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Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

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Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#501
post #11

I gotta say, recent events have left me shaken to my core. I thought I believed in free speech, to the point where I started a company dedicated to providing privacy and communications products that were not subject to control by any central authority (that turns out to be very hard!) But watching the events of the past few years unfold I am no longer convinced that this would really make the world a better place. I…

You should get more information than just from mainstream media.

Otoh the real issue probably is that information does not even matter, only group affiliation does. You'll just believe what confirms your world view and filter out the rest, and so does everybody else.

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#502
post #11

I gotta say, recent events have left me shaken to my core. I thought I believed in free speech, to the point where I started a company dedicated to providing privacy and communications products that were not subject to control by any central authority (that turns out to be very hard!) But watching the events of the past few years unfold I am no longer convinced that this would really make the world a better place. I…

Here are some reasons that may talk you down: * The world, and the US has always gone through periods of chaos. This is not the first time we've seen violence and strife, with assassinated presidents and students mowed down by bullets. What's happening now is not worse than what happened before and somehow we still kept free speech intact. * While certain speech is hateful, painful, and even somewhat dangerous, stifl…

> Lastly, one of the main reasons these people are getting violent is because they are suffering, in poverty, without jobs, and recognize that something is seriously wrong society.

Yeah, if you look at the people detained and identified in the Capitol riot, they aren't people who got violent because they were suffering, in poverty, or without jobs; they are largely middle class and up, currently employed, well-established. It's violent defense of privilege, not a desperate response to poverty and suffering.

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#504
post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The very foundation of your democracy has been eroded. That would be a crappy democracy if it could be eroded by a bunch of idiots taking an unauthorized Whitehouse tour. Fortunately, absolutely nothing happened to the democracy and it proceeded on its course. What could actually erode the democracy is nation giving up on free speech. That'd be a real sign of nation in severe distress. > I don't listen to your news…

> unauthorized Whitehouse tour. This is awful, and I can't imagine the thought process that leads to this kind of rationalization. MANY members of the crowd are known to have been armed. Five people are dead. Congress had to be evacuated. Had an escape route not existed (many nations don't have cold war fortifications in their legislative buildings!) we could very easily have been looking at a hostage situation. This…

We've have many instances of armed protestors / rioters over the past year. Many where figures of authority were targeted. Where the people burning thing in the hallway of the Portland Mayors house, just being nice or was their goal to burn it down? Were the individuals inciting riots with ACAB and other slogans, followed by aggressive assaults of police and small businesses just innocent aggrevators or was their intention to "burn it all down" as they proclaimed over and over.

This issue isn't that this is a dispicable situation, it's that the media is treating it as if it's a bunch of fringe right wing people (and lumping all trump voters in the list) when the same far left extremists were and are still using teh same tactics. Lives have been threatened for the past nine months plus.. and yet that was ok because it fell in line with what one group wanted?

It's all insanity on both sides and until people own up to it on the left as well, the country will keep being pushed further. The demonization of anyone not toeing the line of the extreme left these days is CREATING the thing they fear.

How many lives were lost last year, innocent lives? How many injuries? All due to the same actions and tactics.

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> t is more useful to think events like the Capitol incident as causing long-lasting damage to democracy, and there is a non-negligible possibility that societal schisms will widen, as opposed to heal. What that will look like in the future is anybody's guess. What are you willing to give up politically to heal societal schisms?

What is the argument you're trying to make?

I’m trying to figure out if anyone actually want to heal societal schisms? And the measure of that is what folks are willing to compromise on?

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#506
post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you are not in the population of people that would be put in harms way if the people who stormed the capitol were successful?

Successful in what? Stealing Pelosi's podium? Yes, she'd have to order a new one. And a new laptop. And probably fix some windows That's terrible, but what "population of people" do you mean here, beyond folks that need to clean up that shit (and who have my wholehearted compassion, it must have sucked)?

> Successful in what

Successful in killing/hold hostage those elected officials they deemed against their cause. This could have ended so much worse than it did.

For example, what do you think would've happened if AOC or one of the other congresswomen maligned by Trump ended up in front of these maniacs? Do you think they would have stopped at stealing podiums/laptops?

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#507
post #404

A portion of your citizens were called to storm your nations capital by a President who refuses to accept the results of a democratic election. The very foundation of your democracy has been eroded. Do not pretend the people who are frightened of these actions are overreacting. Democracy is a fragile thing, and you have a portion of your population who attempted to take a hammer to it. Don't pretend this is a narrati…

> The very foundation of your democracy has been eroded. That would be a crappy democracy if it could be eroded by a bunch of idiots taking an unauthorized Whitehouse tour. Fortunately, absolutely nothing happened to the democracy and it proceeded on its course. What could actually erode the democracy is nation giving up on free speech. That'd be a real sign of nation in severe distress. > I don't listen to your news…

> What could actually erode the democracy is nation giving up on free speech.

Can you expand on this, concretely?

Most democracies in existence - including thr US itself! - emerged from jurisdictions that did not have strong protections on free speech. I would also bet that most current democracies do not have US-strength protections on free speech, either. (Is the UK a democracy? Is Germany? Is Spain?)

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#508
post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> smeared feces, stole laptops > absolutely an insurrection attempt. You must have a really low bar for "insurrection". If stealing a laptop is "insurrection", by that bar looting a Target - which we witnessed the whole 2020 - would be a Galactic War or something.

We're taking about a mob attempting to topple the actual seat of government by an incursion onto the floor of Congress. What does that have to do with Target?

> We're taking about a mob attempting to topple the actual seat of government by an incursion onto the floor of Congress

They weren't trying to “topple the seat of government” in a destructive, undirected manner, they were trying to redirect the process being executed there of officially determining the winner of the Presidential election to their preferred outcome, and to retaliate against opponents (including the Vice President) who failed to play the role the mob and the President they saw themselves serving preferred they should in that process.

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#509
post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't believe this needs to be said, but the fact it failed doesn't mean the danger wasn't real. Some members of the mob were actively looking to kill the people who were 2nd and 3rd in line for the presidency. Let's not pretend that there was zero danger to democracy.

Do you remember the shooter who shoot congressmen at a congressal ball game? The difference, he had a gun these people didn't

You really think these people weren't armed?

edit: to be clear, there were a number of people pictured and arrested carrying firearms.

Re: Parler’s de-platforming shows the exceptional power of cloud providers

#510
post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The very foundation of your democracy has been eroded. That would be a crappy democracy if it could be eroded by a bunch of idiots taking an unauthorized Whitehouse tour. Fortunately, absolutely nothing happened to the democracy and it proceeded on its course. What could actually erode the democracy is nation giving up on free speech. That'd be a real sign of nation in severe distress. > I don't listen to your news…

First: Perhaps you'd be willing to agree that this was an explicit attempt at a soft coup: The explicit goal was to disrupt congressional proceedings as part of a plan to overturn election results. Second: As others have observed, we got extremely lucky that the rioters didn't actually come in contact with any congress-people or the vice president. What do you think would have happened if, say the crowd has come in c…

It certainly looks much different from what we would historically label coup attempt. Usually a coup has to at least be theoretically possible. It also would seem to require some level coordination. I have yet to see evidence of that. I really do believe that some of the protestors might have been there to peacefully protest, not overthrow the American government. Ymmv
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