Quote:
Originally Posted by The Batlord
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.
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I don't know Richard Spencer and I'm no expert on Alex Jones either, so disclaimer that I'm aware of that and so a little careful with my claims.
But couldn't you very nearly make a case for the opposite, at least regarding Alex Jones? His influence rose through medias catering to the right, most of all his own media outlet InfoWars.
After Trump got elected, he got a lot of attention on him, even appearing in the news here in Norway. He didn't hold up well under intense public scrutiny, buckled under the pressure and became a worldwide laughing stock, on youtube and elsewhere.
When he got de-platformed from youtube, wasn't he already well into his downward trajectory? If it hurt his relevancy, was it his relevancy as a joke?
I assume these days he's retreated back into the far right medias where he can perhaps recuperate.