance for the viewpoints of others. I don't like religion, but I have no problem being in a room full of religious people and challenging them. It doesn't bother me to be part of an online forum, such as Gamefaqs, where many different religions are represented. The problem occurs when offensive posts get edited or deleted.

     In real life, you can't delete or edit what others say. You have to take it. You have to learn that not everyone around you thinks exactly like you. Some people can't handle that and they seek out message boards or forums with like-minded individuals only.

     The crux here is that when people join groups of like-minded individuals and avoid more heterogeneous groups, they don't learn how to deal with being offended. You can't run away if someone offends you. But you should leave a group immediately if a moderator edits or deletes a post of yours. People need to learn to ignore things that offend them, or challenge them, but not eliminate the possibility of being offended.

     Think of it this way:

     Let's say you're in a room full of people with beliefs differing from your own and one of the people in the room has the power to edit or delete what you are saying. That person would be the equivalent of an online message board moderator. The power of this moderator would be such that your speech could be edited in real time. If you let something slip that is offensive, your words will simply not be heard by the others in the room. This is essentially what moderators are trying to do in the online world - eliminate the possibility of others being offended.