Weak Excuses for Moderation of Discussion Forums

Spam and "trolls" are very easy to deal with in an unmoderated forum, and at least it is left to the individual to decide what he considers spam and troll, and not for someone to decide it for them and make decisions that affect the whole group, something that actually is often abused to suppress viewpoints they don't like. In this sense I agree with Andrew Robertson below.

These moderated forums like ESMB, MBCB, XSO or WHYWEPROTEST show the very cultic side of the Scientology haters - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups

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I disagree, Barbara. ARS is an example of an unmonitored forum - do you honestly think it is better, with all its antipsych spam and trolling, an environment for the discussion of CoS?
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In my view this newsgroup is a much more interesting forum for discussion of Scientology than any of the nannyish message boards of dubious longevity.

Spammers and trolls? They're at an all time low on a.r.s at present and were always easy to handle.

But, I suppose it's a matter of personal choice. Some prefer the genteel up-market bar with no dust on the skirting boards, the friendly bar tender and the smartly dressed clientèle, whilst others feel more at home in the tavern down by the docks with sawdust on the floor, where a wrong word will get you a punch in the head. But in the a.r.s.tavern you can punch them back with no fear of being thrown out.