Lately I see a lot of calls do have specific instances defederated for a particular subset of reasons:

  • Don’t like their content
  • Dont like their political leaning
  • Dont like their free speech approach
  • General feeling of being offended
  • I want a safe space!
  • This instance if hurting vulnerable people

I personally find each and every one of these arguments invalid. Everybody has the right to live in an echo chamber, but mandating it for everyone else is something that goes a bit too far.

Has humanity really developed into a situation where words and thoughts are more hurtful than sticks and stones?

Edit: Original context https://slrpnk.net/post/554148

Controversial topic, feel free to discuss!

  • HasturOPMEnglish
    0•1 year ago

    What a ridiculous question. “Is a stabbing really more hurtful than a gunshot?” They’re both hurtful!

    Hyperbolic. Nobody is being shot, people feel offended for more or less valid reasons.

    Hateful content is routinely disguised as memes, “just asking questions”, “just a joke”, etc

    So? The burden of proof that this is hate is on you. Apart from this: Even if it was hateful, it’s not unlawful per se. If it becomes unlawful that’s a whole other topic.

    It’s super easy to teach a child to hate, for instance.

    Yes, children are children, they’re supposed to be stupid. They will hate another kid because it wears glasses, is fat, nerdy or because it’s Tuesday. You won’t change that, you just add another layer why certain kids will hate others. Hate because of hate. Doesn’t sound like a good plan.

    If every “good” instance blocks the hateful ones, then no one will see their content unless they go out of their way to sign up for that specific instance. That’s a good thing. It keeps the hate locked away where it’s hard to stumble into.

    Ah the hear no even, see no evil, speak no evil approach. Yeah that has always worked out pretty well, ask the French about Zemmour and Le Pen, the Germans about the AFD and so on.

    Now, what counts as hate? Whatever the admin decides. If the admin chooses to delegate that decision to the users, it’s still the admin choosing to do that. If you don’t like that, find a different instance.

    Ah there it is, the leftist authoritarian. Whatever Big Brother decides is good for me.

    Fuck hate. Fuck Nazis. Fuck the alt-right. Defederate them.

    Have a look at the state at which the right wing parties are re-emerging in Europe, look at Reassemblement National, Vox, AFD, etc etc.

    That is only possible because people like you think that containment and oppression of dissenting discourse and opinion is a good thing. You’re the new Neville Chamberlain and I fear what the result of this new cowardice will be.

    • @[email protected]English
      1•1 year ago

      Ah there it is, the leftist authoritarian. Whatever Big Brother decides is good for me.

      🤦‍♂️

      Dear Lord, you are just grasping here. Go fight your straw man somewhere else. Each instance is run as a charity. The admin makes the rules. If you don’t like the rules, leave. If I don’t like the rules, I’ll leave. Take your techno-libertarian, infinite free speech bullshit somewhere else. Make your own instance where you are the benevolent dictator where your only rule is “Absolute freedom of speech for all”. Fucking christ…

      • HasturOPMEnglish
        0•1 year ago

        I never said anything against “the admin makes the rules.” This is about users calling for defederation because “someone offended me on the internet.”

        Looks like you’re exactly that kind of person and as you’ve proven yourself you’re absolutely incapable of engaging in a civil discussion. Feel free to leave… or participate, but if you do, people will disagree with you, no matter if that hurts your precious feelings or not.

        • @[email protected]English
          0•1 year ago

          I never said anything against “the admin makes the rules.”

          The conversation:

          “The admin makes the rules”

          “You leftist authoritarian!”

          “🤦‍♂️”

          “I never said anything against ‘the admin makes the rules’”

          It’s all there, black and white. Defederation is just another admin rule.

          You think you’re being civil and you say shit like “There is it” and labeling me with a pejorative political affiliation on the basis of saying nothing more than “the admin makes the rules”. I’m calling you out on your bullshit. That’s not something you say in a civil conversation, and you know it. Don’t apologize. Don’t explain to me how it’s civil. Just stop talking.

          • HasturOPMEnglish
            0•1 year ago

            When you call for an authority to get the bad offense banned from your view it’s a clear call for an authority to fix your life, because you’re not able to. This has nothing to do with an admin (team) having transparent rules about what they do or don’t allow on an instance.

            On a different topic: Civil discussion and disagreement is encouraged, you’re trying to insult and disparage which is something I as moderator will not allow here. So either you follow the rules or I’ll have to start moderating your contributions here.

                • HasturOPMEnglish
                  -1•1 year ago

                  Transparency report: User banned for 14 days to cool down.

                  • @[email protected]English
                    1•1 year ago

                    You’re banning someone from a community called “Controversial” where the rules state, “This is not a safe place” and “Challenge others opinions and be challenged on your own” because you disagree with them. In a post where you claim that defederating is censorship.

                    I don’t know if you’re trolling with this post or not but that is way too funny!