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It seems most people are terrified that the bigots might be right. That's the only thing that makes any sense. It's the only situation in which censorship mak

It seems most people are terrified that the bigots might be right. That's the only thing that makes any sense. It's the only situation in which censorship makes more sense than discussion. If the bigots are wrong, you just correct them, lampoon them, etc. There must be many people who suppose the bigots cannot be corrected, that the truth is horrible and must be hidden for the good of all. Those people are wrong. And they will do radically more harm than good. Good intentions are the opposite of good actions. (An old German saying I quite like.)

mcguire 9y ago
Out of curiosity, have you ever tried "correcting" bigots? In one of the forums under discussion?
- memeCrasher 9y ago
  I Absolutely have. Though with rampant censorship these days, few people have to build up any kind of argument to counter these bigots. It's a lot easier to hit a downvote button, or a ban button, than to present a reasoned argument at all. What a fantastic place the internet is evolving into. A haven for, well, some kind of speech. Not free of course. Restricted and safe speech. Perhaps speech licenses and internet ID's soon? If you say something bigoted we can throw you in jail and fire you. Harass your friends and family too. It's the only way to protect a free and open society.
sean2 9y ago
No, we are arguing opinions here. FPH was not conducting double blind scientific studies on the efficacy of shaming as a weight loss intervention for the obese (AFAIK). And, in fact, if that study does show promising results, I may admit they are right and help them in their noble effort to solve the obesity crisis. But what I hear them saying is, "Hey it's cool to hate and harass half of the US population based on appearance!" I am one of the people you reference who thinks that that "cannot be corrected," but that's because it's not a falsifiable hypothesis! Neither is it "the truth," it's just their opinion. And it is something that I think bored, mostly teenage, people may buy into due to "digital peer pressure," which is admittedly a somewhat hair brained new concept, but based on real effects.

mcguire 9y ago

Out of curiosity, have you ever tried "correcting" bigots? In one of the forums under discussion?

memeCrasher 9y ago
I Absolutely have. Though with rampant censorship these days, few people have to build up any kind of argument to counter these bigots. It's a lot easier to hit a downvote button, or a ban button, than to present a reasoned argument at all. What a fantastic place the internet is evolving into. A haven for, well, some kind of speech. Not free of course. Restricted and safe speech. Perhaps speech licenses and internet ID's soon? If you say something bigoted we can throw you in jail and fire you. Harass your friends and family too. It's the only way to protect a free and open society.

sean2 9y ago

No, we are arguing opinions here. FPH was not conducting double blind scientific studies on the efficacy of shaming as a weight loss intervention for the obese (AFAIK). And, in fact, if that study does show promising results, I may admit they are right and help them in their noble effort to solve the obesity crisis. But what I hear them saying is, "Hey it's cool to hate and harass half of the US population based on appearance!" I am one of the people you reference who thinks that that "cannot be corrected," but that's because it's not a falsifiable hypothesis! Neither is it "the truth," it's just their opinion. And it is something that I think bored, mostly teenage, people may buy into due to "digital peer pressure," which is admittedly a somewhat hair brained new concept, but based on real effects.