Quote:
Originally Posted by Guybrush
We obviously have laws against hate speech and various forms of harmful expression. On private platforms, it is roughly up to the owners to make policies. Besides that, I think lawmakers should decide what goes and what doesn't.
As a general rule, I do think that right wing demagogues should be allowed on public platforms along with other scum as long as they stay within the limits of legal expression. On public platforms, they can be seen so we know who they are. Their opinions can be discussed by the public. They can be challenged. Keep them in the light so everyone knows what they're up to. Tying it in with what I wrote earlier, keep those ideas in an environment that is hostile towards them. They're less likely to blossom.
If you de-platform them, they may just find new platforms (like parler) where their messages go unchallenged. They might actually increase their influence that way and their messages might reach more receptive minds. I think this process is ongoing in various places, adding strength to various right wing movements.
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Except kicking Alex Jones off Youtube has tanked his viewership and his relevance, and now that Richard Spencer isn't on CNN or any other major public platform nobody talks about him and he's fallen by the wayside. And after that guy punched him in the head on camera he doesn't really do public appearances anymore. Deplatforming these people CAN reduce their relevance, whereas publicly platforming them gives them exposure to an audience who they are not arguing in good faith with. They're just propagandists who are trying emotionally manipulate in a way that circumvents logic and reason. Allowing them that opportunity is simply irresponsible and undercuts the marketplace of ideas.