Jahanshah Javid

Coward is a descritive adejctive

I'm going to answer you and them go to work and will forget about you and your feeble argument.
 

1. I have the gumption to stick up for what I believe. I have the gumption to regsiter with a real email address, and my real name.  You don t have to do that. But yes that makes you a coward, specially if you're going to knock someone specifically, even me! The worse thing about this site is that in their misguided communistic approach to "freedom of speech". They have made you "Loos" with the mistaken belief that everyone has the same right to say whatever they want.  They don't.  This country has laws against defamation, slander and libel. This site has an obligation to its contributors (the ones with names) and its advertisers to force you to abide by those same laws.
2. Bully pulit is correctly spelled so no [sic] needed.  go look it up and, improve your English and your logic. Then introduce yourself to me, and we can have a reasonable exchange of ideas.
3. I will never shut you up because I don't agree with you. Only if you break the laws of decency.
4. I reserve the right to call those upset by having their hiding spot exposed for what they are" gut less cowards who want to bully others.  This is not libelous, slanderous, or defamatory. 

Specially since we have no idea who they are, and so are not protected by any law.  can't have it both ways!

Ladan K: You're the one who

Ladan K: You're the one who doesn't get it. And I'm not surprised. You sound like an immature and arrogant elititist jerk who likes the spout vacuous punditry.

How would I know that you're Ladan K. Does registering reveal your identity? Is the Iranian.com and colleagues out to get those who don't agree with them??? Is that the real reason for registering? What else could be your motivation??? Do you want to turn Iranian.com into a little Islamic Republic?? Go ahead, you're free to do what you want. You will turn this place into an echo chamber who are preaching to the choir and will not offer anything new to the diverse discourses in the community.

However, it is alos jj's progative to maintain this site as a pro-reformists/liberal-left. But he should acknowledge this fact and rest assured many people will not bother to visit this site. You can pad yourself in the back all they long on how you exterminated your opponents. Good luck.

To Anonymously...

Unfortunately, the majority of the abuses are by anonymous users. The productive comments from that group are few and far between. On that point, we see differently.

Those who have made positive contributions anonymously should register. They should stand up and make themselves known.

The question must be asked: What is preventing you from registering?

What's wrong with registering?

How can a debate or argument be legitimate if people remain anonymous? Ladan K, I wholeheartedly agree with your reply, especially the last paragraph.

This isn't about freedom of speech. This is Jahanshah Javid's website, not a democracy. He can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and he doesn't need anyone's permission, approval or blessing to do so.

The overwhelming majority of the people who blame everything that is negative in their lives on a Zionist conspiracy for example, all have the same last name on their posts.....(not verified). The same can be said about the Baha'i haters, the monarchy haters and simply haters in general.

It's long overdue that these individuals stop hiding behind this wall of "electronic courage", much in the same way some people need to use alcohol to free their inhibitions and say what they truly feel, then blaming it all on the booze if what they say or think is found to be objectionable. I give you Ahmad Bahai's reply on this very thread as an example.

To Laden K: Have You Noticed...

Dearest "Laden K",

have you noticed that you are engaged in the exact same conduct that you complain about and cite as reason why a policy of "filtering" (more commonly knows as censorship)should be implemented?

Firs, you say:

"...cowards who want to take down a human being who posts using their real name and often their photo..."

Then you say:

"gumption to step up and introduce yourself"

Next you say:

"Only the bully pulpit [sic] would find fault with this new decision."

and the title of your comment is:

"Sour grapes from the bullies only"

So, those who disagree with you on this issue are:

A. cowards,
B. bullies,
C. sour grapes
D. without guts.

Has it occured to you that there are many anonymous ccomments (the majority actually) that are well reasoned, productive comments?

Coming to think of it, I now reverse my previous position. I think that JJ should filter comments that call others names and are disrespectful...he should actually begin with you and this comment!!!!

You just don't get it Anonymousalways

Iranian.com is not advocating censorship. In fact if anythhing what they are proposing will reduce the ned for it.  If any thing, they have given freedom of speech too much reign. They are asking that people: (I quote you here)

"monarchists or Reza Pahlavi, or the MKO, the Jews,Christians, the West Or other groups" as you say, step up and take responsibility for what they do have to say. 

The only people practicing censorship are people like you who self censor their identities even in spite of legally binding privacy policies because they only want to attack , snipe and run like the cowards that they are.

 Go post your "anonymous" hate some where else. (If you can find it). Start your own blog. Get your own traffic. If you want to play here, you have to display common courtesy.

And by the way, I've been deleted before, specially when I get PO'd. I don't complain because I have to play by THEIR rules, even though I only attack rampant un-thought through ignorance, even if I agree with the essence of what they say.

LK.  

Suggestion to Mr Javid

In my view, the biggest issue in the comment section is that people use it as a tool to intimidate their opponents rather than as a forum to comment on or to discuss the actual article.

Many times, in a matter of a few seconds after an article has been published, there is already 8-10 negative posts in the comment section by people who have obviously not read the article, and who are trying to make the "point" that this or that group or individual will be faced with massive attacks if they try to expressed themselves in an Iranian forum.

A good example of this kind of intimidation methods can be seen in the comment section of today's article by Trita Parsi; when right after the article was published a commentator posted a clip of a NIAC meeting being disrupted by a group of angry people. In the description of the clip on youtube it says:

"See what happens when friends of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NIAC) try to host an event in Los Angeles, California on 23 Feb 2008. Let this be a lesson to those who support this organization."

Obviously, this is not what a comment section is meant for. Perhaps, we Iranians are not use to this kind of tools of communication and dialog and need some education on them.

