3 ms·

Imagine if you time-travelled back to 2002, before Reddit and Facebook, when the internet had thousands of unconnected phpBB forums. I happen to think the Pors

Imagine if you time-travelled back to 2002, before Reddit and Facebook, when the internet had thousands of unconnected phpBB forums. I happen to think the Porsche Cayenne is an ugly midlife-crisis-mobile driven by assholes. Should the Porsche Owners Club phpBB forum be permitted to censor my speech, when I want to share my opinion that Cayenne owners can suck a fat one? In 2002 the answer would be obvious - it's no problem if they censor me, there's like 1000 other forums I can go to. Are things really so different these days?

mrguyorama 3y ago
It shouldn't matter even if there truly is nowhere else for you to go. There were zero forums in 1860 and yet we still figured out how to call each other race traitors in pamphlets. The first amendment right is to not have the government police your speech (often nowadays extended beyond speech to influence), it does not give you a positive right to force anyone else to spread your speech. More than that, forcing someone else to spread your speech when they don't want to is a DIRECT violation of their first amendment right, of the "government forcing you to say things" kind. You cannot make "free speech is an ideal" without breaking someone else's free speech.
lmm 3y ago
> Are things really so different these days? Yes, hugely different. No-one joins the Porsche Owners Club because they want to hear what the US President says about national policy. If the Porsche Owners' Club kicks you out, it doesn't really affect your life - official/important announcements aren't posted there, you're not going to get asked about your membership in a job interview. These huge platforms explicitly aspired to be the town square of the internet, not a private members' club; they need to accept the responsibility that comes with that.

3 ms·

Imagine if you time-travelled back to 2002, before Reddit and Facebook, when the internet had thousands of unconnected phpBB forums. I happen to think the Pors

by michaelt 3y ago

mrguyorama 3y ago
It shouldn't matter even if there truly is nowhere else for you to go. There were zero forums in 1860 and yet we still figured out how to call each other race traitors in pamphlets. The first amendment right is to not have the government police your speech (often nowadays extended beyond speech to influence), it does not give you a positive right to force anyone else to spread your speech. More than that, forcing someone else to spread your speech when they don't want to is a DIRECT violation of their first amendment right, of the "government forcing you to say things" kind. You cannot make "free speech is an ideal" without breaking someone else's free speech.
lmm 3y ago
> Are things really so different these days? Yes, hugely different. No-one joins the Porsche Owners Club because they want to hear what the US President says about national policy. If the Porsche Owners' Club kicks you out, it doesn't really affect your life - official/important announcements aren't posted there, you're not going to get asked about your membership in a job interview. These huge platforms explicitly aspired to be the town square of the internet, not a private members' club; they need to accept the responsibility that comes with that.