POTWR: Inaugural Address 2019

[Quipling]

I've been pondering a lot on the subject of free speech and the paradoxes that come from it. One of the conclusions that I've come to is that a lot of the current "free speech" advocates are acting in bad faith to further a political or cultural agenda, and that these actors are a greater existential threat to free speech than the people trying to silence them. Good debates require moderation, and moderation is not the same as censorship.

This might be an interesting exercise. I see 2 possible outcomes for these threads: They will either be highly moderated and high quality, or poorly moderated and poor quality (quality being a measure of enlightened exchanges of ideas and not entertainment). In the former, trolls and low quality posters will complain of censorship and bias, and in the latter the quality voices will be turned off. At least for now, Cubo seems to be dedicated to the former and the thread will be better for it.

A topic suggests itself vis-a-vis the role of moderating in the realm of free speech, and the tensions between the speech rights of (corporate) entities and individuals who want to use those entities as platforms for their own expression.

 

[Higus]

A topic suggests itself vis-a-vis the role of moderating in the realm of free speech, and the tensions between the speech rights of (corporate) entities and individuals who want to use those entities as platforms for their own expression.

Another topic along those lines is the blurring lines between speech and money in a capitalist society. Is demonetization of a YT channel an act of censorship or a response to the market? Is boycotting advertisers a controversial TV personality from the air an act of free speech, an act of censorship, or the free market at work?

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Is demonetization of a YT channel an act of censorship or a response to the market? Is boycotting advertisers a controversial TV personality from the air an act of free speech, an act of censorship, or the free market at work?

All the above?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Other

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Other

Like what?

 

[Higus]

All the above?

Correct, but the tricky thing is getting someone who thinks they are a victim of censorship to realize that there is no such thing as "free speech" the way they understand it.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Correct, but the tricky thing is getting someone who thinks they are a victim of censorship to realize that there is no such thing as "free speech" the way they understand it.

I'd say it's the people who think free speech only refers to the government that lack understanding. They confuse the legal guarantee of free speech with free speech itself. Any individual, household, or business can uphold the basic principle of allowing people to share their thoughts without repercussion/punishment.

 

[JamesRussler]

If you really want to revolutionize the debate, @Cubo de Sangre , outlaw speaking in broad group generalizations like “Liberals are x” or “Republicans think y.” Make people talk in specifics, such as “Bernie Sanders said x” or “every GOP senator voted against y.”

As long as you are banning certain types of speech from your threads, you might as well ban the the types of speech that perpetuate truly useless narratives. To me, it’s more harmful to discussion when someone says ”liberals wants genders outlawed” than if someone calls me a twat.

@Cubo de Sangre I think you should consider banning all Left-leaning posters. They add nothing of value anyway. It would eliminate the need for debate and we could start going forward with making progress. You could instantly become GOAT POTWR. Just something to think about.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

@Cubo de Sangre I think you should consider banning all Left-leaning posters. They add nothing of value anyway. It would eliminate the need for debate and we could start going forward with making progress. You could instantly become GOAT POTWR. Just something to think about.

Then who you gonna talk shit to?

 

[JamesRussler]

Then who you gonna talk shit to?

It's fun arguing with them, but at the end of the day we need to solve problems. And the number one problem is the political Left. So why not solve the problem for good while you have the chance? I say go ahead and do it.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

It's fun arguing with them, but at the end of the day we need to solve problems. And the number one problem is the political Left. So why not solve the problem for good while you have the chance? I say go ahead and do it.

Got any good ideas for threads?

 

[JamesRussler]

Got any good ideas for threads?

Sure dude:
"What should we do about the political Left?"
" 'We should ban the the political Left'—Change my mind"
"Top 10 reasons to ban the Left"
" 'When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk'—Why banning all Left-leaning posters is sensible policy."

Those are just a few thread titles. More where that came from!

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Sure dude:
"What should we do about the political Left?"
" 'We should ban the the political Left'—Change my mind"
"Top 10 reasons to ban the Left"
" 'When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk'—Why banning all Left-leaning posters is sensible policy."

Those are just a few thread titles. More where that came from!

 

[JamesRussler]

Correct, but the tricky thing is getting someone who thinks they are a victim of censorship to realize that there is no such thing as "free speech" the way they understand it.

^^^ Exactly. The only question: who gets to do the censoring?

 

[Higus]

^^^ Exactly. The only question: who gets to do the censoring?

Usually, the people in charge of the platform set the ground rules. People decide which platforms they want to use, or create new ones.

 

[JamesRussler]

Usually, the people in charge of the platform set the ground rules. People decide which platforms they want to use, or create new ones.

Again, we agree.
When you have power, use it or lose it.

 

[nac386]

I've been pondering a lot on the subject of free speech and the paradoxes that come from it. One of the conclusions that I've come to is that a lot of the current "free speech" advocates are acting in bad faith to further a political or cultural agenda, and that these actors are a greater existential threat to free speech than the people trying to silence them. Good debates require moderation, and moderation is not the same as censorship.

In recent years, there seems to be a rush of really lame guys on the internet who want to say and do obnoxious things with complete clemency. Of course, they use "free speech" as their defense. I think it's pathetic. You can say whatever you want, but there will be a reaction. That reaction can range from being celebrated to be ostracized. You have to deal with the result of your words and actions like an adult.

 

[VivaRevolution]

With 10 months of threads to fill, I'm open to ideas. And from my experience it'll be the ones that don't sound that awesome to begin with that turn out the best.

Since you're an expert on Native Americans, how about the topic of poverty on reservations and what can be done about it (if anything). Or more specifically, is segregation bad for them and should something be done?




Sounds good to me. Ain't nobody saving the world by posting on Sherdog anyway.





Can you lay out the specifics a bit more?




Write a joint OP with @Limbo Pete or @InternetHero or somebody on a topic you may not necessarily agree on. Shit, or just offer up your own idea and make it an educational piece. If it's something that interests you then chances are there's others who feel the same.




Pretty sure the four I voted for are among your five. I'm actually a little surprised the feel good stories option has done as well as it has. That one's easy to do and doesn't require coordinating participation so I'll make that thread for sure.

As you know, I'd love for you to be involved in creating a thread and driving discussion. No idea is too big or small.




One more off topic comment and you'll be my first reply ban. Please, don't.

Yeah, pretty basic. Organize the WR for political action in a mailing drive. I find the tool that locates your congressman, and we send e-mails, and actual mail to them.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Yeah, pretty basic. Organize the WR for political action in a mailing drive. I find the tool that locates your congressman, and we send e-mails, and actual mail to them.

I guess what's not clear is are we going to pick one topic or send out a bunch of emails on a range of topics. Do we need to find something we all agree on (more or less), or doe we flood the thread with topics and folks can choose in which mailing drives to participate?

 

[VivaRevolution]

I guess what's not clear is are we going to pick one topic or send out a bunch of emails on a range of topics. Do we need to find something we all agree on (more or less), or doe we flood the thread with topics and folks can choose in which mailing drives to participate?

Yeah, it would be topic specific, but I am leaning towards voting for what issue it will be.