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Because it's counter-productive. I agree with it insofar as things like spam, which has nothing to do with communication, really - but when it comes to just sim

Because it's counter-productive. I agree with it insofar as things like spam, which has nothing to do with communication, really - but when it comes to just simply, speech, it's a bad idea. Lets take a really overly simplified example. Lets say you don't like people who like Purple. You're a Pink guy, through and through. In fact you hate people who like Purple. You think they're all jerks. So - you decide, you're going to make it so that you, and anyone else on your sever doesn't have to see Purple posters. Half a year later, you find out that most people now believe in Purple. You don't find this out until people are telling you about how good Purple is in real life. When did all these people turn to Purple? The problem I'm trying to illustrate here, is that as someone who is all about Pink - and opposed to Purple, you've taken yourself out of the opposing conversation. You didn't realize that Purple had the stage, and had been convincing people to go Purple. You didn't realize how much ground Purple gained, with nobody there to speak out about how bad Purple is. While it might feel nice to not have to see things you don't like, in the broader sphere of the world and the place you live, it's damaging. You need to be aware of, and have to confront things you don't like. It's part of your civic duty.

wvenable 8y ago
You're talking about filtering types of speech but in reality you really want to block people. It's not that Bob is really enthusiastic about Purple; it's that he's an insufferable jerk that makes any conversation about Pink impossible. You think you can try and compete with Bob but you can't; he's mentally ill and spends 6 hours a day posting about it. You could try to make a rational argument about the evils of Purple but it dosn't matter. You confront Bob but he's not interested in rational conversation. You just get more frustrated and eventually give up on your community. If there is still anyone still interested in Pink they've long been driven off.
tptacek 8y ago
I'm not sure you've managed to get around the problem that your argument implies you have a right to demand my attention and make a claim on my time. That's a North Korean-level intrusive idea.
apatters 8y ago
There's plenty of speech which is non-political, non-substantial, has little or no intrinsic value, and I'm simply not interested in reading it. For instance if I wake up one morning and feel like telling you that you're a piece of sh*t because I'm just not a fan of fruit jams, you have no obligation at all to accept my message. This isn't really spam it's just me being a troll and a dickhead. If you argued that certain people in 2018 are too thin-skinned and characterize everyone as attacking or oppressing them I'd agree, but we still need filters to deal with legitimate abusers.
drb91 8y ago
> You need to be aware of, and have to confront things you don't like. I’d agree anywhere but twitter/mastadon. Terrible platform for any kind of coherent conversation. Use it for shit that DOESN’T matter, and please god get your news anywhere else. I honestly have no clue how you would use it without filtering. Seems miserable.
irrational 8y ago
I disagree. I don't like the Kardashians. I don't care if it is my civic duty to keep up with whatever the Kardashians are wearing today. Just because they are a part of the broader sphere of the world and I apparently need to be aware of and confront things I don't like, such as the Kardashian clan, I have so many better things to do with my attention, no matter how damaging and counter-productive it is for me to avoid Kardashian gossip. Of course I could replace Kardashian with a million other topics.

wvenable 8y ago

You're talking about filtering types of speech but in reality you really want to block people. It's not that Bob is really enthusiastic about Purple; it's that he's an insufferable jerk that makes any conversation about Pink impossible. You think you can try and compete with Bob but you can't; he's mentally ill and spends 6 hours a day posting about it. You could try to make a rational argument about the evils of Purple but it dosn't matter. You confront Bob but he's not interested in rational conversation. You just get more frustrated and eventually give up on your community. If there is still anyone still interested in Pink they've long been driven off.

tptacek 8y ago

I'm not sure you've managed to get around the problem that your argument implies you have a right to demand my attention and make a claim on my time. That's a North Korean-level intrusive idea.

apatters 8y ago

There's plenty of speech which is non-political, non-substantial, has little or no intrinsic value, and I'm simply not interested in reading it. For instance if I wake up one morning and feel like telling you that you're a piece of sh*t because I'm just not a fan of fruit jams, you have no obligation at all to accept my message. This isn't really spam it's just me being a troll and a dickhead. If you argued that certain people in 2018 are too thin-skinned and characterize everyone as attacking or oppressing them I'd agree, but we still need filters to deal with legitimate abusers.

drb91 8y ago

> You need to be aware of, and have to confront things you don't like. I’d agree anywhere but twitter/mastadon. Terrible platform for any kind of coherent conversation. Use it for shit that DOESN’T matter, and please god get your news anywhere else. I honestly have no clue how you would use it without filtering. Seems miserable.

irrational 8y ago

I disagree. I don't like the Kardashians. I don't care if it is my civic duty to keep up with whatever the Kardashians are wearing today. Just because they are a part of the broader sphere of the world and I apparently need to be aware of and confront things I don't like, such as the Kardashian clan, I have so many better things to do with my attention, no matter how damaging and counter-productive it is for me to avoid Kardashian gossip. Of course I could replace Kardashian with a million other topics.