Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Poll: Should Deniers Be Allowed To Post In E&E? [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)Look, I think deniers are idiots, let's get that out of the gate right away.
That said, the SOP here says absolutely NOTHING about the "quality" of discourse that is "allowed" here. It doesn't say "No unscientific 'things'" or "No misleading things." And who decides what's "scientific" or "misleading?"
Now, the hosts here are quite free to be martinets and make decisions amongst themselves that go further than what is written in the SOP, but if they DO do that, they really ought to not chickenshit the decision--they should adjust the SOP to make it quite clear that the "deniers" or the people who have an even slightly different take than the mainstream are NOT WELCOME.
Otherwise, it does come off as Rule By Decree. It smells like host overreach, like a little "club" where only people who think a certain way are welcome. Lockstep, or Locked Out!!!!
So, when it comes to sorry, I think your justification is.
And--one more time, because I'm playing devil's advocate, here--I think that whole "denial" thing is bullshit. I've lived long enough to see the changes in the environment. They aren't imaginary.
That said, what I think you're doing--without a change to the SOP--is also bullshit. This is DU, we can handle a few kooks and knock them back with words. And if you TRULY don't want them in your yard, have the guts to say so right upfront....don't post a benign SOP that would lead people to believe that any opinion on the topic is OK to post here.