I suggest that you (Mr Javid) publish some kind of educational article(s) or some sort of general guidelines on how to use public forums. I remember that you wanted to share your knowledge with the community; I think this is one of the best ways to do it. Surely, before we need to learn how to run online magazines..etc we need to learn how to be good readers.

Would you be that pissed off

Would you be that pissed off the subject of profanity and hate were the monarchists or Reza Pahlavi, or the MKO, the Jews,Christians, the West Or other groups you don't agree with? I'm sure you would not have cared much and your "colleagues" (Q et al) would not have objected.

Angryarab is a model you should follow. He has more hits and more educated and bright people as commenters (both on the right and left) than you'll ever have with the profanity and all. I read the comment sections because they are more insightful and analytical than the posts. The quality of debators and debates has nothing to do with "profanity or ad hominem attacks.

What produces analytical thinking and drives people to give their honest input is "honest" and "unbiased" post. Peopele are more intelligent than you and your colleagues give them credit for. We don't need to be reminded on an hourly basis in redundant articles written by biased lefties and Islamists about "neocons" and the zionists", and the "evil West" and the "Imperialist immoral U.s." These arguments are only new to you and your colleagues.

Once again, you're showing your bias and allowing your friends to decide for you. Stop looking for approval from your "friends". Be your maverick self and don't give into peer pressure.

Censorship is not the way to raise the bar on the quality of essays or the writers. Writers who feel confident enough in their arguments, and unskewed facts should not be dettered by ad hominems or loud-mouths such as Q, Molla Naserdin, Colonel Hemayat, and other rude monarchists etc.

Best Solution!

Warn unregistered users that their comments are subject to scrutiny and deletion if hurtful, inappropriate and profane language is used in making personal attacks against other contributors. However give them a time limit for their comments to remain posted at the site. For example for the first 4 or 6 hours, inappropriate comments remain intact. After the hour 4 or 6 (all the way up to for example hour 24), a comment is observed and deleted if it is hurtful and abusive.

Don't necessarily delete the body frame of the posting for a certain period of time (for example the first 6 to 12 hours), just the content and the remarks (and the inappropriate parts of the titles of the comments as well). Allow the commentators clean up their remarks and post them again until they get a hang of it. This way people know that there are guidlines for using appropriate language, and that they need to treat other people using the site like human beings before they are allowed to have an audience.

For abusive and foul-mouthed registered users, set up similar guidelines and warning system.

Evolution of jj

good one by ladan:
" You have no god given right to slam even your arch enemy if you don't have the gumption to step up and introduce yourself. Only the bully pulpit would find fault with this new decision. "

Who said jj won't get it? At last he did.
a small step for most of us, but a big one for jj

signed
last of the endangered paranoid chicken species

Happy Happy Birthday, Jahanshah!

I hope the new year of your life brings you much joy, love, prosperity, and success. I hope you have a brilliant day and year, full of good comments, and messages of friendship and peace! I hope as Iranian.com gets better and better, that you will find more time to enjoy your life and the work that you have done all these years, bringing the Iranian community worldwide together.

Have a super brilliant day my friend.

Ladan, anyway I agree with you

Some kind of restraint is required by the readers,

It seems to me, there are people who jump in to insult the original writer just because they don't agree with his/her point of view.

Lets keep it informative,

Lets keep it honest,

Lets think before start talking,

Lets take responsibility for our words,

Lets have some rules agreed upon by majority.

Mola, on the road

Don't give censorship knife to zionists.

JJ,
As long as your censorship knife is in the hands of RESPONSIBLE people, it should work. You have allowed Zionists (whome everyone on the face of earth HATES -- not just ahmadinejad) to censor Iranians' articles that they (zionists) find offensive!. This can only work if your "funders" are zionists (or if you are a member of "$75M Club"). Why should otherwise a zionist censor Iranians' articles?

A/B

Sour grapes from the bullies only

No one is going to censor you. Only ask that you are accountable for what you say. 

Personaly I have a lot less of a problem with profanity than I do with cowards who want to take down a human being who posts using their real name and often their photo.   The only objection anyone could have would be from those who have sinister or otherwise misguided intentions.

 The traffic on this site will not decrease one bit. It will go up as the quality of posts go up.  Many of my more respectable friends will want  to write articles again and many more readers will be back because of it.

You have no god given right to slam even your arch enemy if you don't have the gumption to step up and introduce yourself.  Only the bully pulpit would find fault with this new decision.

Ladan Khalili (LA).

JJ Freedom of Speech is news to you, old news for others.

JJ you are making this hard on yourself.  It is not complicated.  It has been said before and not believed like when blacks "were (not) created equal".  But freedom has evolved and what you have in mind is not freedom.  It is an old story that is no longer the norm. We can't teach freedom if we don't understand it ourselves (in this case you :-)

Anonymously is a genius

OH MY GOD someone should give you a nobel prize...anonymously.

Hypocracy!!!

I think that there is a certain degree of hypocrary at play here. You complain about profanity, and actually delted my comment on Trita Parsi's article which was not profane at all, but yet allow Hoder to post articles that are full of profanity and name calling. Where do you draw the line?

the reason why you see so many charged comments on this site, is that for the most parts this site debates political and social issues. These issues give rise to heated and charged comments no matter what site they are on. In fact, if you examine other sites that debate similar issues, you will see just as many "strong" and charged comments.

I think that this site should remain the way it is. I think that you will lose a lot of readers (including me) if you require registration for posting comments.

thanks

Yes please. Just like many others, I don't bother reading the comments anymore ;-(

Or you could have a site "policy" about use of language. You could easily ban the abusers (ban them by their IP address).

But allowing only registered users to comments maybe just as effective.

Congratulations!

This is a victory for lovers of free speech. Remember, with freedom comes responsibility.  Otherwise you have chaos which is destructive.