Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

from the comments-on-comments dept

This week, we've been running a series of posts dealing with discussion moderation, which garnered our top comments on both sides. For insightful, the first place winner is an anonymous commenter taking the opportunity to give Techdirt a tip of the hat:

credit where due

This seams a good opportunity to congratulate TechDirt, on what is objectively the best comment system on the net.

No scripts, no captcha's, anon allowed, and your even good about vpn users- I don't know how you guys do it, and I suspect it's allot of work, which makes it all the more impressive.

cheers fellows!

(Much appreciated, despite the typos!)

In second place, we've got another anonymous comment, this time in response to our post about the Dutch approach to asset forfeiture:

Holland is a much more socialist country; I believe the police are nationalized, or at least at the state level. So on the one hand, this means that the local beat cop has less incentive to confiscate stuff, as he won't get to see the proceeds. However...

Police Chief said the young men targeted often have no income and are already in debt from fines for previous convictions but wearing expensive clothing.

Where I'm from, that describes a lot of the rich kids with foreign millionaire/billionaire parents. It also describes a bunch of poor folks who buy knockoffs from China.

So how are the police supposed to tell if something's stolen, bought with ill-gotten gains, bought with Daddy's money, bought BY Daddy, or a cheap fake?

From their perspective, it appears they want this so they can take the stuff from punks they already know, who are racketeering etc. and displaying their gains with bling. But there's not much of a step between going after these guys and going after someone who just rubs you the wrong way, and NO controls in place to separate these two groups.

For editor's choice on the insightful side, we return to the conversation of content moderation, where one anonymous commenter addressed the complaints (which frequently come from a few choice parties, in stark contrast to our winning comment this week) that Techdirt is guilty of censorship:

While you have the right to speak on this forum, you do not have a corresponding right to be heard, so quit trying to claim the latter right. Anybody who wants to can read the hidden contents, and will do so; while those who trust the communities judgment will ignore them.

Next, we've got a comment from Rich Kulawiec regarding Apple and Verizon's opposition to the right-to-repair, pointing out another vital angle to the issue:

This is also a security/privacy issue

A population that's been well-trained never to open up its devices is a population that's easily wiretapped and surveilled via unpleasant surprises hiding inside sealed cases.

Over on the funny side, our first place winner is Pixelation, who took a lighter approach to the platform censorship topic:

I will discuss this, but only in moderation.

In second place, we've got yet another anonymous commenter, with an idea for hitting back at anti-repair, pro-DRM companies:

I'm going to start putting DRM on my money, so when I give it to companies like this in exchange for goods and services, I get to decide how they use it.

Spoiler: They won't be allowed to spend it, invest it, put it in the bank, put it under their mattresses or buy lemonade from a stand on a really hot day. The only thing they will be allowed to do with it is return it to me, for which I will charge them a fee to do.

Of course, given what day it is, there's another important thing that must be mentioned — and so we'll turn over our editor's choice for funny to comments on the topic of [REDACTED]. First, it's the last of many anonymous commenters this week with some thoughts on trademark-sensitive nomenclature for today's big event:

"Ultimate Sportsball Contest"

"That Thing with the Commercials"

"The Concert Bookended by Burly Men"

"Ballmaggedon"

"The Great Concussion-off"

"Synchronized Flushing"

All good, but ultimately bested by Flakbait, who has truly refined the art:

I can't wait for the November Foxtrot Lima's Immense Match between the Region East of New York Partisans and the Delaware River Accipitridae! Especially since it's being played at the Amalgamated Territories Financial Institution Sporting and Entertainment Venue in the City of Water!

That's all for this week, folks!

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