RE: An interesting debate on the purpose and "how" of steem communities.
However, censoring who gets in or which content is seen should be a no-no.
I actually kinda disagree with this sentiment. I think it should be up to whoever created the community to determine which posts are allowed. Much like how subreddits on Reddit currently work.
That way, me and a group of mods can control my niche community the way I want to. If you or anyone else don't like how I moderate, you're able to form your own community under your own rules.
Truth be told, I'm not anti-censorship. I'm anti-establishment-censorship, as in, I don't like it when large powerful faceless organizations believe they should censor public discourse. But, when it comes down to the people choosing what they want to see & filtering things out in their own spaces, I'm for that. That's how we get diverse & varied content across a decentralized network.
( For example, I like to keep my communities rather open & censorship-free. But I also support those who want more regulated areas, or those who want spaces to stick to particular topics, etc. )
I see your point on this and I also see the gray line you are walking - I want to dictate who enters my house but I really have no right to dictate who uses public spaces. The challenge however is where you place communities on steemit - your (owner of the community) house or a public space. My intuition is that it is neither but somewhere in between which is why this is both an interesting and complicated debate at the same time. It will be great to hear other views on this. @acidyo?