Comment by soco

14 hours ago

So you folks think just because it's internet we should be able to insult and call for racial action? Maybe you think in real life that should be acceptable too?

5 comments

soco

kyboren 14 hours ago

I support free speech through any media, including all noncommercial speech not including:

  - defamation (with extra lenience for speech about public figures)
  - evidence of child sex abuse
  - incitement to imminent lawless action likely to cause disorder

Even those few exceptions are dangerous to liberty. Certainly anything else is too easily twisted into political censorship.

For example, under the guise of fighting "hate speech", the EU has already used the DSA to censor disfavored political speech like, "I think that LGBTI ideology, gender ideology, transgender ideology are a big threat to Slovakia, just like corruption"[0].

And yes, people obviously have the right to insult their politicians. It's honestly perplexing to encounter someone defending an early morning house raid because the guy called a politician a "professional moron". Are you actually Robert Habeck??

[0]: https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-j... (p. 19)

soco 8 hours ago
Even here on HN insulting other posters gets you banned. Same in many US media. There's quite a discrepancy between what people claim and the reality on the field, why you think? Yes I'm aware I'm shifting focus from Europe to the US, but you know, who should cast the first stone...
- johnsimer 3 hours ago
  
  Private companies should have the freedom to ban/censor whatever content on their platforms they want. I’d prefer if they don’t, but we shouldn’t force governments to prevent companies from creating their own rules about how people can use their own software
  Governments however should not interfere with citizen’s freedom of speech - there should be no fines/arrests for insulting politicians. Otherwise those governments are actually authoritarian and repressive.

tick_tock_tick 9 hours ago

It's 100% acceptable in real life that the whole concept of free speech. Seriously you can say shit like that all day every day in the USA and the cops probably won't even bother you.

soco 8 hours ago

Probably here lies the entire chasm between the US and Europe. In Europe insulting people on the street is not considered acceptable, also spreading neonazi propaganda and everything - ACLU or not (btw ACLU is also an US thing). So the US will jump at the idea of containing someone who publishes threats and insults, while the European will, well, try to contain them. I'm an European and call that respect for your co citizens, something not understandable for the US. Maybe that's also why social-democracy is here so well established, because we believe in a community, while the US advocates the person against everybody else. Just thinking loud.