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> There was a very vocal loony subset, but that is the Internet for you. No. This attitude has to stop. Having nazis and far-right extremists being vocal on yo

> There was a very vocal loony subset, but that is the Internet for you. No. This attitude has to stop. Having nazis and far-right extremists being vocal on your site is not "the internet for you". It is a deliberate choice by whoever runs the site to be a welcoming home for the vilest voices.

inglor_cz 6y ago
For me, this is the Internet. It is an unwelcome, but arguably useful X-ray of the society. I believe that erasing such people from a worldwide forum veers dangerously close to covering an alarm signal on your car's dashboard with black tape because it is annoying and life feels better without worrying about what might be happening under the hood. I prefer living my life without illusions about the rest of humanity, doubly so in politics.
- user-the-name 6y ago
  No. Letting hate like this fester is more like not treating a disease even when you see the symptoms, and arguing that it is better to know the disease is there. It makes no sense. This kind of hate SPREADS. Letting it be normalises it, and lets it spread. The antidote to this kind of thing is for the rest of society to loudly and clearly reject it, and make it very obvious it is not acceptable. Letting people keep spreading their hate does the exact opposite.
  - sitkack 6y ago
    Hate is a mania, a meme that infects the host. It isn't just for us that we seek to stop it, but for the infected as well.
    - user-the-name 6y ago
      Yes, this is also a very valid way to look at it.
  - loveistheanswer 6y ago
    Judging by Dr. King's philosophy, it would seem that covering up, censoring, and cancelling hateful people is the same as covering up a boil and letting it fester. "We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured."
    - user-the-name 6y ago
      You are missing the "and dealt with". It needs to be dealt with. Exposing it does not deal with it. It just gives it more air to spread. You actually need the dealing with part.
      - loveistheanswer 6y ago
        >You are missing the "and dealt with". What makes you think that? It's literally in the quote. Covering up hatred is not dealing with it, it's a facile attempt at ignoring it.
        user-the-name 6y ago
        Yes, it is in his quote. It is nowhere to be seen in today's world, though. You're here talking about letting the nazis spread their hatred as much as they want, but I am not seeing you having any plan for how to dealing with them, other than just letting them do whatever they want. Once you let them out, what are you planning to do to deal with them?
        loveistheanswer 6y ago
        >It is nowhere to be seen in today's world, though. Hatred is very difficult to confront effectively. It requires inner strength and a great capacity for love. So many people lack that and just default to mirroring that hatred back at the hater, or just try to cover it up and ignore it. It's hard to see things when you don't want to see them. >Once you let them out, what are you planning to do to deal with them? If you want a "plan" then simply study the philosophy and history of Dr. King. Here's a great place to start: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/lov...

inglor_cz 6y ago

For me, this is the Internet. It is an unwelcome, but arguably useful X-ray of the society. I believe that erasing such people from a worldwide forum veers dangerously close to covering an alarm signal on your car's dashboard with black tape because it is annoying and life feels better without worrying about what might be happening under the hood. I prefer living my life without illusions about the rest of humanity, doubly so in politics.

user-the-name 6y ago
No. Letting hate like this fester is more like not treating a disease even when you see the symptoms, and arguing that it is better to know the disease is there. It makes no sense. This kind of hate SPREADS. Letting it be normalises it, and lets it spread. The antidote to this kind of thing is for the rest of society to loudly and clearly reject it, and make it very obvious it is not acceptable. Letting people keep spreading their hate does the exact opposite.
- sitkack 6y ago
  Hate is a mania, a meme that infects the host. It isn't just for us that we seek to stop it, but for the infected as well.
  - user-the-name 6y ago
    Yes, this is also a very valid way to look at it.
- loveistheanswer 6y ago
  Judging by Dr. King's philosophy, it would seem that covering up, censoring, and cancelling hateful people is the same as covering up a boil and letting it fester. "We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured."
  - user-the-name 6y ago
    You are missing the "and dealt with". It needs to be dealt with. Exposing it does not deal with it. It just gives it more air to spread. You actually need the dealing with part.
    - loveistheanswer 6y ago
      >You are missing the "and dealt with". What makes you think that? It's literally in the quote. Covering up hatred is not dealing with it, it's a facile attempt at ignoring it.
      - user-the-name 6y ago
        Yes, it is in his quote. It is nowhere to be seen in today's world, though. You're here talking about letting the nazis spread their hatred as much as they want, but I am not seeing you having any plan for how to dealing with them, other than just letting them do whatever they want. Once you let them out, what are you planning to do to deal with them?
        loveistheanswer 6y ago
        >It is nowhere to be seen in today's world, though. Hatred is very difficult to confront effectively. It requires inner strength and a great capacity for love. So many people lack that and just default to mirroring that hatred back at the hater, or just try to cover it up and ignore it. It's hard to see things when you don't want to see them. >Once you let them out, what are you planning to do to deal with them? If you want a "plan" then simply study the philosophy and history of Dr. King. Here's a great place to start: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/lov...