Sorry I must be missing something

I didn't feel the topic was relevant in this forum.  And you didn't really believe it belonged here either, picklefish, or you wouldn't have tried to justify it with the:

"oh, and fiddle fiddle fiddle fiddle. Now its relevant to the forum. peace out."

So far as I have ever been able to tell, any time somebody is yelling "Free speech!  Free speech!", they most often are basically just trying to entice others into a debate over what is likely a heated topic.  Trying to stir something up.  There are plenty of other forums for that and politics and whatever.  Anyone that wants those things can find those places easy via google or whatever.  Me, I come here to get away from that sort of thing and talk about music and playing and instruments.  

Speech is not free in that sense, and never was.  What we say always has some rules involved.  We do not tell raunchy jokes or use "adult language" here, for example,  because we know that there are also younger folks who play violin or fiddle and come here.  With every right, comes the responsibility to use it appropriately.

This place is what we make it with our posts.  I, for one, am more interested in reading posts that are relevant to the focus of music and specifically violin/fiddle than politics or social issues and debates.  I can find those in many other places if I want them

The only reason I have replied at all on this topic is because it occurs to me that maybe you think everyone here agrees with you as to this sort of issue being something that should be discussed in this forum.  At least one person felt that it doesn't, and that person is me.  What side of this actual issue one is on (if one is even on a "side" for this issue) doesn't even matter here, since it does nothing to help or encourage anyone to play violin/fiddle.

It is relatively easy to be right/correct in the literal sense.. It takes thought and effort to try to actually be good.

I have read this thing through a couple times now, and I'm not sure as I see where anyone has acted actually offended.  Not impossible that I could have missed it though.  

If anything I said offended anyone (definitely including picklefish), then I apologize.  It was not my intent to make anyone feel bad or angry, and I don't think it was picklefish's intent either, to be honest.  So far as I know, I have no problems with picklefish or anyone else here.

The issue itself isn't something I was complaining about.  I'm not touching the issue with a 10 ft (approx 3 M) pole.  Like religion and politics, it is something likely to be inflammatory with some people.  I know that some people I know in "real life" feel strongly about it one way or another, because I had already gotten an earful about it and seen it being hotly discussed in other places.  My personal reaction to it here was on the order of "Good grief.. Here too??"

Ok, this area is clearly labelled as "This is where you can discuss anything you want".  So yeah, I am probably out of line and engaging in wishful thinking with looking for the violin/fiddle "fix" in this particular section.  LOL  My bad.

The issue itself, well.. I have seen people in chat sometimes that said they were as young as 8 yrs old.  At first I figured they were BS-ing, but when I thought about it, I could read and write well enough by second grade and so could most other people I knew at that age, and kids do go on the net these days at an early age.  I wasn't getting music lessons or studying an instrument at that age, but I know some people definitely do.  So ok, it is not only possible but probable that we do have some folks here that young or maybe even a bit younger.  As I understand the issue, it can kind of touch on some "birds and bees" areas that I personally would not feel comfortable being asked about by someone else's young child.  I always figured that was why we rather avoid seriously "adult" themed jokes around here. Some of you folks are brave enough to be explaining that sort of thing to somebody else's kids, cool.  But if I see that sort of bullet coming along in the forum or chat, I personally will be dodging it.  LOL

It has also been mentioned that we usually try to avoid topics like religion and politics, and so far as I understand it, this issue can maybe for some people be tangled up in one or both of those things as well. 

That isn't censorship.  Censorship implies the ability to actually force someone to not talk about something by editing or blocking what they say or something.  I don't recall seeing censure here, either, which is criticizing someone else or their opinions with anger or harshness. I don't think I have ever seen either of those things happen here.  This is a very friendly and supportive sort of place, and a great crew of folks, ALL present company definitely included.

I will definitely agree with Terry on there being far more important cabbages to bile, and the deadline clock is ticking.