The Top 10 (9) Most Controversial Websites

[JamesG]

The Web's Most Controversial Sites
by Leila Brillson — Jun 4th 2009 at 2:01PM

Where free speech once saw a debate over "clear and present danger," the Internet has given us a new ethical conundrum between what constitutes free speech and what's just plain dangerous. We at Switched put our heads together to come up with the most controversial -- not hateful, not absurd, not out-of-left-field, but conversation-starting -- Web sites around. Our discovery? There are a lot of dopes out there with bad ideas. But hey, this is America. You have the right to be stupid.




Site in question: Rotten.com, an decade-plus-old conglomeration of gross

The Controversy: The original NSFW site, Rotten is home to goiter pictures, necrophiliacs, and poop jokes. Though it doesn't have a political slant, it's the Internet home to all that turns the stomach.

The Verdict?: Bad for morale and the appetite, but not illegal.




Site in question: HouseOfThin.com, a guide to living a pro-anorexic (adjusting to the disease, not defeating it) lifestyle

The Controversy: The credo of "Pro-Anas" is "treating the person, not the symptom." So, if the symptom has to stick around longer than it should, well, too bad. This Web site is the most popular anorexic "support" group, with no one openly judging lifestyle choices.

The Verdict?: Once again, we have to say it's just bad taste, not over the line. We'd prefer no one be anorexic, but we can't condemn "Anas" for getting together and talking about their experiences. Just count us out of the convo.




Site in question: Scientology.org, the one-stop shop for all things L. Ron Hubbard

The Controversy: The organization has dueled with Wikipedia, 'South Park,' and anyone who uses the word "Scientology" without sanction from the organization. Scientologists have been particularly aggressive with shutting people down. We aren't going to say whether it's a cult or a religion, but when your origin story is too embarrassing to release, you may want to reconsider what you believe in.

The Verdict?: Long live free speech. The courts have done a good job ruling on Scientology's attempt to bar information from spreading. And once one critic is shut down, ten others appear, despite the threat of Tom Cruise showing up at their front doors with an E-Meter.




Site in question: RateMyTeachers.com, a great way to get back at that Lit 101 prof who didn't get your essay comparing Homer to Homer

The Controversy: Designed by educators and originally meant for teachers, RateMyTeachers became a site for students to lob harsh criticism towards their instructors. Reputations were ruined, careers smashed, and chalkboards tarnished, even though the site has volunteers deleting profanities and insults.

The Verdict?: Keep it. Calling someone a poor teacher isn't libel, especially when comments are monitored. Besides, as with any Web site based on a ratings system, you are bound to have haters. Lousy profs, instead of worrying about your careers, perhaps you ought to try listening to students for a change.




Site in question: armyofdude.blogspot.com, a photo-and-narration blog from a GI in the heart of the conflict in Iraq

The Controversy: Amazingly written and heart-wrenchingly real, Alex Horton's blog about life in Iraq is seriously declassified. Showing the gritty realities and dysfunction of the situation in Iraq, Horton laments being deployed, mourns his friends, and is consistently called an anti-military coward who badmouths the war.

The Verdict?: Controversial in the best way possible. Here is a man writing from the front lines. He might not say what we want to hear, but that's specifically why it's so important for him to say it.




Site(s) in question: File-sharing sites like ThePirateBay.org, SurfTheChannel.com and YouTube.com

The Controversy: Though we love these sites, they tend to violate intellectual property laws. In a perfect world, to do creative work means leading a financially viable life, we have all the music and movies we want, and the artists we love are getting paid for what they do. But this world isn't perfect, so we steal what we can.

The Verdict?: Keep them up. These sites have forced corporations like Hulu, iTunes and Netflix to come up with better ways of making money. The pros and cons of file-sharing have been analyzed in greater depth than here, but the bottom line is file-sharing gives you viruses. There are so many better alternatives, so we feel like these will evolve on their own.




Site in question: Perverted-Justice.com, a vigilante site that sets traps for potential Internet creeps

The Controversy: Well, it is a vigilante service, which outs chat-room surfers on the Net and teams up with 'Dateline' for those 'To Catch A Predator' shows. Depending on volunteers with no real law enforcement experience, P-J.com has been accused of ensnaring its targets.

