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Nothing quite so democratic as deplatforming people. The Ancient Greeks would be proud of our new developments. I'm sure Plato's Republic simply overlooked the

Nothing quite so democratic as deplatforming people. The Ancient Greeks would be proud of our new developments. I'm sure Plato's Republic simply overlooked the shortcut where the easiest way to win debates is to simply prevent your opponent from speaking.

touchngthevodka 6y ago
And yet here we are, discussing the events in a forum that anyone can view and sign up to.
- Thorentis 6y ago
  The way it should be! Not all parts of the Internet have lost their way (yet).
  - MrMan 6y ago
    I will be banned here if I say the wrong things, just like just about anywhere else
TheRealSteel 6y ago
"winning debates by preventing your opponent from speaking" is an interesting way to spin "choosing not to actively host the messages of the leader of a terrorist organisation who is actively encouraging bombings and murders" Donald Trump is now one of the most dangerous terrorists on Earth. No private enterprise SHOULD have any dealings with him. They especially shouldn't be hosting his violent and dangerous messaging.
have_faith 6y ago
Claiming there is unfinished debate that needs to be let to continue seems like an argument that can be made indefinitely.
sn41 6y ago
I think you have it wrong. One of the major thrusts of Plato's republic is that a philosopher king is better than a mobocracy. I don't necessarily agree with the book, but the book does not argue about the superiority of an unfettered democracy - quite far from it.
djeiasbsbo 6y ago
The problem is that these people relied on this infrastructure in the first place. A president has the necessary means for an official communications channel, I can't quite figure out why he chose Twitter, a service provided by a private company and not the government, instead. At the same time I must say, I personally don't use this type of social media anyway because I think there is a conflict of interest. I use Mastodon, Pixelfed, Pleroma, etc. No company gets to regulate my social activity on these. I don't think that this is censorship though, as it is not the government deplatforming these people and groups. It was clear from the start that private companies could do that and that it is well within their rights, the problem is that we rely on private companies for social media when we really don't have to.
watwut 6y ago
I dont think you know how Ancient Greeks democracy worked nor what Plato actually advocated for. Neither was ever about everyone having right to join debate. The "prevent your opponent from speaking" was routine aspect of their systems.
rzz3 6y ago
I think it’s important to remember that democracy and freedom are not synonyms. I’m not such a fan of the former these days.
- MrMan 6y ago
  We might have guessed that
user-the-name 6y ago
Are you in a debate with the president of the United States on Youtube?
guerrilla 6y ago
> The Ancient Greeks would be proud of our new developments I don't mean to be rude but that's not the best ideal: they had Socrates killed for "corrupting the youth" among many many other things nobody would consider democratic. Plato's Republic is also not very democratic to say the least.

touchngthevodka 6y ago

And yet here we are, discussing the events in a forum that anyone can view and sign up to.

Thorentis 6y ago
The way it should be! Not all parts of the Internet have lost their way (yet).
- MrMan 6y ago
  I will be banned here if I say the wrong things, just like just about anywhere else

TheRealSteel 6y ago

"winning debates by preventing your opponent from speaking" is an interesting way to spin "choosing not to actively host the messages of the leader of a terrorist organisation who is actively encouraging bombings and murders" Donald Trump is now one of the most dangerous terrorists on Earth. No private enterprise SHOULD have any dealings with him. They especially shouldn't be hosting his violent and dangerous messaging.

have_faith 6y ago

Claiming there is unfinished debate that needs to be let to continue seems like an argument that can be made indefinitely.

sn41 6y ago

I think you have it wrong. One of the major thrusts of Plato's republic is that a philosopher king is better than a mobocracy. I don't necessarily agree with the book, but the book does not argue about the superiority of an unfettered democracy - quite far from it.

djeiasbsbo 6y ago

The problem is that these people relied on this infrastructure in the first place. A president has the necessary means for an official communications channel, I can't quite figure out why he chose Twitter, a service provided by a private company and not the government, instead. At the same time I must say, I personally don't use this type of social media anyway because I think there is a conflict of interest. I use Mastodon, Pixelfed, Pleroma, etc. No company gets to regulate my social activity on these. I don't think that this is censorship though, as it is not the government deplatforming these people and groups. It was clear from the start that private companies could do that and that it is well within their rights, the problem is that we rely on private companies for social media when we really don't have to.

watwut 6y ago

I dont think you know how Ancient Greeks democracy worked nor what Plato actually advocated for. Neither was ever about everyone having right to join debate. The "prevent your opponent from speaking" was routine aspect of their systems.

rzz3 6y ago

I think it’s important to remember that democracy and freedom are not synonyms. I’m not such a fan of the former these days.

MrMan 6y ago
We might have guessed that

user-the-name 6y ago

Are you in a debate with the president of the United States on Youtube?

guerrilla 6y ago

> The Ancient Greeks would be proud of our new developments I don't mean to be rude but that's not the best ideal: they had Socrates killed for "corrupting the youth" among many many other things nobody would consider democratic. Plato's Republic is also not very democratic to say the least.