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I have little sympathy for free-market-leaning personalities who feel the sting of market forces with regard to censorship. They essentially want these platfor

I have little sympathy for free-market-leaning personalities who feel the sting of market forces with regard to censorship. They essentially want these platforms to be regulated like utilities, all while they simultaneously disparage utilities.

brigandish 8y ago
A lot of people who support the notion of free markets also support there being some regulation, especially for things like monopolies (which end up distorting markets until they resemble unfree ones). It’s a spectrum, not black and white.
- SantalBlush 8y ago
  Just to make sure we're on the same page, by "free-market-leaning" I mean opposing government regulations in markets. Advocating for some regulation is generally not considered supportive of a free market; on the contrary, that's just supportive of a market.
  - brigandish 8y ago
    That’s what I thought you meant, and I think that’s a mischaracterisation of the group in question and of those more generally who say they’re advocates of free markets. Are any of them not against slavery on the basis it’s unfree? (based on your definition) Small or limited government is usually the given position, vague as that may be, not zero government.
    - SantalBlush 8y ago
      It's not a mischaracterization. Free market proponents believe that markets will reach an equilibrium on their own if left alone, and they believe that monopolies are caused by regulation (regulatory capture). This line of thinking is often (but not always) rooted in the Austrian school of economics. If someone is telling you that they support free markets and they also support government regulation, they don't understand what they're saying.
      - brigandish 8y ago
        Then you're arguing against your original point because they don't support free markets, they just think they do. For example, Paul Joseph Watson in this tweet[1] says he's for free markets, limited government, and against monopolies. I'm pretty sure a quick search will show similar results for the others. [1] https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/1012108095286317058 https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/1012108095286317058
        SantalBlush 8y ago
        >Then you're arguing against your original point because they don't support free markets, they just think they do. That doesn't contradict my original point. >says he's for free markets, limited government, and against monopolies. Yes, free market advocates are against monopolies, but believe that they're caused by government regulation. Moreover, when libertarians and free market advocates support limited government, they typically mean a government which only provides a few very basic services, such as military, police, etc. It has nothing to do with regulation.
        brigandish 8y ago
        > free market advocates are against monopolies, but believe that they're caused by government regulation These free market advocates don't believe that, clearly. I'm wondering why you get to draw these lines rather than the people themselves.
        SantalBlush 8y ago
        You are free to define yourself however you wish. You can call yourself a pro-free-market, anarcho-capitalist who believes in regulation and a strong communist government. You can mix up and confuse definitions all you want. That has no bearing on the validity of my point. Alex Jones is someone who rails against government interference in markets, and he is the type whom I'm referring to. Now people complain that he's being treated unjustly, when it's really just market forces that have dictated his fate. That is a specific example of what I'm saying. If you're offended by my standard usage of the term "free market", then you can change my statement to "People who oppose government intervention..." I'm not interested in what you think the term "free market" means, because it's entirely irrelevant to my point.

brigandish 8y ago

A lot of people who support the notion of free markets also support there being some regulation, especially for things like monopolies (which end up distorting markets until they resemble unfree ones). It’s a spectrum, not black and white.

SantalBlush 8y ago
Just to make sure we're on the same page, by "free-market-leaning" I mean opposing government regulations in markets. Advocating for some regulation is generally not considered supportive of a free market; on the contrary, that's just supportive of a market.
- brigandish 8y ago
  That’s what I thought you meant, and I think that’s a mischaracterisation of the group in question and of those more generally who say they’re advocates of free markets. Are any of them not against slavery on the basis it’s unfree? (based on your definition) Small or limited government is usually the given position, vague as that may be, not zero government.
  - SantalBlush 8y ago
    It's not a mischaracterization. Free market proponents believe that markets will reach an equilibrium on their own if left alone, and they believe that monopolies are caused by regulation (regulatory capture). This line of thinking is often (but not always) rooted in the Austrian school of economics. If someone is telling you that they support free markets and they also support government regulation, they don't understand what they're saying.
    - brigandish 8y ago
      Then you're arguing against your original point because they don't support free markets, they just think they do. For example, Paul Joseph Watson in this tweet[1] says he's for free markets, limited government, and against monopolies. I'm pretty sure a quick search will show similar results for the others. [1] https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/1012108095286317058 https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/1012108095286317058
      - SantalBlush 8y ago
        >Then you're arguing against your original point because they don't support free markets, they just think they do. That doesn't contradict my original point. >says he's for free markets, limited government, and against monopolies. Yes, free market advocates are against monopolies, but believe that they're caused by government regulation. Moreover, when libertarians and free market advocates support limited government, they typically mean a government which only provides a few very basic services, such as military, police, etc. It has nothing to do with regulation.
        brigandish 8y ago
        > free market advocates are against monopolies, but believe that they're caused by government regulation These free market advocates don't believe that, clearly. I'm wondering why you get to draw these lines rather than the people themselves.
        SantalBlush 8y ago
        You are free to define yourself however you wish. You can call yourself a pro-free-market, anarcho-capitalist who believes in regulation and a strong communist government. You can mix up and confuse definitions all you want. That has no bearing on the validity of my point. Alex Jones is someone who rails against government interference in markets, and he is the type whom I'm referring to. Now people complain that he's being treated unjustly, when it's really just market forces that have dictated his fate. That is a specific example of what I'm saying. If you're offended by my standard usage of the term "free market", then you can change my statement to "People who oppose government intervention..." I'm not interested in what you think the term "free market" means, because it's entirely irrelevant to my point.