The Verdict?: The site appears to be a bit of a problem. The PeeJ-ers (as they call themselves) seem to do some good, but also conduct sting operations based on little evidence and with little credibility. We suggest someone sues for libel, only because Perverted-Justice seems to walk a dangerous line, and we all know that nothing good ever comes out of TV vigilante-ism.




Site in question: Craigslist.org, a community-based classifieds site for furniture, jobs, and potential serial killers. Last month, the famed "Erotic Services" section was scrapped after lawmakers protested it was nothing more than an online brothel.

The Controversy: We don't know about other cities, but in New York, the supposedly non-erotic-services M4W ads are a step below prostitution (using code words like "generous" for johns and "roses" for dollars to get around the Craigslist monitors). The simple, message board-like construction of the site means that you have the freedom to post, well, anything, selling whatever you have to sell. From yourself, to a sea serpent, to a cat bus.

The Verdict?: Controversial, but not illegal. But it is a great example of what humanity is capable of unchecked. While we can condemn the site for creating dangerous scenarios, it's the people that choose to answer a level 8 ogre-mage. Craigslist is terrifying, but so are singles ads, dating sites, the subway....




Site in question: eHarmony.com, the dating site that uses a thorough match-making technique to pair users with the "one" -- as long as they are a different gender

The Controversy: Last month, the Christian-leaning-but-all-religions-as-long-as-you-aren't-gay site launched a strictly gay site called "Compatible Partners," separate from its flagship site. This was after a three-year long lawsuit by New Jersey resident Eric McKinley, who claimed that he was being discriminated against due to his sexuality.

The verdict? Yes, it's annoying that eHarmony excluded an entire sexual orientation and then capitulated to the gay lobby because they had to. But we have to go with what the pro-gay blog Queerty.com says: "Connexion.org bills itself as 'Gay and Lesbian Social Networking, Dating, Chat and News.' Where is the class action lawsuit from heterosexuals demanding it set up, right on the homepage, another section for heterosexual social networking, dating, and news?" To that, we agree. A Web site is a service, not a right.


http://www.switched.com/2009/06/04/t...sial-web-sites

[MrCleveland]

That was nine...wasn't it?

They should add goatse.cx on there as well and encyclopediadramatica.com.

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

That was nine...wasn't it?

They should add goatse.cx on there as well and encyclopediadramatica.com.

I counted nine myself. I saw a link on AOL news saying "Top 10" but it is nine.

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by JamesG

I counted nine myself. I saw a link on AOL news saying "Top 10" but it is nine.

Then I'll add the shock sites for #10.

ever been to encyclopedia dramatica?

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

Then I'll add the shock sites for #10.

ever been to encyclopedia dramatica?

Yes

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by JamesG

Yes

Gross...wasn't it?

[Marvo301]

I count 9 too.

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

Gross...wasn't it?

Honestly depends on who/what I was reading about. Some of the things they had there on music bands were hilarious.

[PZelda]

Haha. I remember hearing (and then going to) about Rotten.com when I was about 12... a really long time ago. I thought it was so ****ing nasty... and now there's wtf_inc on Livejournal, giving people far more gross content than what can be found on Rotten.com.

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by JamesG

Honestly depends on who/what I was reading about. Some of the things they had there on music bands were hilarious.

What I saw on encyclopedia dramatica was porn.

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

What I saw on encyclopedia dramatica was porn.

lol. the site was funny to me still. i was there maybe about a week when i first heard about it but after that i lost interest.

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by PZelda

Haha. I remember hearing (and then going to) about Rotten.com when I was about 12... a really long time ago. I thought it was so ****ing nasty... and now there's wtf_inc on Livejournal, giving people far more gross content than what can be found on Rotten.com.

I remember first going there around 2001 maybe. Yeah the site's been around a while.

[browneyes106]

I have seen worse sites than rotten.com.

[Hollow]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

That was nine...wasn't it?

They should add goatse.cx on there as well and encyclopediadramatica.com.

encyclopedia dramatica is my bible. <3 it gets awfully mean though.

[Brad Russ]

It's not around anymore, but the most controversial website I ever saw was Ogrish.com. I went there a couple times after a friend mentioned it, and never went back again. I still have nightmares over what I saw there, no joke!!! If you thought Budd Dwyer's suicide was shocking, you haven't seen nothing compared to what Ogrish had!!!!!