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YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

washingtonpost.com

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Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#421

Post by nsxwolf »

ryandrake wrote: post #359

A little off topic, but I wish we could stop using this nice-sounding "hesitant" euphemism. Hesitant implies that people are weighing options and open to changing their minds. With the amount of time they have been available and the overabundance of evidence that the COVID vaccines are safe, effective, and that they decrease hospitalizations and death, I find it very hard to believe that anyone is still "on the fence…

Given that there have been 20 million vaccine doses administered in the US during the month of September, it would seem that you are wrong. The vaccine has been available for many months. Certainly some of those 20 million doses represent people who have been hesitating for one reason or another.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#422

Post by chasd00 »

Not unlike the censoring any discussion of the lab leak hypothesis they (the censors) better be perfectly accurate every single time.

The moment they get it wrong and censor something that turns out to be the truth they lose 100% of their credibility and become a part of the conspiracy.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#423

Post by SergeAx »

listless wrote: post #174

My wife is very vaccine hesitant, and every time they make a move like this to block content or take it down, it only strengthens her position. She thinks they’re taking it down because they don’t want people to know the truth. The only thing worse than bad ideas is the suppression of bad ideas. It’s tragic that we knew this at some point, but are going to have to figure it all back out again the hard way.

> The only thing worse than bad ideas is the suppression of bad ideas.

I don't know. This on one hand, but people burning down 5G network towers on the other.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#424

Post by vikingerik »

mariodiana wrote: post #65

I think we have to ask if this won't have a chilling effect on open discussion by moderate voices. I'm subscribed to the channel of an M.D. on YouTube who discusses COVID-19, vaccines, etc. He is very careful to (repeatedly) point out that he is vaccinated, he has personally vaccinated hundreds of patients, he encourages everyone to speak to their doctor and follow their recommendations, believing that the vaccine is…

> People are going to cheer that "wackos" will no longer have a platform.

And if you deplatform wackos, you just create incentive to decry everything as wacko in order to ban it.

The way to combat misinformation is in the free market of ideas and discourse. Not by banning it. That's just might-makes-right.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#425

Post by tylerhou »

mariodiana wrote: post #65

I think we have to ask if this won't have a chilling effect on open discussion by moderate voices. I'm subscribed to the channel of an M.D. on YouTube who discusses COVID-19, vaccines, etc. He is very careful to (repeatedly) point out that he is vaccinated, he has personally vaccinated hundreds of patients, he encourages everyone to speak to their doctor and follow their recommendations, believing that the vaccine is…

The problem with your argument is that you assume that legitimate voices won't be coöpted by people pushing some agenda that is not supported by any data; i.e. you assume that the people on the other side of the "public debate" are operating in good faith. There is no debate when one side is not seriously & honestly looking at the data.

It's good to debate science and to question whether vaccines are safe and effective. The problem is that if someone with any credentials asks these questions in public, a firestorm of antivaxxers will immediately create thousands of posts claiming "doctor questions the safety of the vaccines." Most people who read those posts won't take the time to understand the nuance -- their takeaway will be "this confirms my belief that the vaccine was rushed/etc."

That's not to say that these debates shouldn't happen -- they absolutely should, but not on YouTube or social media where nuance is easily lost. During a global pandemic the consequence of airing objections in public on social media can mean that thousands of people might not get vaccinated because of bad or malicious actors. That leads to real deaths.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#426

Post by MisterBastahrd »

listless wrote: post #174

My wife is very vaccine hesitant, and every time they make a move like this to block content or take it down, it only strengthens her position. She thinks they’re taking it down because they don’t want people to know the truth. The only thing worse than bad ideas is the suppression of bad ideas. It’s tragic that we knew this at some point, but are going to have to figure it all back out again the hard way.

That makes zero sense.

An action that has nothing to do with the vaccination itself does not "strengthen" anything unless you have decided that you are just in opposition to something for the sake of being in opposition. Which is entirely what the anti-vaxx movement is really about from a political standpoint. Same thing with anti-mask.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#427

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

mariodiana wrote: post #65

I think we have to ask if this won't have a chilling effect on open discussion by moderate voices. I'm subscribed to the channel of an M.D. on YouTube who discusses COVID-19, vaccines, etc. He is very careful to (repeatedly) point out that he is vaccinated, he has personally vaccinated hundreds of patients, he encourages everyone to speak to their doctor and follow their recommendations, believing that the vaccine is…

I think we have to ask whether adversaries have the right to run hogwild on western social media and spread disinformation.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#429

Post by melenaboija »

deelowe wrote: post #134

Of course it will. Welcome to the new propaganda. Same as the old propaganda. Free speech is the act of standing up for those who you disagree with simply because you believe they have the right to be heard. In today's world of "woke" content creators, everyone seems to miss this point. What started out as fairly clear cut issues such as racism and homophobia has now bled into grey areas around vaccines and gain of f…

"Why should they trust the government, the CDC, the WHO and the like?"

For similar reasons they should be trusting people creating content on private media platforms.

People need information and seek for sources, whatever they are. I don't think the lack of content on YouTube will make change most of people beliefs, if something will reinforce them to think this is imposed.

You can always go to other sources to look for what you want to see.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#430

Post by josefresco »

listless wrote: post #174

My wife is very vaccine hesitant, and every time they make a move like this to block content or take it down, it only strengthens her position. She thinks they’re taking it down because they don’t want people to know the truth. The only thing worse than bad ideas is the suppression of bad ideas. It’s tragic that we knew this at some point, but are going to have to figure it all back out again the hard way.

> She thinks they’re taking it down because they don’t want people to know the truth.

I'm sorry to hear this. I hope she find the help she needs to understand how and why she's been led to believe this. You might want to talk to her about where she's spending time online, and maybe look into her social circle. Lastly, if she's susceptible to conspiracy theories this won't end with COVID for her or you.

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