How does this prevent the issue? You can say horrible things on smaller forums as well

People are not necessarily all on the same side of defining "the issue", FWIW.

The parent said this

"How about we just go back to not using one big central social communication platform and go back to the spirit of using separate independently owned forums, chatrooms and websites for our little niches and communities to prevent this issue"

Regardless of what the issue is how would being on a smaller forum prevent this?

Sure, and people who don't want to circle jerk about it can leave. This is exactly how it always worked. I've left a lot of toxic forums.

Why are we concerned with people saying horrible things per se, and not with the fact that the horrible things are amplified on a Twitter platform? In the conversation above, the smaller forums idea lets people go where they want. If you wander into an offensive place and you get offended, that becomes on-you, and then we do away with the complaint about Twitter promoting the bad and people getting offended inadvertently.

The idea of chasing after evil ideas is flawed from the outset.

It's not new, either, which is why this very long hacker news thread bothers me. I usually like to wade on on these topics more extensively, but here the entirety of the population is applauding free speech being a shitty idea, without any historical conversation.

Oh and it's incredibly US centric. Freedom of speech is a principle that was discussed in the Enlightenment and beyond, and fought for (first against religious authorities in ancient times, then against religious authorities in the 20th century). It happens to exist in the 1st amendment as a government limitation, but as a principle and a moral it is well beyond that.

And? People are allowed to say horrible things. I can join the forum with none of the stuff I deem "horrible", you join the forum with none of the stuff you deem "horrible", everybody is happy!

we can't uninvent the smartphone but every day I wish we could