Is Free Speech being Cancelled or does 'Big Tech' not really matter in the long run?

I watched a video by a woman named Gothix. I've caught this woman's videos a couple of times, and she makes a lot of sense. This one is a little confusing, tho. My thought is that there's a simple solution. Stop using Twitter. There are other ways to communicate. They can't control everything - or if they can, they're the real government.

I've stayed away from Twitter because I have no reason to broadcast my opinion, my business, or my lunch pictures to the world. I don't need 'followers'. I'm not a Celebrity. So even if Twitter had a reason to block me, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. And I'd start telling anyone that the Cool Kids don't use Twitter anyway.

It's a business. And it's not too big to go out of business.

Besides, Politicians really didn't use Twitter until Trump used it like FDRs Fireside Chats.

Anyway, here's the video. Maybe you can tell why this should bother me.

Big Tech censorship should concern EVERYONE
youtu.be...

Could always go back to actually meeting people, sharing conversations, finding similar tastes and use regular texting. Without group chat or pages, just phone to phone.

People seem to require more and more people for social requirements as the amount of fulfillment you get from those interactions decrease.

But oh wait, they've lockdown actually being able to meet new people. Added masks to make social cues even harder. Especially for folks with aspergers and such.

Almost as if planned... huh...

Free speech is being cancelled, along with a growing number of our constitutional rights. People are being blacklisted, doxxed, and ostracized for any opinions that don't confirm the party line and rhetoric of our Dear Leader. Tech will get around this, but it will always be changing to keep ahead of the censors.

At some point soon, if not already, there will be an underground freedom of speech resistance movement. People are working on new platforms and networks as I write this.

Even if some kind of dark web network isn't your cup of tea, there are thousands of discussion boards that are either abandoned or rarely used. You could use old gamer or fuzzies boards to talk about the now forbidden topics and what have you. Temporary private chat and message boards can be used, along with a number of messaging services like Signal.

The Little Dutch Boy's fingers will never stop the flow of information gushing out of all the leaking holes in the dam holding back free speech.

I’ve never heard of her. She gets it

I’m thoroughly turned on now....

a reply to: CryHavoc

What Big Tech is doing is despicable... no doubt. All the more reason for us to appreciate what we have right here on ATS. Perhaps THEE best free speech platform on the internet. WE need to make the MOST and the BEST of it.

We have the opportunity to change hearts and minds with our words, sharing knowledge and information, expanding and exploring solutions, and making the world a better place. Not just with each other, but with lurkers and seekers, trying to figure this mess out.

We know what THEY are doing. What are WE doing??? Are we making our words count? Are we making sure we post quality informative posts? Or just adding to the ignorance and the division? Are we offering knowledge and information? Or gossip and bullying?

As a Constitutional Republic, the individual -- the smallest minority -- has rights. And those individual rights come with individual responsibilities. It's up to each of us what we do with those rights and responsibilities.

a reply to: Nivhk
Actually meeting people is not what they want. OK lockdown. But when the lockdown ends you will see laws like "no gathering of more than 4 people" and if you do gather, and they don't like your group, you will be arrested for fermenting dissention and insurrection.
Then you'll have a law like "guilt by association" , so if someone you know has been arrested for the first offence then by association you are deemed guilty. Easy aint it.

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: CryHavoc

What Big Tech is doing is despicable... no doubt. All the more reason for us to appreciate what we have right here on ATS. Perhaps THEE best free speech platform on the internet. WE need to make the MOST and the BEST of it.

We have the opportunity to change hearts and minds with our words, sharing knowledge and information, expanding and exploring solutions, and making the world a better place. Not just with each other, but with lurkers and seekers, trying to figure this mess out.

We know what THEY are doing. What are WE doing??? Are we making our words count? Are we making sure we post quality informative posts? Or just adding to the ignorance and the division? Are we offering knowledge and information? Or gossip and bullying?

As a Constitutional Republic, the individual -- the smallest minority -- has rights. And those individual rights come with individual responsibilities. It's up to each of us what we do with those rights and responsibilities.

All good thoughts, and I agree, "Speak truth to Power" but don't be a dick about it. Explain things from a solid position backed by "vetted" sources using logical arguments void of the usual drama. Become a conservative apologist with answers to counter every leftist propaganda point, but do it with kindness and concern, even if you have to use serious self control to keep from making it personal.

Great stuff, however, I agree with Crayzeed's "guilt by association" law idea. I bet they are drafting it right now, or have had it written up for a long time now. Just having associated with someone who would question the party line will place you in peril, even if you never dared to express your real thoughts and pretended to be with the program.

Those crying their freedom of speech is being curbed should realize one thing :

They willingly let others make money with their voice. They are the product, not their message

a reply to: CryHavoc

Anyway, here's the video. Maybe you can tell why this should bother me.

It shouldn't , following the disputed election in 2016 a former President made claims about "fake news" , governments made claims about State interference in election processes and the finger was pointed at 'Big Tech' companies for being complicit in the spread of misinformation so they bowed to the pressure and changed their processes and rules .... their house their rules as with any consumer based digital platforms , or real world establishments for that matter.

Social media is about opinions not necessarily truth.

As for the video , stopped watching when she said "when I discuss this topic with a Leftist" , same old same old.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

All good thoughts, and I agree, "Speak truth to Power" but don't be a dick about it. Explain things from a solid position backed by "vetted" sources using logical arguments void of the usual drama. Become a conservative apologist with answers to counter every leftist propaganda point, but do it with kindness and concern, even if you have to use serious self control to keep from making it personal.

