The following sort of crap is commonplace on Gab. Click to enlarge. While it may be that, in the larger scheme of things, people like this are in the minority, they are not a small minority on Gab: they are numerous and vocal. Surely there exists a way to refer to Africa's problems without resorting to racism and wild-eyed talk of Satan's dominion.
Yesterday, I went to Gab.ai's "settings" window and seriously contemplated deleting my Gab account. I haven't deleted it... yet.
The MSM won't let us have an honest debate about many important issues, and that inevitably drives many to the darker corners of the Internet, where basic norms of civility and respect are less likely to be enforced.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, if the so-called adults are going to treat us like children, do they have any right to complain about childish behavior?
The Dalai Lama recently said that he felt "Europe belongs to the Europeans" and that eventually the refugees there need to return to their own homelands to help rebuild them, but if you search his name in the New York Times, there is no mention of this at all. The most recent result you get is the passing of an obscure rabbi two weeks ago. It's clear they're more interested in curating reality than in actually reporting honestly and fairly on it.
In any case, Twitter is where all the action is. It's still possible to have an open debate there as long as one is careful with one's rhetoric and language.
"...as long as one is careful with one's rhetoric and language."
ReplyDeleteThat right there is a sad commentary on the Twitterian state of affairs. It's so easy to be banned, shadow-banned, or outright de-platformed on Twitter these days. Oy gevalt.
You're awfully hard to please. If you support absolute free speech, I don't see why you're complaining about trash talk on Gab.
ReplyDeleteI think Twitter is enough of a public forum that it's reasonable to expect civil discourse on the platform. It's true that it's become a political weapon of the left, but getting around their attempts to police thought and language is half the fun!
Complaining about problems on Gab is a subset of absolute free speech, so I think I'm covered. Besides: support for free speech doesn't mean accepting the sort of nonsense I highlighted. There's no contradiction in saying skinheads are free to march through a town, barking their slogans, while also saying it's disappointing that they do so. And if there are too many skinheads in town, then maybe it's time to either fight (verbally, of course) or leave. I don't have the energy to fight these days; that was me in my unenlightened twenties (I'm now at the end of my unenlightened forties!). Flame wars are useless time sinks—ego-vortices down which one flushes oneself, and to no purpose, since neither side is ever persuaded by the other.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree with you re: Twitter, but only to an extent. I once made a comment about Korean women's fashion that got me immediately branded a racist and sexist. It's reasonable to expect civility, but we're not all lucky enough to get consistently civil reactions to our own civil tweets. Some people are just naturally combative and see little need for civility.
I rarely get flamed on Twitter. Liberals seem to think anyone critical of leftism is an ignorant hick, and I swiftly disabuse them of that silly notion. Eventually, their ego decides they've had enough abuse and they soon slink away.
ReplyDeleteWhen one side is defending reality and the other defending fantasy, it's not too hard to figure out who's going to win the debate every time.