Can you see this post? My last one, from September 2, is currently unavailable to readers.
A history: On Monday I celebrated Labor Day by putting up a post which was comprised solely of questions. I have done this before.
Here’s a sampling:
Do people who work tirelessly really never get tired?
If an email reminder doesn’t specify that it is a “friendly reminder” are we to assume it’s a hostile reminder?
Do you think fish ever feel like toweling off?
Later that day I received an email from “the blogger team” telling me that my post violated their community guidelines and that there would be a warning in lieu of my post that indicated the post included “sensitive content.” Readers could clink on a link and view the post at their own peril.
I was stunned.
In my sixteen and half years blogging I’d never seen this before and here it was for such a benign, silly post. I quickly determined that “the blogger team” was probably offended by a single word. Obviously I can’t use it hear lest this post be similarly flagged. The word is the technical term for the performance of oral sex on a woman. It begins with a “c” and ends with a “us.” It is not in the slightest bit offensive nor had I used it in an offensive manner. The question in which it was used was: “Does it bother anyone else that cumulus cloud sounds a lot like c———-us cloud?”
It was not an issue worth fighting over so I removed the question. Magically my post appeared for all the world to see.
But today “the summary is not available” is there again and again one must click a link to view the post. Clicking the link takes you to a page titled “sensitive content warning” and you have to click “I understand and I wish to continue” in order to view the post. That link does not work. At the risk of being obvious that means the post is not available for viewing despite the fact that it most certainly worthy of a PG, if not a G rating. (NOTE: On 9/8 I finally removed the original post and re-posted minus the "nasty word.")
Censorship!
What’s particularly odd about this is that less than a month ago I posted a short story called “Sexual Lessons From the Revolutions, The Sarah Levin Affair” that as one might guess included very clear references to the sexual act. That was fine. “The blogger team" didn’t utter a peep. It's also been fine when I've used all manner of profanity including words beginning with f and sh.(Don't pretend you don't know what I mean.) But evidently the technical and by no means lewd term for a particular act was deemed inappropriate for the three-year-olds who read my blog.
Weird.
I don’t know if my post with questions is lost to the world or if it will ever return for viewing and I don’t know why it went away after having passed muster. I don’t know if some conservative group has taken over “the blogger team” or there was a glitch in the system or someone’s messing with me or this is all a dream and the alarm will go off soon. Maybe it wasn't that word at all, but if not, then what? Perhaps more will be revealed. If so I’ll keep you posted.
Below is the email “the blogger team sent me.” Make of it what you will. (I think they’ve gone screwy.)
Hello,
As you may know, our Community Guidelines
(https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy) describe the boundaries for what we
allow-- and don't allow-- on Blogger. Your post titled "Do I Have More
Questions? Yes I Do and Here They Are" was flagged to us for review. This
post was put behind a warning for readers because it contains sensitive
content; the post is visible at
http://rikuwrites.blogspot.com/2024/09/do-i-have-more-questions-yes-i-do-and.html.
Your blog readers must acknowledge the warning before being able to read
the post/blog.
We apply warning messages to posts that contain sensitive content. If
you are interested in having the status reviewed, please update the content
to adhere to Blogger's Community Guidelines. Once the content is updated,
you may republish it at
https://www.blogger.com/go/appeal-post?blogId=7539700916676246998&postId=889195564570218448.
This will trigger a review of the post. You may have the option to pursue
your claims in court. If you have legal questions or wish to examine legal
options that may be available to you, you may want to consult with your own
legal counsel.
For more information, please review the following resources:
Terms of Service: https://www.blogger.com/go/terms
Blogger Community Guidelines: https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
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