Author Topic: Faith Goldy and other White Supremacists banned from Facebook  (Read 3179 times)

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Offline TimG

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Free speech is free speech but no person or organization is obligated to give anyone a platform or the means to finance that freedom.
We have allowed private firms to dominate and control the "public square" in today's world. For that reason the "private companies can ban whoever they want" excuse does not apply. Facebook, Google and other near monopoly players have the same moral obligations as governments to protect free speech. They should also be compelled by law as the government is.

While Nazi's and other odious white supremacists groups are hardly sympathetic the warning from Martin Niemöller's poem applies here:

Quote
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

In short, once we accept that simple speech can be limited with no requirement for court review it is just a matter of time before different opinions that each of us thinks are legitimate will be be banned because the censors are accountable to no one. We will gradually turn into a state like China where no dissent from norms is tolerated.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2019, 05:09:19 pm by TimG »