4 ms·

I for one am completely untroubled by Twitter banning a counterfactual, reflexively contrarian troll like Berenson.

by ubermonkey 4y ago

partiallypro 4y ago
I don't care if Twitter bans him or others, but it coming via pressure from an administration is very problematic.
- AnimalMuppet 4y ago
  But did it? It came months after the the White House demand. Was the demand the cause of the ban? Or did Twitter blow off the White House, and some months later, for their own reasons, decide to ban him? Is there any cause and effect here? Several months is a lot of lag time. Maybe if they had to run it through the lawyers, it might fit.
- choko 4y ago
  Agreed. This is what fascism actually looks like.
nathanaldensr 4y ago
Despite your feelings, that's not the issue. The issue is that the government apparently coerced Twitter to do it, which would be a First Amendment violation.
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
  s/apparently coerced Twitter/may have been a factor in Twitter's decision/ Now I'm with you. Though we haven't gone that far.
- _hcuq 4y ago
  Is it? His free speech was not violated. It just wasn’t published by Twitter.
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    > Is it? His free speech was not violated. It just wasn’t published by Twitter. The line between free speech (of publishers) and government censorship is somewhere around "did the government tell the publisher to do it?". This case probably doesn't cross the line, but it's definitely in the grey area, and being in the grey area is bad optics.
origin_path 4y ago
He worked at the New York Times for years, but he's a "reflexively contrarian troll". Sure, sure. Berenson is far more accurate and truthful than the vast majority of people in official positions who were happy to knowingly lie about vaccines and COVID to generate compliance. Some of those people since admitted they were lying, in writing or on camera! It's no wonder Biden admin wanted him gone - anyone who points out that official claims about health are lies is a threat to the whole public health regime.

I for one am completely untroubled by Twitter banning a counterfactual, reflexively contrarian troll like Berenson.

partiallypro 4y ago

I don't care if Twitter bans him or others, but it coming via pressure from an administration is very problematic.

AnimalMuppet 4y ago
But did it? It came months after the the White House demand. Was the demand the cause of the ban? Or did Twitter blow off the White House, and some months later, for their own reasons, decide to ban him? Is there any cause and effect here? Several months is a lot of lag time. Maybe if they had to run it through the lawyers, it might fit.
choko 4y ago
Agreed. This is what fascism actually looks like.

nathanaldensr 4y ago

Despite your feelings, that's not the issue. The issue is that the government apparently coerced Twitter to do it, which would be a First Amendment violation.

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
s/apparently coerced Twitter/may have been a factor in Twitter's decision/ Now I'm with you. Though we haven't gone that far.
_hcuq 4y ago
Is it? His free speech was not violated. It just wasn’t published by Twitter.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > Is it? His free speech was not violated. It just wasn’t published by Twitter. The line between free speech (of publishers) and government censorship is somewhere around "did the government tell the publisher to do it?". This case probably doesn't cross the line, but it's definitely in the grey area, and being in the grey area is bad optics.

origin_path 4y ago

He worked at the New York Times for years, but he's a "reflexively contrarian troll". Sure, sure. Berenson is far more accurate and truthful than the vast majority of people in official positions who were happy to knowingly lie about vaccines and COVID to generate compliance. Some of those people since admitted they were lying, in writing or on camera! It's no wonder Biden admin wanted him gone - anyone who points out that official claims about health are lies is a threat to the whole public health regime.