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The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

guardian.co.uk

11–20 of 54 posts

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#11
post #2

Creative at what cost? The racism, sexism, and willful callousness of 4chan doesn't seem to be getting a lot of discussion in the latest round of media coverage (outside of FOX News "HACKER-PEDOPHILES ON THE INTERNETS" hysteria). "TITS OR GTFO" (said to anyone presenting themselves as female), "be an hero" (encouragement to commit suicide)... maybe these could be considered jokes in bad taste. But the racist pics and…

Creative at what cost?

Politically correct at what cost ?

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#13
post #2

Creative at what cost? The racism, sexism, and willful callousness of 4chan doesn't seem to be getting a lot of discussion in the latest round of media coverage (outside of FOX News "HACKER-PEDOPHILES ON THE INTERNETS" hysteria). "TITS OR GTFO" (said to anyone presenting themselves as female), "be an hero" (encouragement to commit suicide)... maybe these could be considered jokes in bad taste. But the racist pics and…

4chan more closely approximates the male mind than anything else. I am sexist, racist, and callous, and if you claim not to be I don't believe you.

What popular site approximates the female mind, in your view?

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#14
post #11
post #2

Creative at what cost? The racism, sexism, and willful callousness of 4chan doesn't seem to be getting a lot of discussion in the latest round of media coverage (outside of FOX News "HACKER-PEDOPHILES ON THE INTERNETS" hysteria). "TITS OR GTFO" (said to anyone presenting themselves as female), "be an hero" (encouragement to commit suicide)... maybe these could be considered jokes in bad taste. But the racist pics and…

Creative at what cost? Politically correct at what cost ?

I'm not making an argument for political correctness; there's a difference between censoring a community because its speech might offend someone, and moderating a community because it's trying to hurt someone.

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#15
post #8
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I don't mind the inappropriate jokes/posts, sure some are racist, some are sexist, some are just plain disgusting, but that's the whole point, in the age of political correctness its actually refreshing. Step outside your comfort bubble. And hey...if you don't like it, nobody is forcing you to go there. Everyone likes to talk about freedoms we get in this country, yet these same people who wave the flag, h…

I think it's okay to be disgusted by what spoken of somewhere, and aware of the harm it can potentially cause, yet guard fiercely the ability to say it. I don't think freedom of speech should be axiomatic, though. Firstly, I take a realist stance -- it isn't treated that way by the world, there are some things you could say that would make your life much worse. Second, it seems that freedom of speech is a good heuris…

You can be disgusted all you want, nobody is forcing you to visit that site though. Going to sites where you disagree completely with their philosophy is called trolling.

You want a moral 4chan style site, go to christchan(real site btw)...thats the thing with the internet, sites that people want will always stay alive. I mean look at 4chan stats: "Current users: 29,989", that's almost 30,000 users using the site at the same time, so I guess there are plenty of people who don't mind the openness of the site.

Freedom of speech IS axiomatic, in the bill of rights they didn't write..."freedom of speech, except when it disagrees with our beliefs", all the freedoms guaranteed by the bill of rights are not there to protect the opinions of the majority, they are there to protect the opinions of the minority.

Sure its not treated this way in the real world, and that's where the hypocrisy lies. All these people being proud of "the freedoms we enjoy in America", are usually the same people who then go around and start telling everyone what they can or can't do.

Internet really is the last standing bastion of actual freedoms. I can call you a little bitch when you act like one, and you won't run to the boss crying about getting your feelings hurt.

No there aren't any degrees, when you start applying degrees and stop giving a shit because it doesn't apply to you that's when you start helping others to strip away your own rights. The key is to set precedent, and when you have one its much easier to go for the bigger fish.

And here is a good quote for you: "In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me -- and by that time there was nobody left to speak up."

So you may disagree with whats being said, but you really need to take the approach of "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." because if you don't, it won't be long before it affects you.

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#16
post #2

Creative at what cost? The racism, sexism, and willful callousness of 4chan doesn't seem to be getting a lot of discussion in the latest round of media coverage (outside of FOX News "HACKER-PEDOPHILES ON THE INTERNETS" hysteria). "TITS OR GTFO" (said to anyone presenting themselves as female), "be an hero" (encouragement to commit suicide)... maybe these could be considered jokes in bad taste. But the racist pics and…

Having a magnet for all that junk helps keep it off the rest of the internet.

In any case vitriol past a certain level is easy to laugh at. The stuff you need to be careful of is the insidious slant, where nothing is said that steps over the line but gradually the point of view worms it's way into the minds of the viewers.

Re: The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential site

#17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4chan more closely approximates the male mind than anything else. I am sexist, racist, and callous, and if you claim not to be I don't believe you.

What popular site approximates the female mind, in your view?

this is the internet...women are only present in jpg form :p i'd have to ask my girlfriend, maybe ponystars.com?
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