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Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by empath75 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @07:31AM (#15498233)
It’s absolutely not against the law for Facebook to decide who it wants to help or not help. It’s a private entity.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by iMerNibor on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @07:36AM (#15498252)
Of course they'd be allowed to, where would we end up though?

Just from a moral standpoint a huge company, like google and facebook are, should not discriminate who they give advertising space to (in the context of political parties during an election)

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by empath75 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @07:56AM (#15498328)
From a moral standpoint, discriminating against racists is fine.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by coupdetaco on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:00AM (#15498347)
But then you have to define racists, and this prevents people who are not racist from speaking out of fear of being discriminated against. The cure is worse than the disease. Discrimination is bad.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by pas on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:55AM (#15499606)
Secret discrimination is bad.

Clear arguments from your core principles for why not allow something is nigh and day different from the chilling effects that blanket labeling has.

Yes, the problem is clearly very nasty, and yes it will inevitably have some marginal effects.

But the disease is ignorance, the cure is exercising discrimination AND providing the information to help ignorance. AND of course allow the debate of that information.

The debate can be as simple as the 60 piece twitter story about that Viking textile fragment with Allah that turns out to be not Allah. (Where the scholar pointed out that the dating is wrong, the person that claimed that the text is Allah is wrong because there was no space on the textile for that. End of story.)

And in case of the Holocaust, yes, there's probably a 0.000000001% chance that we're being bamboozled by the New World Order, but that's almost the same as end of story (because we have more pressing matters).

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by Marazan on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:24AM (#15498503)
That is a rock solid gold final sentence.

Like, I don't know if that was a carefully thought out zinger or an accidental numbnut of a line but bravo. Bravo.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by heneryville on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:06AM (#15498382)
Is that really true? Is it OK for a doctor to refuse to operate on a racist or a police officer to refuse to protect a racist? What about a grocery store refusing to let a non-actively demonstrating racist shop in their store or a school teacher to educate their children? Racists are humans too.

However, you don't have a moral obligation to help a racist send their message. Otherwise, treat all people as people.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by te_chris on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:16AM (#15498438)
God, the moral equivocations you have to go through to get to such a puritanical humanist outcome must be quite something.

'Treat all people as people' is exactly the culture that allows these assholes to become POTUS. By not acknowledging the danger of some views you allow it to fester and, ironically, become a great threat to the safety of other humans/people.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by heneryville on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:37AM (#15498605)
It doesn't take any moral equivocations at all. Immanuel Kant points it out as one of 3 moral principles that are always true, regardless of conditions. [1]

Once you accept a moral system that justifies no longer treating human beings as people, you've allowed yourself a system that can justify anything. Look at every genocide of the past century; they all start with classifying a group of people as sub-human and worthy of discrimination.

That is a view to be fought, not descended to.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative#The_Sec...

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by mgkimsal on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:50AM (#15498683)
> Look at every genocide of the past century; they all start with classifying a group of people as sub-human and worthy of discrimination.

Seems like those 'other' groups were generally defined by biological characteristics, not ideologies, no? I guess the 'anti-communist' movement would fall under ideology, not biology, but the majority of examples I can think of that you're alluding to have to do with biology, no?

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by pjc50 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:35AM (#15499469)
The "cultural revolution" and Cambodia's "Year Zero" were explicitly ideological.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by heneryville on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:13AM (#15499296)
The Cambodian genocide had a definite ideological side, as well as the repression of Kulaks [1]. I'm not sure why it's not traditionally listed as a genocide since it's effects would squarely place it somewhere in the top 5.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekulakization

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by yjftsjthsd-h on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:59AM (#15499163)
> biological characteristics, not ideologies, no?

No. "Jewish" isn't biological, although there is some correlation, and America's red scare was soundly ideological.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by mgkimsal on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @02:32PM (#15501681)
"I guess the 'anti-communist' movement would fall under ideology"

I would think that's your 'red scare' unless you're talking about something else.

The "jewish" one - thinking specifically of ww2 - it definitely was more of a biological component, as "how much" you were jewish, and from what lineage, made a difference. "jewish" is both cultural and may have a racial/biological component (imu).

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by zimpenfish on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:11AM (#15499277)
> Once you accept a moral system that justifies [slippery slope]

Quick question: does anyone defending the racists, sexists, homophobes, etc., have any other argument than "SLIPPERY SLOPE!!!"?

