This Is Not Freedom of Speech
Apparently this is what “free speech” looks like.
While many of us complain about the problems of people using digital and social media comms platforms to spread fake news, dangerous group think, connect and plan action, most don’t fully understand or appreciate the problems, and believe they are an easy fix - they are anything but. These issues are extremely complex, and managing them even moreso.
It’s worth noting that there are also many in the community, media and political influences who make it even harder and they push their beliefs and agendas. They encourage, and like George Christensen today, campaign in parliament for things like fake news and incitement of hate and violence to be allowed, free, unmonitored and unchecked - all under the guise of free speech and no censorship.
In one breathe they also blame social media for not taking enough responsibility for managing the worst of human behaviours and choices, in the next for overstepping their boundaries in doing so.
These people, and platforms like Parler, aren’t being taken down, or arrested, for their beliefs and opinions, we’re allowed our own views however despicable, inconceivable and inhuman they may sound. They’re being taken down for actively inciting violence and harm on others, and society as whole, and their violent, aggressive, deliberate, pre-mediated, actions.
Apple, Amazon, Google ban social media platform Parler in wake of US Capitol riots
Don’t buy into this “freedom of speech” dumbfuckery, it’s simply people like right wing extremists, white supremacists, q-anon, sovereign citizens, racists and other hate and dissent groups rebranding their dangerous agendas to sound soft and acceptable - so they can freely continue their disruptive, destructive, divisive, self interested beliefs and actions .
Freedom of speech was never designed as tool to allow people to do and say whatever the fuck they want to each other, or to deliberately and maliciously harm others without any basic human decency, consideration or consequence. Unlike some believe, this behaviour isn’t ( and shouldn’t be) a basic right we feel we have…
Freedom of speech was designed and intended for good, not these purposes of cruelty, disrespect, dissent, destruction and self interest. There have to boundaries on how far “freedom of speech” can go before it becomes hateful, harmful, malicious and dangerous, .. and there have to be consequences when those boundaries are breached.
Not just these recent events or the actions of these cultish groups, but thousands of years of history, are littered with the evidence of why.
Without agreed boundaries, consequences, checks and balances on what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to the expectations for basic human behaviour, freedom of speech is turned into a weapon that it was never meant to be, and simply doesn’t work...
I know this is becoming an overused cliche, but the world we live in seems to be one to that would be thirst trapping over Hitler while encouraging his hate, violence and lies to go on unchecked.
There needs to be checks, balances, boundaries and control - and if society can’t adult and self manage themselves, and our governments won’t manage these problems , then someone else absolutely must take on the responsibility so we don’t descend even further.
The Verge: Parler CEO says even his lawyers are abandoning him
Parler may have died, but it is being revived in some capacity ( thanks to Epik, a web hosting service that proudly supports right wing platforms that no-one else will). Many of its users, like so many before them, will move to, and/or become more active on, more anonymous platforms like MeWe, Kik, Telegram, Wickr, Discord and Gab, just to name a few. They may be screaming that their voices are being silenced, but they are not. ( it’s simply their actions, beliefs and hate being rejected).
Apparently much fewer people know the difference between beliefs and opinions, and actions, than I could ever believe. But’s let’s be clear, freedom of speech is not under threat here.
Everyone is entitled to and allowed their own beliefs and opinions, no matter how distasteful, deplorable or idiotic we may find some of what others believe. A world where everyone thought, said and behaved the same would be beige and boring. The diversity and disagreement in our beliefs and opinions is part of what makes the world as rich and interesting as it is.
No-one is entitled to incite, encourage, threaten and/or participate in harmful and/or violent actions against others ( or governments and authorities) though.
The difference between the two things isn’t even subtle. People are simply trying to use this “freedom of speech is under threat” argument as a shield to defend and excuse their deplorable actions.
The risk posed by people moving to these more secure, encrypted and anonymous private and group messaging apps is that, while not impossible to monitor and track conversations, “communities” and users on these platforms, it is considerably harder..
So how do we solve the problems of balancing democracy, freedom, privacy and safety with the now urgent needs of taking control of and reducing the harm of fake news; people using digital platforms to plan, spread and incite violence ( and insurrection); conspiracy theories getting completely out of hand; Q-anon; SovCits; white supremacy groups like Proud Boys: extremists from the far edges of right and left politics; religious extremists of all faiths; terrorists in all their forms; and other groups that harm society?
It is a complex problem, that has been left to fester and grow for too long to resolve easily.. but we have to resolve it, and relatively quickly.
The attempted coup in the US is far from the first time we’ve had or needed to battle these types of questions and problems, but it’s the first time that privileged, western, first world countries- and their citizens - have had to in over 100 years.
( since taking on Hitler in WWI)
These groups ( cults, really), and others like them deliberately spread dangerous, disruptive disinformation with the intent to create doubt, suspicion and distrust of authorities and government, and cause dissent and division. Q-anon in particular are extremely clever, and can be quite subtle in their slow drip tactics of manipulation, working to convince people that the elaborate and complicated lies and disinformation they sell as “secrets of what’s really going on in the world” are true.
it’s ironic that I sound a bit like Q when I say I think it’s time more people have a least a basic understanding of what these groups believe, do and how they communicate.. Now that what they and their followers are capable of is starting to be seen more clearly, we need to be able to see them more clearly.
These cults need to exposed, avoided and disempowered.
There are many terms and symbols used by them all, to help create some awareness below are the most common and easily identifiable. I’m not linking to explanations of these terms because the meaning and implications of many of them are disturbing, even disgusting - look them up for yourself if you like.
Q-anon
- WWG1WGA
- 17anon
- red pill
- truth seeker
- false flag
- the awakening
Proud Boys
- 6MWE
- Stopthesteal
- Patriots
Sovereign Citizens / People
- SovCit
- Free man
- Natural / living person
- Defining countries, states, governments and other authorities as a “corporation”, and stating they do not recognise or consent to participating in the laws and regulation they impose.
if you see people using these terms the best advice is... run...just run.
