Censorship is fine when it suits me.
Freedom of speech isn't meant to exist.
Are you daft? Do you really want free information sharing?
10001110101010? Is this ok? What if it's longer, and happens to be a copywritten movie? Where the **** is your protest there?
What if it's something considered widely *******, even by me and yourself?
Instructions to make a megaboomer or something wicked?
What then? ****** it of course.
What are you, naive? Do you really think ****** speech is ok, if that stuff isn't?
If it's not ok to openly talk about your exploits on *********** drugs in public, if you could do that and not be hushed by your own friends, if you could openly rally against pro-copyright laws, or openly share illegal content like pirated poetry or music, then sure, I'd support free-speech.
But if us Icelandic pirates have to obey your filthy ******** laws, and if we have to bow to your absolutely bull**** internet **********, ********** that "you the people" believe in, then you go **** yourself.
Who ******' cares if 'white males' or whomever the "pitied demographic of the year" is censored? You love it. You already love censoring each other and the internet, and this ********** was in place decades ago, even centuries ago, to the point of burning heretics alive, so don't complain about a little **********.
I'll tell ya once more, if you ********* actually believed in free speech, in such a way that I felt free to actually speak my mind non-anonymously, I'd completely join you.
But you're a two-faced son-of-a-***** and you'd end up censoring whoever you want to, be it your political opponents or whatever you deem *******, and only cry when you can't call your minority populations "******" or "******" anymore.
Isn't that what this is about? Don't ******* lie to me. Maybe you're different, but I get a strong feeling that not every ******** is a radical philosopher waiting to speak their mind.
We all know what certain stupid ********* want to say about *******, ****, ****, and ***** people.
We all know what you'll use your free speech for.
"Wahh wahh, censor these immoral ********!"
For the record, do you know how many times I had to restructure this ******* post? All of my posts? Do you think I actually want to type "megaboomer?"
You know how these ******* watch lists work. I don't dare say any actual words that might dare trigger them, if they exist. Who knows? You certainly don't, considering how malicious governments are, and how they lie to you, and how you believe their lies.
What freedoms governments, religions, or societies grant their slaves are shallow shadows of what true freedom looks like. ******* "free speech."
Ha.
**** the **** comes for ******* *******, you'll be too ******' to even be able to ********.
Mark my words.
~LS
i wish i could upvote this! thanks for the fun post :)
reminded me of this great article i found a while back that gets into horizontal vs vertical censorship: https://pando.com/2015/02/04/the-geometry-of-censorship-and-satire/
at the end of the day, i think the people in your example who favor censorship when it favors them are just awed by power, like so many of us are when we're vulnerable. they probably also haven't experienced that power being aimed at THEM, else they'd feel differently about its wanton use!
I wrote this in reply to this.
Nice provocative article, but in my opinion, a bit short-sighted.
I may be short sighted, but you appear to be cross-eyed. I'm not entirely sure what your critique was, perhaps it went over my head.
Very amusingly written either way.
I suppose I'm not a free speech absolutist, but I think the laws as they stand in the USA seem to be functioning well.
Where I disagree however is the concept of a corporation being considered a person and money being considered speech. That seems like a recipe for corruption.
The political system as it stands seems to be the facilitation of arbitration of competing lobbyists, disguised poorly as a representative democracy.
That's neither here, nor there. I was mainly reacting to a well spoken man being assaulted for having an opinion, which in my opinion, is pretty fucked up.
I could also have an opinion, and if it's not favorable to a random person I tell it to, they might as well attack me. Even that very man might attack me, or otherwise tell me to silence myself, if I was to say the 'wrong' thing to him.
Maybe not at this point, seeing as he's learned his lesson, but I know the power of mere words.
As a philosophical poet, I know words are extremely powerful.
Preventing them from being spoken can be very useful.
As for me, I'm not an absolutist unless you are.
If you're not, then I say: Assault whoever says anything you disapprove of.
Why stand for bullshit? If you won't defend freedom of information transmission, even where you disagree, then why not at least beat down people who say things you don't like?
Why take the utterances of fools with anything other than a boot to their stupid face?
Better you watch your mouth for fear of repercussions from anyone, rather than a select few in whatever government/society/religion is popular. That is, censorship by all is favorable to censorship by a single government.
Or again, I don't mind playing the absolutist game if everyone else plays. I just don't want to be censored. I am one of those people who actually has things to say, and would like to think I can be completely and utterly free to speak my mind without any sort of fear whatsoever of being assaulted by humans, in uniform, or just street people.
But if not absolutist, then you'd better watch what you say. Ya never know who's listening, and who might disapprove.
Oh, for the record, my article became generic, and not targeted towards you, after submitting it as my own story, so a question like "Are you daft?" is not directed towards you.
You're cool, @business. =p
I just bought some new boots today...
I think we're both against censorship, but your critique is that I'm being unrealistic, because to a certain extent, might makes right?
I think that's what the second amendment is for ;)
Cheers @heretickitten :3
I'm not sure I'm giving a proper critique in the first place.
What I'd like is another article from you, about the absolutist perspective of free speech, and another separate article from the perspective of "if you insult me, or even a bear, you'll get hurt" type censorship.
Make it fair and objective, of course.
I don't like taking sides these days.
You know how it is. When the biggest, baddest government is totally corrupt, to the point that most of the world is either colonialized to have the same laws or religion, or too foreign for me to comprehend, I just assume that the two most popular sides are fabricated by the same source, and that even the third option is somehow tainted.
Freedom has problems, but I'd rather accept them, rather than try to cut off the parts of freedom that I disagree with.
I'd rather just make up my own opinion, and assume it's as contrived and opinionated as anything else. At least then I know it's mine.
It's hard to argue with that logic, especially since I don't know what some of the words are supposed to be.
My personal view is that you have freedom of speech, unless you libel or slander someone, that shit is supposed to be illegal...however, you are not free from the consequences of the things that you say, especially if you're on a government watch list somewhere...
Yeah, you've found the point of my article.
People always say: "You have freedom, unless..."
You say, "You have freedom of speech, unless....
It's illegal?
Well, what if racism or sexism was made illegal? What if file-sharing was illegal?
What if all porn became illegal?
What if speaking any speech more complex than "Today is a good day. Praise God and country." became illegal?
At that point, I would say that there is no freedom of speech.
just never write so everyone can understand. thats worst type of self censoring and self degrading.
cheers
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You are my new favorite Steemit user.
@matt-a. I am a favorite and follow your account. Because you often pick newcomers like me. @bukharisulaiman. Hihihi
Wow!! lots of asterisks =D
@heretickitten. Very interesting experience. Please permit me to share.
@bukharisulaiman
Once again you've captured what I've felt and believed for quite a long time.
You most certainly have a gift.
Thank you for sharing it.