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by mhneu on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:31AM (#15498565)
It's actually even worse than you say... It's not just that failing to acknowledge hate allows racist threats to fester. Failing to acknowledge hate allows outside groups -- whether other countries or the very wealthy -- to inflame hate to achieve their quite different goals (weaken liberal democracy, tax cuts for themselves).
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by Tyrek on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:47AM (#15499081)
And acknowledging hate apparently allows the haters to become POTUS, and subsequently "weaken liberal democracy, tax cuts for themselves". You have to admit, that skews the calculation somewhat.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by koolba on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:34AM (#15498582)
I’d argue the danger of shutting down conversations you don’t agree with is much worse in the long run.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by prostoalex on Thursday October 19, 2017 @02:23AM (#15505834)
How do you formalize such acknowledgements? Majority vote? Appointed thought leaders?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by zolthrowaway on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:48AM (#15498672)
Doctors, police officers, and teachers are individuals hired to do a particular job. They have responsibilities at those jobs. If they cannot or do not want to do them, they are free to quit, switch careers, or face the consequences of their actions. Outside of that job, they are free to associate or not associate with anyone they choose.

A grocery store is a private entity. Outside of banning someone for being a protected class, they are free to refuse service to anyone. Even if someone is a protected class, they still can be banned for valid reasons (i:e; stealing, threats, etc). Being a racist is not a protected class. Nor should it be. The grocery store has the right not to do business with them.

Facebook and Google are private entities. They can refuse service for any reason (with some restrictions). They have no ethical obligation to give service to everyone. No one has any obligation to use Facebook or Google's services either.

TL;DR: Outside of a few legal requirements, no one has any obligations to associate with anyone.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by yjftsjthsd-h on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:01AM (#15499183)
So how do you feel about Christian bakers?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by zimpenfish on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @10:10AM (#15499266)
> Is it OK for a doctor to refuse to operate on a racist > or a police officer to refuse to protect a racist?

Sure, why not? Racists want to deny people their rights; why shouldn't people get the equal opportunity to deny racists their rights?

> Racists are humans too.

Racists see other humans as lesser. I think that automatically disqualifies them from being considered human.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by rglover on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @07:58AM (#15498337)
Having opposing political views does not a racist make.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by maxerickson on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:04AM (#15498373)
Should people never make any assumptions about what motivates political views, even when it is obvious?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by thriftwy on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:14AM (#15498427)
They should not actually, it's a gross disregard for personal borders.

Agree with me, disagree with me, don't try to poke in my head.

Actually I can't think of a worse form of bigotry than attributing motivations for behavior of others.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by empath75 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:31AM (#15498564)
Really? Nothing worse than that? How about, I dunno Jim Crow laws.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by mattmanser on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:19AM (#15498468)
Without derailing the discussion by saying why, I'm anti-mass immigration.

Not an ounce of racism motivates it. I absolutely despise the BNP and the alt-right.

You thinking it's obvious I'm a racist shows how close-minded people on both sides of the debate can be.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by maxerickson on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:24AM (#15498506)
I made an abstract statement, I didn't enumerate the views I think are obviously motivated by racism.

Opposition to refugees (modest numbers, carefully vetted since decades, coming from real crisis situations) is at least motivated by dimwitted xenophobia. Opposition to mass immigration would be a different category.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by pjc50 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:33AM (#15498580)
What level constitutes "mass"?

Does this include foreign spouses? Students?

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by mhneu on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:36AM (#15498602)
In the US, more immigration is a no-brainer. It's good for the US economically. https://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/krugman/2017/09/05/the-very...

P.s. discussion isn't bad if conducted in good faith and not a vehicle for propaganda. It's the lies and hate-mongering in the ads that are bad.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by hueving on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:10AM (#15498403)
Define racism. If it's "discrimination based on skin color" then things like BLM are also racist. Is that what you want?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by dragonwriter on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:23AM (#15498898)
BLM opposes discrimination based on skin color.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by KGIII on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:51AM (#15499114)
There have been a number of instances where people who claim to be involved in the movement, that is activists and not necessarily leaders, who have posted comments equating to suggesting harm should come to white people, how white people are evil, etc... There have been a number of them who have had their Twitter account banned because they did those things.

I have tried to pick my verbiage carefully. Members of a group, for better or worse, are representative of that group but not in totality. Thus, generic statements are often not easy to make and leads me to point this out in response to your statement.

