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Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

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Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#41

Post by dmritard96 »

micaksica wrote: post #8

I'm not a fan of the "alt-right" or a lot of its subculture. I also don't find it particularly "alt", as much as it is "far" right. It is a lot of the ideas that powered the NSDAP enveloped in the language of the Internet and memes, with the targets broadened from Jewry to non-whites in general. However, I'm also not a fan of suspending these accounts for controversial views if they are not harassing people on the Tw…

While I think your point about needing a place to have conversations that can rectify the backwardness of Hate As A Platform (HAAP?) make sense, there are two points I would make. The first would be that some proof that Twitter was providing that exchange point would help, it seems like instead its a place for trolls and bots to roam free at the moment and Two, and perhaps this is the more important one - we should be hesitant to look to private companies as rights providers. Its not that private companies shouldn't have a conscience, but that we should be cognizant of where we are getting our rights from...

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#42

Post by MichaelBurge »

nostromo wrote: post #32
micaksica wrote: post #8

I'm not a fan of the "alt-right" or a lot of its subculture. I also don't find it particularly "alt", as much as it is "far" right. It is a lot of the ideas that powered the NSDAP enveloped in the language of the Internet and memes, with the targets broadened from Jewry to non-whites in general. However, I'm also not a fan of suspending these accounts for controversial views if they are not harassing people on the Tw…

I don't see "alt-right" as being so similar to "far-right" based on my limited exposure. I've watched some debates with Milo as well as Gavin Mcinnes. They are definitely not what most Americans would call "far-right" -- in that they aren't anti-gay, aren't anti-drugs, aren't socially conservative, and aren't particularly hawkish. They seem to dislike Republicans like Paul Ryan almost as much as Nancy Pelosi. Milo re…

"alt-right" is mostly just a term used by the Clinton campaign to label their political opponents as weirdos. I don't think I heard anyone using it before Clinton did. I suppose Richard Spencer used it.

Before the 2016 election, the term was "classical liberal". I don't know about Milo, but at least Alex Jones has described himself as a liberal.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#43

Post by colemickens »

> Those with the "correct" political views can basically tell people to kill themselves

That's just simply untrue. Hyperbole and lies don't help in these conversations. (And I say this as someone who thinks that Facebook and Twitter have no place being arbiters of "truth").

Downvoted to -4 on HN for saying that Twitter doesn't allow liberals special privileges to threaten violence on Twitter. Gotta just love this place sometimes, and by love, I mean that it's full of shit.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#44

Post by micaksica »

nostromo wrote: post #32
micaksica wrote: post #8

I'm not a fan of the "alt-right" or a lot of its subculture. I also don't find it particularly "alt", as much as it is "far" right. It is a lot of the ideas that powered the NSDAP enveloped in the language of the Internet and memes, with the targets broadened from Jewry to non-whites in general. However, I'm also not a fan of suspending these accounts for controversial views if they are not harassing people on the Tw…

I don't see "alt-right" as being so similar to "far-right" based on my limited exposure. I've watched some debates with Milo as well as Gavin Mcinnes. They are definitely not what most Americans would call "far-right" -- in that they aren't anti-gay, aren't anti-drugs, aren't socially conservative, and aren't particularly hawkish. They seem to dislike Republicans like Paul Ryan almost as much as Nancy Pelosi. Milo re…

I can hardly call myself an expert on the "alt right" either, but the difference is in use of term.

When leftists think "Right wing" in the US think of the Christian theocracy. However, conservatism is only one sect of the right. The right is also reactionary, and the alt-right is definitely reactionary. I'd argue the alt-right fits nicely into Wikipedia's definition of far-right politics [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far-right_politics

Edited because my sarcastic use of tone didn't really have a place in the discussion.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#45

Post by spamizbad »

leereeves wrote: post #10
bougiefever wrote: post #5

This is probably a good move. They should also suppress fake news sites that are obviously not satire, but are meant to mislead. I can't believe I actually support preventing people from sharing things, but somehow this propaganda has to be exposed. This is a sad state we are in now.

This is a corporation enforcing its world view. Would you say the same if Twitter were owned by the right-wing and was banning left wing users?

