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Toxic statements = statements from a different political orientation Why are people so willing to embrace Orwellian doublethink? My prediction is that such a s

Toxic statements = statements from a different political orientation Why are people so willing to embrace Orwellian doublethink? My prediction is that such a sword will do decapitate undeserving people of all political aisles.

sincerely 9y ago
The article is largely about removing flagrantly racist content (the subreddits they listed as examples were like r/KKK and r/CoonTown) and various illegal content like bestiality videos. It seems disingenuous to classify these as simply "different political orientation".
- UrukParthian 9y ago
  What's wrong with racism? I spent two years homeless on Skid Row. I will never, ever, move to a black majority neighborhood. That's not "toxic", that's me making an intelligent rule. It doesn't mean I denigrate my black friends. The ones I know are "salt of the Earth". As in I'd die for them. It doesn't mean I won't hire a black applicant. It might seem impossible but one can adopt general rules and still hold exceptions for corner cases. Or even (gasp) withhold judgement of individuals until you get a better idea what type of person they are.
- prepend 9y ago
  As much I disagree with racists, I believe that a healthy society must allow them to speak. I tried to find a quote from Dershowitz’s book on defending Nazis but gave up due to paywall. Toxic is not an objective measure for speech. But like in real life, toxicity depends on the dose. Life doesn’t eliminate toxins, it reduces them to manageable levels (or dies). There’s also the practical effect that banning is irreversible. Toxicity is not terminal, but banning doesn’t allow for redemption.
- cryoshon 9y ago
  agreed. but consider how the people being banned will see things. i don't suggest we cater to them, just that we realize their way of thinking and reacting.
s73v3r_ 9y ago
"Toxic statements = statements from a different political orientation" Wrong. Saying so is dangerously minimizing the problem.
- zaroth 9y ago
  Have you been following what’s going on in the UK with their anti-“hate” speech laws? Tweet something that someone decides is offensive to them, get a visit from the police? I’d say it’s a very rational concern that these regulations would be weaponized against “wrongthink”.
  - s73v3r_ 9y ago
    I'm not saying the UK's way is the way to go. But trying to handwave away the problem of toxicity with, "It's just people who can't handle' differing opinions" not right either.
  - pjc50 9y ago
    The number of actual prosecutions or even visits from the police is tiny, and when you look at the actual cases they tend to be racist death or rape threats.
    - zaroth 9y ago
      "Arrests for offensive Facebook and Twitter posts soar in London" [1] "Arrests for 'offensive' Twitter and Facebook messages up by a third" [2] "British Police Arrest At Least 3,395 People for ‘Offensive’ Online Comments in One Year" [3] "Police arresting nine people a day in fight against web trolls" [4] "More than 3,300 people were detained and questioned last year over so-called trolling on social media and other online forums, a rise of nearly 50 per cent in two years, according to figures obtained by The Times. About half of the investigations were dropped before prosecutions were brought, however, leading to criticism from civil liberties campaigners that the authorities are over-policing the internet and threatening free speech...." [1] - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/arrests-for-offensive-facebook-and-twitter-posts-soar-in-london-a7064246.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/arrests-for-offensive-f... [2] - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/02/social_media_arrests_up_37pc_london_section_127_communications_act/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/02/social_media_arrests... [3] - http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/14/british-police-arrest-at-least-3395-people-for-offensive-online-comments-one-year/ http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/14/british-police-ar... [4] - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-arresting-nine-people-a-day-in-fight-against-web-trolls-b8nkpgp2d https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-arresting-nine-peo...

sincerely 9y ago

The article is largely about removing flagrantly racist content (the subreddits they listed as examples were like r/KKK and r/CoonTown) and various illegal content like bestiality videos. It seems disingenuous to classify these as simply "different political orientation".

UrukParthian 9y ago
What's wrong with racism? I spent two years homeless on Skid Row. I will never, ever, move to a black majority neighborhood. That's not "toxic", that's me making an intelligent rule. It doesn't mean I denigrate my black friends. The ones I know are "salt of the Earth". As in I'd die for them. It doesn't mean I won't hire a black applicant. It might seem impossible but one can adopt general rules and still hold exceptions for corner cases. Or even (gasp) withhold judgement of individuals until you get a better idea what type of person they are.
prepend 9y ago
As much I disagree with racists, I believe that a healthy society must allow them to speak. I tried to find a quote from Dershowitz’s book on defending Nazis but gave up due to paywall. Toxic is not an objective measure for speech. But like in real life, toxicity depends on the dose. Life doesn’t eliminate toxins, it reduces them to manageable levels (or dies). There’s also the practical effect that banning is irreversible. Toxicity is not terminal, but banning doesn’t allow for redemption.
cryoshon 9y ago
agreed. but consider how the people being banned will see things. i don't suggest we cater to them, just that we realize their way of thinking and reacting.

s73v3r_ 9y ago

"Toxic statements = statements from a different political orientation" Wrong. Saying so is dangerously minimizing the problem.

zaroth 9y ago
Have you been following what’s going on in the UK with their anti-“hate” speech laws? Tweet something that someone decides is offensive to them, get a visit from the police? I’d say it’s a very rational concern that these regulations would be weaponized against “wrongthink”.
- s73v3r_ 9y ago
  I'm not saying the UK's way is the way to go. But trying to handwave away the problem of toxicity with, "It's just people who can't handle' differing opinions" not right either.
- pjc50 9y ago
  The number of actual prosecutions or even visits from the police is tiny, and when you look at the actual cases they tend to be racist death or rape threats.
  - zaroth 9y ago
    "Arrests for offensive Facebook and Twitter posts soar in London" [1] "Arrests for 'offensive' Twitter and Facebook messages up by a third" [2] "British Police Arrest At Least 3,395 People for ‘Offensive’ Online Comments in One Year" [3] "Police arresting nine people a day in fight against web trolls" [4] "More than 3,300 people were detained and questioned last year over so-called trolling on social media and other online forums, a rise of nearly 50 per cent in two years, according to figures obtained by The Times. About half of the investigations were dropped before prosecutions were brought, however, leading to criticism from civil liberties campaigners that the authorities are over-policing the internet and threatening free speech...." [1] - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/arrests-for-offensive-facebook-and-twitter-posts-soar-in-london-a7064246.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/arrests-for-offensive-f... [2] - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/02/social_media_arrests_up_37pc_london_section_127_communications_act/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/02/social_media_arrests... [3] - http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/14/british-police-arrest-at-least-3395-people-for-offensive-online-comments-one-year/ http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/14/british-police-ar... [4] - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-arresting-nine-people-a-day-in-fight-against-web-trolls-b8nkpgp2d https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-arresting-nine-peo...