Also, I'm part black, if you're curious. I'm definitely not in the group most would expect to point this out. My white genes are a definite minority. ;-)

At any rate, some people who claim to be involved in BLM have made very, very racist statements that absolutely are discriminatory. Some have even gone so far as to suggest acts of violence. A search of 'twitter bans BLM member' should turn up some results, if you want citations.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by cmrdporcupine on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:25AM (#15498518)
C'mon, you get to a position of equating anti-oppression movements with oppression only as a result of the most tone-deaf and pedantic mental gymnastics, by stripping out context completely.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by snomad on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:37AM (#15498611)
Only racists? What about other forms of bigotry? And who defines which bigotry is unaccepted and which is accepted?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by wiz21c on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @07:47AM (#15498295)
That's why FaceBook, having became so big, should maybe be regulated a bit (like banks, like press, like transportation, etc.)
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by ekianjo on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:04AM (#15498368)
Sorry but it does not seem like regulating banks has done much to improve the financial system. Why do you think regulations are the solution?
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by GlennS on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:11AM (#15498410)
> it does not seem like regulating banks has done much to improve the financial system

Are you sure?

To me is looks like this:

Loosening the regulations on US mortgages was a strong contributing factor to a global financial crisis.

Since then, tightening regulations on global banking has led to banks being much less likely to fail and trigger another crisis.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by ekianjo on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:27AM (#15498527)
> Since then, tightening regulations on global banking has led to banks being much less likely to fail and trigger another crisis.

you are in for a big surprise the next time a crisis hits the market. And even if your statement were true, only a few banks crashing would lead to a catastrophic domino effect, because everything is very largely inter-connected. What we have done since 2008 is largely insufficient to consider the current financial system as robust.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by privateprofile on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:25AM (#15498917)
Regulation isn't binary, as in something is either "regulated" or "unregulated".

The quality, timeliness and enforcement of the laws that establish regulation will determine the outcome.

Current regulation is weak, but society is better off with it than it was without it. A brief look at the history of the US financial system and its "crashes" may shed some light over this, perhaps even demonstrating that, if anything, regulation needs to improve (both in terms of coverage and enforcing).

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by codecamper on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:34AM (#15498588)
Also, regulation doesn't magically fix the problem. But good regulation will fix the problem. The goal is to come up with the right regulation.

With regards to financial regulation, I think transparency and data reporting are hugely important. Much regulation can be done by counterparties if they can have better transparency.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by chopin on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:12AM (#15498413)
Regarding banks, non-regulation isn't a solution either, though.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by ekianjo on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @08:25AM (#15498512)
I don't think we have even tried non-regulating the banks for several centuries or even more. Bank regulations have a very, very long history.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by ameister14 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @11:37AM (#15500014)
Well, as far as serious regulatory controls are concerned, we tried going without between 1830 and 1914 in the US; so 103 years ago.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by ameister14 on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @11:12AM (#15499755)
I don't know how much you know about the history of the financial system, but it appears not to be a lot if you don't think regulating banks has improved it.
Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by privateprofile on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:21AM (#15498885)
It is a private entity causing harm to society by facilitating the dissemination of lies and hate speech.

The point is that this should be regulated and/or disallowed, much in the same way that you (fortunately) can't go on TV to call for violence against specific groups of people or to run false advertising, or, in a developed/civilized country, you'll be facing consequences.

One way of doing this would be for FB and other media to be forced to provide authorities with official (and validated) company information regarding the entities that are using their service for this end, much in the same way as would happen to a company running false advertisements on TV.

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by thriftwy on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:26AM (#15498921)
> causing harm to society

I wonder if you know that under Stalin, you got executed for being "enemy to the society", and then your children were officially "children of enemy to the society".

Because, as maps say, "You are here."

Re:Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing... by privateprofile on Wednesday October 18, 2017 @09:44AM (#15499051)
I'd venture in saying that under any dictatorship, dissidents are referred to as enemies of the state/party/country/society, to justify their silencing. Still, I have no idea where you get Stalin out of my previous post.

I don't believe this story concerns citizens fighting for their freedom from opression, it's actually related to private entities fearmongering and spreading falsehoods, and media companies (FB) facilitating their work. Maybe you'd need to have a referendum to be convinced, but I think most people will agree that hate speech and lies are damaging to virtually any society, especially because these tactics are well known throughout history.

Why you are conflating those two issues is beyond me, perhaps even beyond you, but I decline the bait...