PipingHotPiccolo said: "xoxobwayjohndoe said:
So the difference here is that this info is... about a medical topic? Which is not forbidden content on these boards?"
Yes. Exactly. Bingo.
Speculating and gossiping about which show is closing, which theater is being booked, which actor is leaving/joining a show, is universes away from speculating and gossiping about someone's HEALTH.
If someone is just sharing information that the actor publicized elsewhere, thats fine, but to spread that any given actor might have any given illness/issue, is crude and childish. Its hilarious that the moderators allow it while shutting down any mention of other topics; I maintain the BroadwayWorld legal counsel is a golden retriever."
I agree that it's not great to say, "so and so definitively has COVID" if not confirmed. That said, I find it hard to quantify any real harm from it other than distaste in reading something potentially uncouth. I'm curious if you would take similar issue to someone saying, "so and so was out amidst a widespread COVID scare, so COVID seems likely?"
If so, I'll agree to disagree. You have every right to not like it, but I think this sort of discussion is well within scope – this is not speculation on someone's health in a vacuum, but rather as to the reason for a performer's recorded absence from a show.
I'd also understand more if there were some sort of moral assessment that came with having COVID (ex: "this person has COVID, and thus we judge them" ) – the same as calling someone a slur, etc. But this is not the case.
All this is to say, I agree we should be careful about making unconfirmed definitive statements about someone's health – but only insofar as we should be careful about making any unconfirmed definitive statements. I don't really grasp why the health topic makes a difference in the context of an online rumors message board.
Updated On: 9/18/23 at 09:53 PM
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