4 ms·
There's a lot of mistaken assumptions and misinformation here about Parler; it looks like most of the commenters haven't actually used it, or have only given it
by blisterpeanuts 6y ago
There's a lot of mistaken assumptions and misinformation here about Parler; it looks like most of the commenters haven't actually used it, or have only given it a cursory glance. To wit:
1. Parler is actively recruiting liberals and moderates, to build a "big tent" of diverse opinions and perspectives.
2. The moderation guidelines are quite explicit: don't censor anyone for expressing a political opinion of any sort. Don't censor people you disagree with. Do moderate extremely toxic content -- but it has to be pretty clear, like "I'm going to kill you" or a stream of expletives with zero redeeming content. Or spam, or nonsensical posts.
3. The parleys (their version of tweets) are largely sociopolitical commentary of the type that's being downvoted or censored on the major platforms like Twitter and Facebook. For example, you can post freely about hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for covid19. You can say "The 2020 Election was stoken". Pretty much all of the "3rd rail" topics that have been restricted elsewhere. You can link to an article by Alex Jones or Q. Their attitude seems to be, read and decide for yourself.
4. Competition is a good thing. A lot of people here have a reflexive notion that "fringe" sites like Parler and Gab will just create more echo chambers to keep "those people" ignorant. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Giving people a free speech platform is a breath of fresh air, a return to a broader and more civil discourse. Censorship does not encourage civility; it does not foster broadminded attitudes. On the contrary, it causes more extremism.
- voganmother42 6y agoReally? I see people being banned for mocking conservatives, doesn’t sound free: https://mobile.twitter.com/mmasnick/status/1277723152894681088 https://mobile.twitter.com/mmasnick/status/12777231528946810...
- blisterpeanuts 6y agoWell, there are 4-5 accounts named "Devin Nunes Cow" or some variation thereof. There's no way to tell which one is the "real" Devin Cow. One that I clicked on had the following content: I have a confession... my boss, @devinnunes is a closet computer geek. He just bought his first domain! www.loser.com Not really the most stellar example of insightful and meaningful content, but it's not been censored, at least not yet in the past three days. It doesn't violate the terms of service, though it's hardly content that most Parler users would be interested in. Maybe on Twitter they find it worthwhile.
- joubert 6y agoI hope the following is helpful. > actively recruiting liberals and moderates, to build a "big tent" of diverse opinions and perspectives I wonder what the selling point is? On the Parler "Values" page I see this: "Regardless of race, sex, age, sexual preference, religion, politics, or dietary choices —- well , except pineapple pizza -- every user is treated equally under Parler’s Community Guidelines." Using the phrase "sexual preference" speaks volumes. Not in a good way. While I can see the attempt at humor ("dietary choices"), adding it to this list has at least two problems from my perspective: - undermines the seriousness of the other categories - makes fun of what for many is a consequence of their religious beliefs (which appears earlier in the list) > "Do moderate.... nonsensical posts". I don't know whether this is the Parler position, or yours, but this is going to upset a lot of people.
- thinkingemote 6y agoSomeone must have good ears to hear dog whistles and good eyes to find the things they expect.