Twitter Censoring Alt Right Groups, What is Next? Use Steemit Instead!
Twitter has Decided to Go Down a Slippery Slope.
For many the idea that a private company would censor a group that they do not agree with is palatable. The only problem is where does this censorship end? If every time we disagreed with a group, we shut off their voice we create an echo chamber of our own voice. We all know what happens when one groups ideas are the only prevailing voice in media.
One of My Teachers Showed Me This Long Ago. It Touched My Heart and I Have Been a Fan of Free Speech Ever Since.
Pastor Niemöller created multiple versions of the text during his career. The earliest speeches, written in 1946, list the communists, incurable patients, Jews or Jehovah's Witnesses, and civilians in countries occupied by Nazi Germany. In all versions, the impact is carefully built up, by going from the "smallest, most distant" group to the largest, Jewish, group, .... and then finally to himself as a by then outspoken critic of Nazism.
What Can We Do to Fight Censorship.
The key is to understand that it is not about the content of what the groups say. It is about group think. If we just allow a very small percentage of people to control the content we consume then the result will be a controlled society with little chance for an opposition group to rise.
Is this the type of world we want to live in? I sure don't want to live in a world like that! Over the years my ideas about life have changed thanks to exposure to other opinions. 20 years ago I was a Patriotic, flag waving Republican. Today I am a happy voluntaryist who does not believe in forcing others to accept my opinions. I can't imagine having a conversation with my former self, it would have been so frustrating. Thanks to other peoples opinions and my open mind I have changed the direction of my life.
Try to let people know that it is ok for companies like Twitter and Facebook to choose to censor but in the end they will become echo chambers of group think. It will no longer be a place of conversation but rather just echoes!
Why Use Steemit?
Steemit has been a breath of fresh air for me. It has been a place online where I can express my opinions freely. Sure I still have people who don't agree with my thoughts but that is ok. Conversation is part of life! What I love about Steemit is that people who are positive are rewarded and the negative troll types are left on the fringe but they are not forced to leave, like on Twitter.
Is their censorship on Steemit? I imagine a few people think there is due to the downvote button but in the end very few people use that option. We saw what happens when a small group of people start a downvote war.
Thor Says it Best.
I Will Continue to Use Twitter but I Understand that the Day Might Come When My Opinions Differ Too Much.
Start using other social media channels today to avoid what is happening on Twitter. I believe that Facebook will follow closely behind. If you are a free-thinking person then your opinions will probably clash with the group think. Prepare yourself today for the possible events that can happen tomorrow.
This post has been ranked within the top 25 most undervalued posts in the second half of Nov 17. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $15.77 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Nov 17 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
Not just alt-right groups. Twitter is censoring anyone it doesn't like. The POTUS account on Twitter was a bad omen indeed. State run media now.
Sad state of the world. That is why we need alternative social media as well as alternative news sites.
Twitter is a private company and therefore are entitled to control access to their service and the content they allow on it. Let's face it - the alt-right can be a petty bunch of assholes, and I certainly wouldn't want my company associated with them.
That being said, the chilling effect that censorship has on everyone and everything is unmistakable. Sure, censorship is fine with you when you agree that what's being censored is vulgar or offensive - but what happens when something you say gets censored? Suddenly you change your tune, don't you?
There's only two options: censor everything, or censor nothing. The former is reductivist nonsense. The latter is the only rational option - and the one that protects everyone.
Yup, they can do it at their own peril. All or nothing.
Re-Steemed.
Thank you Brotha!!
Sadly...this is what can be expected from the "Participation Trophy" generation! NONE of them know how to lose gracefully!
I have seen some posts defending the move on FB and it is more than the younger folks. It is anyone who disagrees with the opinion of the people censored. It really is disgusting but all people can do is prepare for when it is their turn.
I agree...it's primarily an issue with the Liberal left...they demand tolerance, but are in fact intolerable of anyone with a difference of opinion. If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times...Liberalism is a disease that breeds hypocrisy and fosters the continuity of ignorance...they are incapable of debate and resort to name calling and shame gaming when put on the spot. They have no real argument, they're just upset that all of their "entitlement" programs are now threatened and they might have to start being financially responsible for themselves instead of relying on taxpayer funded programs to keep them alive.
Now they'll just have more time to read Heidegger and Spengler and perfect their views with full force!
And then there is the "fake news" initiative by Stasibook. Hopefully they are speeding up their own demise.
That one sure baffles me! They need to add all of the major news sites as well.
Great write, I agree freedom of speech on so many social sites doesn't exist anymore, for example people get fired for posting a comment on Facebook, resteemed.
What are "Alt-right groups"?