Free speech is a threat to democracy (Page 1/2)
MidEngineManiac NOV 14, 07:42 PM
Ya got that right. Free speech is, by definition, free. It's a dictatorship and the speaker is the dictator.

Nobody is forcing you to listen or be an audience, you have the right to plug your ears or leave.

https://twitter.com/MarkDic.../1327348683172528129
maryjane NOV 14, 07:57 PM
Not as free as some might think.

How is that going?
The free speech mandate touted by Parler is not as straightforward as it seems. One item in its terms of service tells users they can be billed for any losses or damages attributed to what they post on Parler. Leftists and liberals say they are already being banned from the app for content the conservative, free-speech-loving user base disagrees with.

Content can also be removed for violating Parler policy. If content is reported, it is sent to a “jury portal” for review by members of the community. That jury is made up of “volunteer, verified Parleyers”, who participate in regular training sessions.

People are warned via a notification when they receive a report and are hit with one “violation point”. If a person gets more than 20 violation points in 90 days, they will be removed from the platform. This system stands in contrast with Twitter and Facebook, whose esoteric censorship processes have been controversial.

The goal of a complete lack of censorship on the platform is leading to some content struggles for Parler, involving pornography, obscenities and spam. Beyond that, its design is still clunky, showing users a privacy policy through a Microsoft Word document.
randye NOV 14, 09:03 PM
It seems as though "free speech" has become a genuinely misconstrued concept by many people.

The idea that anyone can say whatever they please whenever and wherever they please is WRONG.

The 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution ONLY APPLIES THE GOVERNMENT prohibiting speech by citizens.

That would seem to be a simple enough concept but when you're dealing with so many simpletons.....

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 11-14-2020).]

MidEngineManiac NOV 14, 09:18 PM

quote
Originally posted by randye:

It seems as though "free speech" has become a genuinely misconstrued concept by many people.

The idea that anyone can say whatever they please whenever and wherever they please is WRONG.

The 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution ONLY APPLIES THE GOVERNMENT prohibiting speech by citizens.

That would seem to be a simple enough concept but when you're dealing with so many simpletons.....




Outside of the government, that's where private fights happen...

My car/truck my rules. My home, my rules..... My property, my rules, ...my keyboard, my rules...my truck, my rules

I'll decide for myself, I'll think and believe what I please. I'll decide my own gawds and decide if and-or-when I will acknowledge yours

YOU have no say in the matter. Only I do....

(And the above is why society is failing on such a grand scale, and always have. Its human nature, and humans join the biggest gangs for protection against the next biggest gang)

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 11-14-2020).]

rinselberg NOV 14, 09:28 PM

quote
Originally posted by MidEngineManiac:

Outside of the government, that's where private fights happen...

My car/truck my rules. My home, my rules..... My property, my rules, ...my keyboard, my rules...my truck, my rules

I'll decide for myself, I'll think and believe what I please. I'll decide my own gawds and decide if and-or-when I will acknowledge yours

YOU have no say in the matter. Only I do....

(And the above is why society is failing on such a grand scale, and always have. Its human nature, and humans join the biggest gangs for protection against the next biggest gang)


And..?

You seem to be waving a matador's muleta at a phantom bull--a bull that does not exist.
williegoat NOV 14, 09:50 PM

quote
Originally posted by rinselberg:

And..?

You seem to be waving a matador's muleta at a phantom bull--a bull that does not exist.


Kind of like all of those antifa kiddies?

Stick around, we'll make a conservative out of you yet.
maryjane NOV 14, 10:01 PM

quote
Originally posted by MidEngineManiac:


Outside of the government, that's where private fights happen...

My car/truck my rules. My home, my rules..... My property, my rules, ...my keyboard, my rules...my truck, my rules

I'll decide for myself, I'll think and believe what I please. I'll decide my own gawds and decide if and-or-when I will acknowledge yours

YOU have no say in the matter. Only I do....

(And the above is why society is failing on such a grand scale, and always have. Its human nature, and humans join the biggest gangs for protection against the next biggest gang)



Lots of people here (including a guy named under8ed about 13 1/2 years ago) thought the same thing.

Wichita NOV 14, 10:06 PM
I guess one might ask, is Democracy really a good thing?

maryjane NOV 14, 10:21 PM

quote
Originally posted by Wichita:

I guess one might ask, is Democracy really a good thing?


As has always been postulated, democracy as a form of government (even as a democratic republic) is but an experiment.
History will eventually write the results, LONG after even the youngest among us is but dust..
100% democracy almost always ends up (among other things) as an aristocracy. OK for a small hamlet or town, but unworkable beyond that.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-14-2020).]

williegoat NOV 14, 10:50 PM
The "fly in the ointment" of democracy is what Tocqueville called the tyranny of the majority, an example of which is how New York and California try to force their will on the rest of the USA during a presidential election.

Ultimately though, the downfall of any political system is the dark side of human nature. No political system which adequately supports liberty can possibly eliminate all evil.

Edit to say: any political system which does not adequately support liberty is evil.

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 11-14-2020).]