azzkika said:
...it does not take long for topics on these matters to quickly become locked as many things are deemed offensive.
Locking a thread is a lot easier than moderating it. Having been an admin or mod for a quarter of a century, I do not consider thread locking to be a valid tool.
Unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary to lock a thread, but that's usually either at the outset, when the topic itself violates forum rules, or when the posts have become so prolific and rule-violating that mod resources are simply overwhelmed.
As far as "offense" goes, it's not something people do to others. It's something people take, as in "I took offense to that." He who refuses to take offense cannot be offended.
Democracy has long been dead and censorship of thought and opinion seeks to keep it that way.
Depending on the forum, censorship sometimes abounds, but that's the right (and sometimes the responsibility) of those who own/run the forum. I've found only slight censorship, here, which is one of the reasons I enjoy returning here.
If you'd like to find an online place void of censorship, one where you can openly discuss anything you want, they're a dime a dozen, or you can start your own.
Personally, I find an appropriatedly-moderated forum a welcome refreshment compared to most forums, some of which read like a sewage treatment plant.