There are several major "right wing" corporations that do just that. As a consumer you can make your choices accordingly (Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A come to mind)

You might be inclined to grant someone permission to stand on your lawn, but chances are if they stood on your lawn and then held up a sign that said "Send Jews to the gas chambers!" you'd likely ask them to leave. And if they refused, you'd eventually force them to leave.

And calling that expulsion "enforcing your world view" would be a very extreme way of explaining what you did.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#46

Post by Karunamon »

colemickens wrote: post #43

> Those with the "correct" political views can basically tell people to kill themselves That's just simply untrue. Hyperbole and lies don't help in these conversations. (And I say this as someone who thinks that Facebook and Twitter have no place being arbiters of "truth"). Downvoted to -4 on HN for saying that Twitter doesn't allow liberals special privileges to threaten violence on Twitter. Gotta just love this pla…

https://twitter.com/hipsterocracy/status/796353512208625666

https://twitter.com/_g3orgia/status/796263284282454017

https://twitter.com/cervines/status/795679114673852416

https://twitter.com/_mr_parker25/status/796521044492349440

"If you voted third party in a swing state you should kill yourself."

"Kill yourself"

"Kill yourself. Honestly kill yourself. You wouldn't be missed"

"To everyone who voted for trump as a joke kys. To everyone who voted for Harambe kys. To everyone who voted for Hennessy kys."

10 seconds with this search: https://twitter.com/search?q=kill%20yourself& or variations.

Untrue, huh?

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#47

Post by grandalf »

Why does everyone think censorship is the answer? The idea that "evil" ideas pollute minds is the same reasoning that neocons have for why Islam must be stopped. It's bizarre and farfetched.

Our values of free speech and free expression are far more important than the cringeworthy and extremely stupid things some people choose to say.

Twitter should not ban these accounts, or should it ban ISIS accounts or anything else. Twitter is a platform, not a curation service or thoughtcrime police force.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#48

Post by leereeves »

xaa wrote: post #38
micaksica wrote: post #8

I'm not a fan of the "alt-right" or a lot of its subculture. I also don't find it particularly "alt", as much as it is "far" right. It is a lot of the ideas that powered the NSDAP enveloped in the language of the Internet and memes, with the targets broadened from Jewry to non-whites in general. However, I'm also not a fan of suspending these accounts for controversial views if they are not harassing people on the Tw…

Agree. The first thing I thought upon reading this was: would Twitter ban an account with the following description: "dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of African descent in the United States, and around the world." Undoubtedly not. The only difference, of course, is s/African/European/g. I'm a liberal, but I feel that if this election has taught us anything, it should be that suppression of "…

I feel like the left seriously damaged their ability to fight racist ideas when they abandoned the idea of equality.

Now, the left calls colorblindness and "all lives matter" racist. (Remember when Martin O'Malley was destroyed for saying that?) They create advantageous standards based on race, and even exclusive positions for non-white applicants. (For example, at the BBC.)

And I too doubt they would object to "dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of African descent in the United States, and around the world."

MLK's dream that one day people would not be judged by the color of their skin was abandoned by the left before the alt-right rose to power, and I believe that helped the alt-right rise to power.

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#49

Post by icanhackit »

fiblye wrote: post #11

I think, in a way, the media is kind of empowering the "alt-right" by constantly referring to them as the "alt-right". It presents it as the little guy vs The Man, and I think that makes it much more palatable than "far right." Influential people who think the government is intentionally making gay frogs, that media needs to be under strict control, that climate change is a Chinese hoax, and that everything is us vs…

the media is kind of empowering the "alt-right" by constantly referring to them as the "alt-right". It presents it as the little guy vs The Man, and I think that makes it much more palatable than "far right."

Great observation and you hint at a simple solution - call them by their conventional moniker: the far-right. There's nothing new about their ideologies and "the far-right" elicit a different response from people than the newer and unfamiliar "alt-right".

Re: Twitter Suspends Prominent Alt-Right Accounts

#50

Post by striking »

cwilson wrote: post #40
dmritard96 wrote: post #24

Seems like there is a case to be made that Trump should be suspended. Would certainly be a loud statement but also would put twitter in an interesting position.

I'd never thought of that before. Trump values his Twitter account quite a bit. What could he do if Twitter decided to suspend him as a protest? I don't think this will ever happen, but it's an interesting hypothetical.

Whatever social network he would then move to would gain many, many followers. That would be Twitter shooting itself in the foot.
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