If I could wave a magic wand and make one dangerous political belief vanish from the face of the earth, this one would be a strong contender.
The belief that deplatforming is inherently wrong and bad and all ideas have a right to be engaged with by virtue of them *being ideas*.
The belief that deplatforming is inherently wrong and bad and all ideas have a right to be engaged with by virtue of them *being ideas*.
Everything we have seen in the last two decades, under the rise of the internet and social media, has proven this belief false.
The marketplace of ideas is not "self-regulating" any more than any other marketplace. It just isn't. This fanatical belief it is needs to die.
The marketplace of ideas is not "self-regulating" any more than any other marketplace. It just isn't. This fanatical belief it is needs to die.
There is nothing whatsoever that inherently makes truth and love beat hate and lies in the marketplace of ideas. Nothing. No-thing.
There is no grand utopia around the corner where someone crafts the ultimate truth that persuades fascists and racists to change who they are.
There is no grand utopia around the corner where someone crafts the ultimate truth that persuades fascists and racists to change who they are.
In fact, let me take this further: a good 90% of social unrest in the world today has been either caused or exacerbated by our *unwillingness to deplatform hate*.
The U.S., U.K., Myanmar, Brazil — all are suffering because they had a free marketplace of ideas and hate won.
The U.S., U.K., Myanmar, Brazil — all are suffering because they had a free marketplace of ideas and hate won.
I believe that all political speech deserves basic civil rights protection. That is, governments should not censor or punish people for speech.
But I do not believe that all speech deserves equal access to every forum or equal right to be engaged with.
But I do not believe that all speech deserves equal access to every forum or equal right to be engaged with.
And hell, no one actually believes that! Our culture inherently gives the poor less right to be heard, minorities less right to be heard.
No one complains about that, we only complain when rich fascists have trouble finding people who want to do business with them.
No one complains about that, we only complain when rich fascists have trouble finding people who want to do business with them.
We are not going to improve political discourse until we overcome our gaslit squeamishness about standing up and saying "This person is promoting hate speech. Therefore this person does not deserve a microphone."
