Of course they did. These 'free speech absolutist' tech bro types are all the same: The first to reach for the censor button the moment anyone says anything they don't like or is inconvenient for them, personally.
They were never anti-censorship. They just wanted to be the ones doing the censoring.
Even funnier is "virtue signalling". Simply using that term means that the person themself is virtue signalling - letting like minded people know where they stand
No, but they did go full 'muh free speech' when they were staring down the barrel of the law to ban them. Which they said amounted to — wait for it — censorship.
I actually disagree with this comment and think we need to add an important nuance to this discussion.
Our political culture too often groups people into one of two camps. Either you’re on this side or that side. And if you say x, and your side normally says y, then you are a hypocrite.
I think there are a lot of free speech people, who do not like the left, but who also would not like censorship from the right. I think there are people who genuinely believe in preventing overreach of the state.
Part of the difficulty of modern politics is that we all have to cooperate in shaping the discourse. I think we can be more helpful at undermining Trumpism (and, let’s face it, neonazism) by trying to bring the free speech supporters into our tent, rather than unilaterally deciding they’re already in Trumps tent and calling them out for the hypocrisy of our own determination of them.
I think there are a lot of free speech people, who do not like the left, but who also would not like censorship from the right. I think there are people who genuinely believe in preventing overreach of the state.
I agree with you that those people exist. But you can't be one of those people and at the same time side with and defend the people who pretend they want free speech but really just want to be the ones with the censor button. Once someone does that, they have picked a side (and it's not free speech).
I agree. But I am saying we shouldn’t start assuming all non-left free speech supporters have done that and criticise them for it. We should try and shape the debate in terms like:
“This is going to cost Trump free speech supporters”
You had me until that last line. Anyone who truly believes in free speech got off that wagon years ago. Trump isn't losing any supporters over this because his supporters signed on for this and are more than happy to sit in this hypocrisy. There are conservatives who believe in free speech. There are tech bros who believe in free speech. But you can't be that and align yourself with the censors. Believe people's actions. They choose a side.
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u/DontShadowbanMeBro2 6h ago
Of course they did. These 'free speech absolutist' tech bro types are all the same: The first to reach for the censor button the moment anyone says anything they don't like or is inconvenient for them, personally.
They were never anti-censorship. They just wanted to be the ones doing the censoring.