4 ms·

This is probably a step in the right direction since, in my estimation, there is a clear bias against conservative speakers at universities. However, this is st

This is probably a step in the right direction since, in my estimation, there is a clear bias against conservative speakers at universities. However, this is still government forcing people to allow certain kinds of speech. That's the other side of the coin of the government disallowing certain kinds of speech. In the UK, people are getting jail time for posting speech deemed offensive on social media. Both involve delineations best left out of the hands of government. I wouldn't want to see the government force free speech or punish offensive speech on privately-owned platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Hacker News. But when it comes to publicly-funded universities there may be no way around this.

scotty79 9y ago
> I wouldn't want to see the government force free speech [...] Why? How else can you prevent strongest factions from silencing all minorities? The role of the adult is to keep in check strongest kids so the weaker can play safely.
- dgudkov 9y ago
  Who defines who is the strongest, who is the weakest?
  - scotty79 9y ago
    Strongest is the one with biggest estimated capacity to do harm to others. Adult does the estimating.
    - dgudkov 9y ago
      That's the definition of dangerous. It's not the same thing.
DanBC 9y ago
> In the UK, people are getting jail time for posting speech deemed offensive on social media. Please could you link to some of these cases? Because in almost all of the ones I've seen it's been someone making threats of violence, not just being offensive.
- dogma1138 9y ago
  The most basic google search would show that’s not the case; rude and racist remarks sure but not actionable threats. Section 127 of the communications act is an abomination.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    Please link to any cases. So far when anyone has linked a case it's turned out (with one exception) to be someone making very many direct, credible, threats of harm, or engaging in a campaign of harassment. But those cases got widespread, mostly american, coverage of the attack on free speech. Those sites are wrong.
    - supreme_sublime 9y ago
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu47muw--A4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu47muw--A4 This guy in the UK has been in court for 2 years for making this video. It is an obvious joke, yet the crown is acting like he is a secret Nazi trying to use his dog to convert people into extremism.

scotty79 9y ago

> I wouldn't want to see the government force free speech [...] Why? How else can you prevent strongest factions from silencing all minorities? The role of the adult is to keep in check strongest kids so the weaker can play safely.

dgudkov 9y ago
Who defines who is the strongest, who is the weakest?
- scotty79 9y ago
  Strongest is the one with biggest estimated capacity to do harm to others. Adult does the estimating.
  - dgudkov 9y ago
    That's the definition of dangerous. It's not the same thing.

DanBC 9y ago

> In the UK, people are getting jail time for posting speech deemed offensive on social media. Please could you link to some of these cases? Because in almost all of the ones I've seen it's been someone making threats of violence, not just being offensive.

dogma1138 9y ago
The most basic google search would show that’s not the case; rude and racist remarks sure but not actionable threats. Section 127 of the communications act is an abomination.
- DanBC 9y ago
  Please link to any cases. So far when anyone has linked a case it's turned out (with one exception) to be someone making very many direct, credible, threats of harm, or engaging in a campaign of harassment. But those cases got widespread, mostly american, coverage of the attack on free speech. Those sites are wrong.
  - supreme_sublime 9y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu47muw--A4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu47muw--A4 This guy in the UK has been in court for 2 years for making this video. It is an obvious joke, yet the crown is acting like he is a secret Nazi trying to use his dog to convert people into extremism.