"I’m a free speech absolutist." What utter bullshit. Musk tolerates speech he approves of. That which he does not, he lashes out against. And, since he makes $16,000,000/hour, he can afford to do a lot of lashing out.
A public utility like Twitter- for that's what it's become- to be controlled by one man is the very definition of dangerous. I'm actually glad I was permanently suspended by Twitter a couple of months ago (you don't want to know the uber-fucking-stupid reason why); it saved me the effort of deleting my account now.
I don't have a crystal ball, but I believe that what once could have a useful digital town hall is about to degrade into a dog-eat-dog free-for-all. I will not miss it. Not one little bit.
Yeah, I got booted for the stupidest fucking reason imaginable, but I don't miss fighting the pinheads. I can still use Twitter as "read-only," which works for me. I do miss the interaction, but I'd been doing less of that over the years, anyway (I'd been on Twitter since 2008). I'm finding that I really don't miss it. Yep, you really can live without Twitter. Who knew?? :-)
The graphic on the "paradox" of tolerance is a good one. But it really isn't a "paradox" in the technical sense. Rather, the paradox -- the logical self-contradiction -- is in requiring a position like generic "tolerance" to be passively accepting of its own annihilation. John Dewey, as anti-authoritarian a socialist as you could ever find, threw the communists out of the massive meeting that created the New York Teacher's Union because the communists were determined to not allow anyone else speak.
I am reminded of this article:
"Fascism is Not an Idea to Be Debated, It’s a Set of Actions to Fight"
I might actually go back to Twitter to see if my lifetime ban still holds. If they let me in, I can test those "free speech" limits for myself. (But they won't let me back in, even after they allow Mango Mussolini back in on his golden toilet.)
See, that's where we can really hoist that SOB by his own petard. One set of rules for your buddies, Mr. Musk. Another set of rules for the rest of us.
Everything you said. In the end, there’s no such thing as free speech, in the sense that it can become a free-for-all. Every action has consequences and that includes speaking out. It can only be considered ‘free’ of consequences if everyone agrees. And you know how often that happens.
Musk will change Twitter to suit himself, and that’s a shame. Twitter has become invaluable to those of us who try to keep on top of things. Everyone I want to hear from in times of urgency or peril is there reporting on Twitter. The void will be immeasurable when it’s gone.
Something else will take its place, because it must, but change takes time. It looks like the red tape alone will keep Musk from taking over until after the midterms. I’m thankful for that, anyway.
"I’m a free speech absolutist." What utter bullshit. Musk tolerates speech he approves of. That which he does not, he lashes out against. And, since he makes $16,000,000/hour, he can afford to do a lot of lashing out.
A public utility like Twitter- for that's what it's become- to be controlled by one man is the very definition of dangerous. I'm actually glad I was permanently suspended by Twitter a couple of months ago (you don't want to know the uber-fucking-stupid reason why); it saved me the effort of deleting my account now.
I don't have a crystal ball, but I believe that what once could have a useful digital town hall is about to degrade into a dog-eat-dog free-for-all. I will not miss it. Not one little bit.
You, too? I had no idea! Welcome to the "I got booted from Twitter" club, of which I am the chapter president. I'm glad you're here.
Yeah, I got booted for the stupidest fucking reason imaginable, but I don't miss fighting the pinheads. I can still use Twitter as "read-only," which works for me. I do miss the interaction, but I'd been doing less of that over the years, anyway (I'd been on Twitter since 2008). I'm finding that I really don't miss it. Yep, you really can live without Twitter. Who knew?? :-)
The graphic on the "paradox" of tolerance is a good one. But it really isn't a "paradox" in the technical sense. Rather, the paradox -- the logical self-contradiction -- is in requiring a position like generic "tolerance" to be passively accepting of its own annihilation. John Dewey, as anti-authoritarian a socialist as you could ever find, threw the communists out of the massive meeting that created the New York Teacher's Union because the communists were determined to not allow anyone else speak.
I am reminded of this article:
"Fascism is Not an Idea to Be Debated, It’s a Set of Actions to Fight"
-- Aleksandar Hemon,
https://lithub.com/fascism-is-not-an-idea-to-be-debated-its-a-set-of-actions-to-fight/
I might actually go back to Twitter to see if my lifetime ban still holds. If they let me in, I can test those "free speech" limits for myself. (But they won't let me back in, even after they allow Mango Mussolini back in on his golden toilet.)
See, that's where we can really hoist that SOB by his own petard. One set of rules for your buddies, Mr. Musk. Another set of rules for the rest of us.
Everything you said. In the end, there’s no such thing as free speech, in the sense that it can become a free-for-all. Every action has consequences and that includes speaking out. It can only be considered ‘free’ of consequences if everyone agrees. And you know how often that happens.
Musk will change Twitter to suit himself, and that’s a shame. Twitter has become invaluable to those of us who try to keep on top of things. Everyone I want to hear from in times of urgency or peril is there reporting on Twitter. The void will be immeasurable when it’s gone.
Something else will take its place, because it must, but change takes time. It looks like the red tape alone will keep Musk from taking over until after the midterms. I’m thankful for that, anyway.
Is that true? I am very glad to hear it. If we can keep that awful man from taking over until after the midterms, that's one thing to cheer about.
A part of me wants to be here to see when the shit really hits the fan. Another part of me knows better.
Heaven help us all.