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The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

taibbi.substack.com

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Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#31

Post by enchiridion »

gabereiser wrote: post #9
swiley wrote: post #2

If you reject the idea that people are intelligent enough to think about politics for themselves then you reject the idea that they're intelligent enough to govern themselves. Democracy and free speech are intrinsically linked.

YouTube can choose to keep or delete any content on their platform regardless of truth/free speech/or not. It's in the EULA. You want free speech, go outside and yell. No one is stopping anyone from free speech. What Google is doing is cleaning up content on their service according to their EULA. If you disagree with the EULA, you can gladly go use another service. I will add, targeting a specific genre of videos loo…

This is a non sequitur. Free speech is an ideal. We would like google to preserve free speech, even though they are not legally obligated to per the Constitution. If their EULA does not uphold that ideal, then they should change it, not compromise the ideal.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#32

Post by thegreyone »

It is wrong. It IS un-american. And no, it will not "radicalize" us. Radicalize? To what? Being free speech? Being pro-debate? Allowing discussion so people are free to choose for themselves? And youtube is not just allowing for content. They aren't a "content allowing" platform. They are creating it, curating it, producing it, etc... No, the ftc needs to regulate them (and all social media, frankly) as a public utility, and then GUARANTEE constitutional rights.

The only way to combat "bad" speech is with MORE speech.

You don't "win the argument" by censoring it. If you're censoring content, you're a freaking bolshevik, and have no place in a democratic-based constitutional republic. Pure and simple.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#33

Post by SpicyLemonZest »

I really don't agree that this is "the latest salvo in the fight against 'domestic anti-democracy information'". Youtube's generally had a very permissive stance on information they don't think is accurate; they're taking this one, targeted action against a uniquely dangerous threat.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#35

Post by Jtsummers »

JPKab wrote: post #29
gabereiser wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YouTube can choose to keep or delete any content on their platform regardless of truth/free speech/or not. It's in the EULA. You want free speech, go outside and yell. No one is stopping anyone from free speech. What Google is doing is cleaning up content on their service according to their EULA. If you disagree with the EULA, you can gladly go use another service. I will add, targeting a specific genre of videos loo…

They have the right to do it, and it will make the world worse off. Taibbi always has had a great guy instinct for normal Americans and how they react to elite condescension, and he's right here. My idiot brother got twice as radicalized when they kicked Alex Jones's crazy ass off YouTube. It made people feel better and more morally superior, especially employees. It hurt my brother. Now when he watches that asshole,…

Even before Jones was kicked off, people went to YouTube for insane conspiracy theories and ended up, due to the video recommendation system, still only seeing one side. It really didn't matter whether Jones was on there or his own platform, people watching his videos still only see his (and related) videos.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#36

Post by JPKab »

Daishiman wrote: post #17
swiley wrote: post #2

If you reject the idea that people are intelligent enough to think about politics for themselves then you reject the idea that they're intelligent enough to govern themselves. Democracy and free speech are intrinsically linked.

We in fact already do that and nobody bats an eye. People are not intimate with the details of most government bureaucracies, they are not expected to be, and they're no expected to grasp such details in a way that they can make informed decisions. And frankly that is absolutely correct. We believe in democracy to be the best system despite its flaws, and one of its flaws is that it's evident that most people have no…

Authoritarians always justify silencing speech for the greater good. You can reject lies with counters to those lies, or do it your way, and end democracy.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#37

Post by treeman79 »

tomohawk wrote: post #3

It's crazy what's getting banned. If you believe in science, then you believe that experts and authorities can be wrong, and likely are wrong about some things. You believe that it is important to question those beliefs. What youtube is doing is against science. If you believe in liberty, then you know that more than one thing can be right at the same time. That there is more than one way to do things. What youtube i…

It’s also shocking how certain stories were getting blocked, “Hunter”, before election for being false.

Oh now they are getting confirmed.

Re: The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire

#39

Post by waterheater »

hobs wrote: post #7
tomohawk wrote: post #3

It's crazy what's getting banned. If you believe in science, then you believe that experts and authorities can be wrong, and likely are wrong about some things. You believe that it is important to question those beliefs. What youtube is doing is against science. If you believe in liberty, then you know that more than one thing can be right at the same time. That there is more than one way to do things. What youtube i…

If you believe in science, you also believe that things can be proven wrong, and that repeating wrong things can influence people especially if you have the power to amplify your voice with money. If you believe in liberty, you believe in the liberty of a set of an individuals (a company) to do what they damn well please with their platform.

>repeating wrong things

But how can one know what is wrong and right without examining all information first? Liars and True Believers will get you every time, unless you are provided the opportunity to discover truth for yourself.

YouTube is now determining what content should be present on their platform using editorial criteria, which makes them a de facto publisher.

>If you believe in liberty, you believe in the liberty of a set of an individuals (a company) to do what they damn well please with their platform.

Not absolutely. Murder is technically an expression of liberty, but to kill is to remove the person's faculties to express liberty and therefore a wrong usage.

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