[Ratatoskr]

Are you actually saying that this is the important thing about a mechanism such as that, and that the peer pressure part of it plays no role?

Oh, no. Peer pressure is intended to play a role. That's the purpose of the ratings, in fact. I don't think it's all that effective, personally, but it's an interesting experiment. In a way, it's just codifying formally what FR does informally.

Or are you actually telling me you don't think peer pressure——backed up by the particular prejudices of the moderators——doesn't affect the dialogue here?

[Cachelot]

Oh, no. Peer pressure is intended to play a role.

Yes, yes. Just too bad too many of the peers seem to reside in some madrassa, as I said. Or in Saudi-Arabia.

Now of course, if you're serious about running the forum as an actual free channel for debate, you must understand that many, perhaps most of the posters on there now wants nothing of the sort. And that they have effectively taken the forum over. And that it will go the way of SamFrancis without some rather brutal stuff which you probably don't have the stomach for.

[carenot]

Or are you actually telling me you don't think peer pressure——backed up by the particular prejudices of the moderators——doesn't affect the dialogue here?

I think it is just the moderators now.