[EricE]

>"I don’t know how this gets enforced, but we simply cannot give every lunatic a megaphone."

At least in the US you can't enforce it - and yes, any lunatic can grab a megaphone if they want.

The best way to handle problematic speech is more speech, NOT less. Trying to pretend lunatics don't exist is irrational and often a pretext to just block people that others disagree with. Screw that. Safest place for lunatics is out in the open, not driven underground.

[otterley]

> The best way to handle problematic speech is more speech, NOT less.

This theory is an interesting one. This concept is enshrined in our law. I used to think that this was true, but now I'm no longer sure. For the concept to work, it requires that our populace have an open mind and actually be receptive to different opinions and points of view. Sadly, in the last 30 years or so, we have become less so.

[MrMan]

its categorically untrue. it is at best wishful thinking. but if the person who says it knows that the statement is false because of human nature and the way we interact in societies, what does that say about them?

[TameAntelope]

Except censorship of radical ideas has been shown to be effective, over and over again.

I’m on my phone, but there’s a whole bunch of studies that show the effects of banning radical speech on Twitter (think ISIS), and the outcome was, unsurprisingly, less radical speech on Twitter. It didn’t return, it didn’t evolve, it just… died.

Free speech is an important concept, but it’s important at both ends; it’s also free speech to deny someone access to your megaphone, should you happen to own one.

[0] https://faculty.cc.gatech.edu/~dyang888/docs/jhaver-2021-dep...

[1] https://theconversation.com/amp/does-deplatforming-work-to-c...

[2] https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deplatforming-parler-bans-qa...

[raxxorrax]

These studies are pretty much worthless. Of course it "works" if you remove your political opposition. At least in the short term. Why do a study if you could have just asked any other dictator?

What does "working" even mean? More support for a political party? Less resistance?

[TameAntelope]

They’re worthless because you don’t like their outcome? There are others, this is a very well researched space.

You don’t have to and shouldn’t take my word for it. Study after study shows that radical ideas can successfully be removed from a platform though censorship.

[wayoutthere]

Well the way things are headed, we’ll be fighting it out in the open IRL soon.

[Clubber]

>Well the way things are headed, we’ll be fighting it out in the open IRL soon.

If so, I think it will be along the lines of two people get into a fight. After about 5 seconds, they are exhausted and realize that getting into a fight was a really bad idea. They will soon stop and hopefully grab a beer together afterwords, perhaps to argue politics some more.

[EricE]

Good. Too many have let things like blatant censorship go on for too long. It's time for more people to be uncomfortable, if for just a little. We are drowning in a morass of complacency :p