Parler, free speech website, taken down from the web

bartholomew_maxwell wrote:

This is a good thing. It is instructive in that it will tell future conservative sites that they should not rely on infrastructure created by "woke" companies like Amazon whose warehouse employees work under slave-like conditions....

Hopefully funding will lead to these sites building out their own data centers.

Well, there are plenty of options. Didn't Trump assure that during "infrastructure week"?

Oh that's right, he used that week to try to take away health care from millions, axe social security, plan a wall that Mexico will pay for, and insult John McCain. I guess you get what you opt for!

These are private businesses, free to do as they wish, but consumers are free to dump them as well. Taking political stands as a business is almost always a bad idea as you typically alienate half of your customer base. I have some peers that ran for office, and when they did, their business got cut in half.

"Free speech" Parler started taking down some of its own posts before the big tech companies shut them down.

The Unkle wrote:

Just joined this a few days ago a it is an alternative to Facebook as it does not censor comments.

Tried to get on this AM.

It's gone.

We are full on 1984 now

This is not about free speech, this is about capitalism. The free market demands these changes, because right-wing terrorists are a small minority in this country, and no corporation who wants to stay in business can be seen associating with those who would tear down this country. If you have a problem with that, maybe you should move to North Korea where the government makes all the decisions.

Even Germany finds the leftist fascism and censorship concerning.

comedyre1i3f wrote:

These are private businesses, free to do as they wish, but consumers are free to dump them as well. Taking political stands as a business is almost always a bad idea as you typically alienate half of your customer base. I have some peers that ran for office, and when they did, their business got cut in half.

That's one of the true shames in this whole trump-era political sway. It is getting tougher and tougher on both sides to be moderate. So your friends run and are branded something that may or may not be true. Seek health care for all and you are a socialist, far-left liberal. Want less goveernment control and you are lumped with the minority trump idiots.

I am not sure how we dig out of all of this. I do know the time is right for a an attempt at a third party run. It will take the right person. I can see a Romney or Amash attempting it but it will be an uphill battle no matter who it is. The U.S. population like to cling to their R or D and justify their every move while ridiculing the other party. The moderate middle is all but gone.

As such, I deactivated twitter and will use alternatives to Amazon, Zappos and Whole Foods (to be honest, I never used Whole Foods) for the foreseeable future.

comedyre1i3f wrote:

These are private businesses, free to do as they wish, but consumers are free to dump them as well. Taking political stands as a business is almost always a bad idea as you typically alienate half of your customer base. I have some peers that ran for office, and when they did, their business got cut in half.

They are also monopolies that should have been broken up years ago. Now they have the ability to collude with each other and silence individuals whom they don't agree with. Sad day when the only way to freely express descent against the left is by utilizing foreign platforms.

They didn’t “take a political stand”.

Stu...Stu Padaso wrote:

comedyre1i3f wrote:

These are private businesses, free to do as they wish, but consumers are free to dump them as well. Taking political stands as a business is almost always a bad idea as you typically alienate half of your customer base. I have some peers that ran for office, and when they did, their business got cut in half.

They are also monopolies that should have been broken up years ago. Now they have the ability to collude with each other and silence individuals whom they don't agree with. Sad day when the only way to freely express descent against the left is by utilizing foreign platforms.

Have you ever stopped to think when most of America and every major business are telling you that you're wrong and your "descent" is a dangerous lie that has real, harmful consequences, that maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something?

Nah, you're right, probably just a big liberal conspiracy.

Dr. Racket wrote:

Have you ever stopped to think when most of America and every major business are telling you that you're wrong and your "descent" is a dangerous lie that has real, harmful consequences, that maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something?

Nah, you're right, probably just a big liberal conspiracy.

Thanks for writing what I was thinking. It was not a big conspiracy when it was being used for what you listed above?

Trump and the other morons were only silenced when they repeatedly went against the user agreement. They were not silenced simply because the business did not like them. For gods sake how many tweets did Trump send out, many destructive and harmful, over the past 4 years? Hundreds of thousands? He was only silenced when he refused to quit inciting violence to somehow quell the fact that vast majority of the American people do not want to listen to his orange hate messages.

You failed when you said "business"...business does not care about American values. STOP.

Dr. Racket wrote:

Have you ever stopped to think when most of America and every major business are telling you that you're wrong and your "descent" is a dangerous lie that has real, harmful consequences, that maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something?

Nah, you're right, probably just a big liberal conspiracy.

bartholomew_maxwell wrote:

You failed when you said "business"...business does not care about American values. STOP.

Dr. Racket wrote:

Have you ever stopped to think when most of America and every major business are telling you that you're wrong and your "descent" is a dangerous lie that has real, harmful consequences, that maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something?

Nah, you're right, probably just a big liberal conspiracy.

Really. Would you care to go further? Do you have a seat on the board of a fortune 10 company? Why do you make this comment? What values does "business" not care about?

bartholomew_maxwell wrote:

You failed when you said "business"...business does not care about American values. STOP.

Oh so the Trump mob are now anti-business as well as anti-socialism. Scary times.

Sounds like they want socialism with nationalist characteristics.

"Government should have no say in how private businesses conduct their operations! That is SOCIALISM!!!" - Right wingers when regulations are proposed

"The government needs to force private businesses to publish my rantings, opinions that I agree with, and provide me a safe space to spew my invective! That is FREEDOM!!! - Same right wingers

It is ironic that right wingers are suddenly enamored with enforcing first amendment rights against private companies. If there are first amendment rights to things like internet website hosting and being able to post on social media, then the following will also trigger first amendment rights inside private businesses:

The right to use an employer's email system to circulate union organizing material.

The right to wear clothing with socialist slogans while making coffee at Starbucks.

The right to stand inside a clothing store selling fur coats while holding up graphic signs showing animals being skinned.

And so on.

And if the consumer is given free speech rights over and above the private business's rights to operate their business how they see fit, the people who refuse to bake cakes for gay weddings would have to bake cakes for gay weddings because they cannot refuse to bake a cake that says "congratulations Steve and Mike on your wedding".

It is fun to play the victim in internet free speech debates with the narrative of a leftist social media world trying to destroy right wing movements (which ironically the social media world substantially participated in creating and profiting off of), but you cannot pick and chose your principles of limited government and the rights of private enterprise when it suits you.

Tatar wrote:

Sounds like they want socialism with nationalist characteristics.

Bart, Unkle, et al - please respond directly to the easy summation that you have been played.

It's "sad!" and chuckleworthy to watch middle aged men mimic their idol, desiring to simply argue with their fellow man all day for their own attention and concept of relevance.

To sum it up:

The Left approves of this because hurts the other team.

The Right disapproves of it because it hurts their team.