Yes!!! And remember the value of listening and actually hearing the reasonable concerns of others. Their concerns are valid as well, even if you don't share them. And if you don't, ask yourself why, and reconsider how the concerns of both can be addressed fairly. We should not be thinking in terms of "my way" and "your way", but in terms of how everyone can have their way to the best of our ability. And more often than not, it is possible for everyone to get what they need, if not what they want.

I would also add that we should all be encouraging multiple choice solutions, especially those that reward and promote "good" behavior, as opposed to focusing on punishing "bad" behavior.

Great stuff, however, I agree with Crayzeed's "guilt by association" law idea. I bet they are drafting it right now, or have had it written up for a long time now. Just having associated with someone who would question the party line will place you in peril, even if you never dared to express your real thoughts and pretended to be with the program.

This is an excellent point. And we cannot stop them from trying, and our best defense is to be impeccable with our words, so that we can stand behind our words when/if the time comes, rather than being tarred with someone else's words.

I think this is absolutely CRUCIAL in terms of our activism. The most extreme example I can think of, and which worries me the most, are the threats of armed rebellion and 2nd Amendment remedies, which I have no doubt are being provoked and encouraged by those who want to tar all dissenters with the same broad violent brush... and they will no doubt make examples of those who make such threats. The tyrants WANT the people to discredit themselves... to make themselves a danger to others... to damn themselves. They want us to fear and distrust each other. Divide-and-conquer. Which they will then play to their maximum advantage. Like they already are.

a reply to: CryHavoc

Censorship should bother anyone who is for freedom.

/drops mic, walks away.

originally posted by: Nivhk
Could always go back to actually meeting people, sharing conversations, finding similar tastes and use regular texting. Without group chat or pages, just phone to phone.

People seem to require more and more people for social requirements as the amount of fulfillment you get from those interactions decrease.

But oh wait, they've lockdown actually being able to meet new people. Added masks to make social cues even harder. Especially for folks with aspergers and such.

Almost as if planned... huh...

And now the latest all over the news: They (whoever they are) are projecting COVID restrictions will need to last 7 years.

www.straitstimes.com...
theprint.in...

Don't tell me the vaccine wasn't engineered to change the world and reduce the surplus (elderly, and useless eaters, chronically ill, with some acceptable collateral damage). Lockdown the world, don't let them gather and meet people for 7 years and the government in control of the media (Democrats totally control most of the media) and voila, fundamentally change the world into (read the book, not the movie The Giver - a quick easy award winning read about a utopia of everything is completely equal).

a reply to: The2Billies

I took a look at "The Giver" and read through the Wiki plot summary.

Here is a link to a PDF of the entire story.

LINK to The Giver

Sorry for calling you comrade before I checked this out.

Reminds me of the enlightenment of Buddha when he first experienced the world outside of his palace.

a reply to: CryHavoc

It’s not being cancelled. It’s BEEN cancelled. Gone.

a reply to: CryHavoc

First, heres an embed for ya:



Why you should care is: irrespective of your personal participation, these systems influence and direct society at very pervasive levels. Its similar to the flawed statements of "dont like them, dont spend money there."

If enough people other than you participate in that given system, it makes your personal choice rather moot. And, at a certain level, communicating your perspective to the world (small or large scale) becomes impossible without participation in said system.

Its a general "rule" we have learned from history that applies to any systems of power or influence (corporations, governments, militaries, etc.).

As systems spread throughout our civilization, they are prone to collectivism and coercion. Meaning, the ones who control said system can enforce their will on the whole of society in proportion to their ubiquity.

In the case of twitter, this isnt just small snippets of emotionally-driven content (though, there is that). It also now serves as the source for original material for journalism, an aggregate for data & data analysis, etc. It actually works exceptionally well for these things, which leads us to another reason to care:

Twitter serves as a source for original journalistic material. Like.. the real-deal on-the-ground stuff. It also "conveniently" organizes it according to interest, so that the MSM can easily pick which breaking news to cover.

For now, we can actually bypass all the nonsense and noise of the MSM by going directly to the same sources they do. I believe this is a good thing. However, given its place in the news cycle and modern emotional addiction systems.. Relatively "agnostic/apolitical" journalists can be removed with the same ease as anyone else. Once this happens, the entire chain of information is derived from emotional addiction and the ideological positions of the ones in charge of said system.

The two main problems with twitter (and others..) is that its a platform designed specifically to facilitate addiction to extreme emotions with extensive engagement, and, ideological censorship based in very advanced algorithms. I believe there are some good things there that shouldnt be thrown out with the bathwater, but those two factors only need to receive maybe ~2%-5% participation from the population to have a noticeable effect, positive or negative. Similarly, thats why I didnt go all in with parler; it only examined the censorship.

The government hasn’t made any laws restricting the freedom of speech. Businesses can establish T&Cs that users agree to. ATS does that very thing. If a post is yanked on this site, is that cancel culture? Is that inhibiting free speech?

a reply to: Gandalf77

Does ATS control 95% of all internet traffic?

originally posted by: Gandalf77
The government hasn’t made any laws restricting the freedom of speech. Businesses can establish T&Cs that users agree to. ATS does that very thing. If a post is yanked on this site, is that cancel culture? Is that inhibiting free speech?

Did you watch the vid? She talks about this...

originally posted by: Gandalf77
If a post is yanked on this site, is that cancel culture? Is that inhibiting free speech?

Depends on Why it was pulled. Depends on What was said.

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: CryHavoc

What Big Tech is doing is despicable... no doubt. All the more reason for us to appreciate what we have right here on ATS. Perhaps THEE best free speech platform on the internet. WE need to make the MOST and the BEST of it.

Free speech? Here? I guess so.
I suppose any speech is free as long as nobody cares.