Re:Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web
by user-the-name on Saturday December 05, 2020 @04:37PM
(#25318643)
> Everyone should say whatever they want without fear or retribution. ... If this incites violence, so be it.
This is not a logically sound stance to take. Violence, by its nature, stifles speech of its intended victims.
You are only promoting the free speech of the boldest or most ruthless. You are not promoting free speech for those who would be victimised by them.
Re:Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web
by xfitm3 on Saturday December 05, 2020 @04:52PM
(#25318759)
I'd be happy to engage here but I'd rather not discuss opinions. Can you please provide evidence to support your position?
Re:Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web
by sokoloff on Sunday December 06, 2020 @06:38AM
(#25322859)
I also come down staunchly on the side that freedom of speech should be broadly and zealously protected.
However, that doesn’t mean to me that speech should be free from consequences. To do so, you’d have to make it free from side-effects (including changing others’ minds) which would make it pointless.
The reality is the reason why people commit crimes, including violent ones such as murder, is a deeply complex subject that has the full time focus of many highly educated people. A simple one-liner attributing extremism to a specific site you find distasteful isn't constructive IMO.
Here's a quick primer on the history of crime and criminal psychology walking through the various phases of understanding why people commit criminal or violent acts. https://law.jrank.org/pages/12004/Causes-Crime.html
Favorite execrpt from link above:
> Children who are neglected or abused commit substantially more crimes later in life than others. (© Roy Morsch/Corbis)
I have an absolutism posture on free speech. Everyone should say whatever they want without fear or retribution. This includes offensive speech. If this incites violence, so be it. Why not invest in mental health care instead of suppression of speech? The history of mental health care in the USA is abysmal.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.11.3....
My personal opinion is that positions such as your own can also be characterized as radical.