Elon Musk, Twitter’s next owner, provides his definition of “free speech”

Amid Twitter buyout, Musk says free speech is simply "that which matches the law."

Read the whole story

 

[Uragan]

Spoiler

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Did that little display of impotent chest-thumping sound good in your head?

Yep. Did it not sound good in what passes for your head?

I used the term 'impotent' for your screed intentionally.

Is it because you thump your chest due to your impotence?

You're really good at this whole projection thing I've heard about.

 

[DovePig]

Spoiler

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Did that little display of impotent chest-thumping sound good in your head?

Yep. Did it not sound good in what passes for your head?

I used the term 'impotent' for your screed intentionally.

Spoiler

Is it because you thump your chest due to your impotence?

Just admit it yourself, that's the first step to recovery! Ars comments are pretty much a safe space, you don't have to be ashamed of yourself and your inability...

 

[Hmnhntr]

In many ways, this feels like yet another instance of 'wealthy white techbro finds out that thing outside their expertise is in fact complex after all'.

He's just riding the free speech train on his way to making crazy amounts of money. He doesn't actually care about free speech, as he has proven many times in the past.

I'm not sure how people don't seem to grasp that concept? Are that many people really so brainwashed?

Well, 60 million of them voted for Trump, so you can use that as a starting point.

And stupid brainwashed. That's what really gets me. You know, when there is some cult leader who has brainwashed people, that leader is usually charismatic in some way -- charming or smart or attractive -- friendly, maybe even sophisticated. Donald Trump is an ugly, stupid, unfriendly, bullying, bloviating asshole with zero charisma. The only thing he has to offer is hateful stupidity.

Yet, you are correct. He somehow, without an ounce of charisma, he brainwashed half the US electorate.

That's because you're using a narrow definition of charisma. It comes in all forms. Sadly, "unfriendly, bullying, bloviating asshole" is one of them. Think about how many friends the school bullies had. It wasn't because they were secretly nice in private with their friends.

Wait... you mean diplomacy, intimidation, and deception are ALL CHA-based skills?

In fact, that's almost exactly what I mean. I considered making the D&D reference myself, but decided to go with what felt like a comparison with a wider audience.

 

[gsgrego]

We don't fear free speech. We worked with social media to shut down incineraty, hateful, racist comments. We got tech companies to moderate their sites to prevent people from being harassed, regardless of the reason.

Not really. You leveraged technology companies to restrict and block content that you deemed antithesis to your way of thinking--under the guise of safety and security. It's absurd, at best.

Okay. So question. If that is the case why can the right wing not do the same?

 

[Jordan83]

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

These are all amazing platitudes...that don't really have anything to do with any responses that have been directed to you.

 

[Deleted member 817175]

Spoiler

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Did that little display of impotent chest-thumping sound good in your head?

Yep. Did it not sound good in what passes for your head?

I used the term 'impotent' for your screed intentionally.

Is it because you thump your chest due to your impotence?

I'm trying to think of the last time "I know you are but what am I?" passed muster as an argument in my lifetime and it's not coming.

I'm sure you can remember though, you're much closer to those days than I am to mine.

The real Tom Hanks would be able to troll better than this. Sad.

And also final, as you're now ignored. Cheers, troll.

 

[watermeloncup]

Spoiler

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Did that little display of impotent chest-thumping sound good in your head?

Yep. Did it not sound good in what passes for your head?

I used the term 'impotent' for your screed intentionally.

Is it because you thump your chest due to your impotence?

I'm trying to think of the last time "I know you are but what am I?" passed muster as an argument in my lifetime and it's not coming.

I'm sure you can remember though, you're much closer to those days than I am to mine.

The real Tom Hanks would be able to troll better than this. Sad.

And also final, as you're now ignored. Cheers, troll.

Well that would be, but Tom Hanks dude is made of rubber and you're made of glue, obviously.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

...restrict and block content that you deemed antithesis...

Cite specific examples.

 

[Uragan]

I'm trying to think of the last time "I know you are but what am I?" passed muster as an argument in my lifetime and it's not coming.

I'm sure you can remember though, you're much closer to those days than I am to mine.

The real Tom Hanks would be able to troll better than this. Sad.

And also final, as you're now ignored. Cheers, troll.

Well that would be, but Tom Hanks dude is made of rubber and you're made of glue, obviously.

We're talking about a guy who didn't know what a comparative adjective was...

 

[mpfaff]

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Shit bruh, everyone is so owned now. I don't get what all these people who are not straight white dudes are so pissed about. They just need to take some supplements and eat meat to get their T up as high as yours.

They think they deserve a space to be respected like people? Well they get to feel how bigots have felt all these years when people called them mouth breathing inbreds and banned them from saying the N-word on the good websites. Now bro Elon bought a good website so that the bros can finally tell people that look and act different to just go and die or whatever, if its legal they can say it. That goes for all those other bros who figure age is just a number and want to talk about that too.

 

[DovePig]

We don't fear free speech. We worked with social media to shut down incineraty, hateful, racist comments. We got tech companies to moderate their sites to prevent people from being harassed, regardless of the reason.

Not really. You leveraged technology companies to restrict and block content that you deemed antithesis to your way of thinking--under the guise of safety and security. It's absurd, at best.

Ouch, a new one! Where do they keep crawling up from?!? Old socks?

You know, if you really feel that triggered and insecure, we have a five-step program for that!

 

[Deleted member 817175]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

So. Question. You hold a party at your house. I come over. Your kids are there. Do you believe it is wrong for you to ask me to stop talking about sex, and cussing loudly in front of your kids?

No not really, but I don't see where you're trying to get at with this. Unlike Twitter, my house is not a social media nor a place for everyone to interact. I'm not claiming to be the place where "your voice matter". So what's your point again?

So what part of your opinions can't be heard on Twitter right now? You still haven't said.

Does it happen to involve billionaire leftist bankers who are always sticking their big noses in where they don't belong?

 

[GreyAreaUK]

But you don't care about democracy, only security. And sadly, you need protection from words, so you're security needs are gigantic.

It would help if you would cite specific examples of things you want to say but feel you can't. You have yet to do so.

Or you could just continue to act like a third-rate Citizen Smith if you want. Your call.

 

[Uragan]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

Maybe work on your spelling before you try to call out anyone for anything "embarasaing".

 

[DovePig]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

Oops, admits to care and fear about being impotent – *snowflake*!

 

[GreyAreaUK]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

You seem awfully triggered by the word 'impotent'.

 

[Uragan]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

Banned for doing what?

And you didn't answer the question why "oversensitive morons" don't have the right to free speech as well.

Never said they didn't, what I did say is that they shouldn't have the right to have others banned over anything they find offensive.

Such as?

Pewdiepie making a ISIS joke back in '16.

His account was suspended for like 5 minutes and he deleted his account because he was a big baby over not being "verified" any more. He wasn't "banned" from Twitter.

 

[Deleted member 817175]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

Banned for doing what?

And you didn't answer the question why "oversensitive morons" don't have the right to free speech as well.

Never said they didn't, what I did say is that they shouldn't have the right to have others banned over anything they find offensive.

Such as?

Pewdiepie making a ISIS joke back in '16.

So now you're pro-ISIS.

Well that's a twist you'll be retracting momentarily. Think your next one through, deplorable.

ISIS probably does share your views on billionaire leftist bankers though.

 

[Uragan]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

Maybe work on your spelling before you try to call out anyone for anything "embarasaing".

Who cares.

You do, or you wouldn't have replied.

 

[Dzov]

Imagine being so low as to steal Tom Hank's name for your troll account.

 

[watermeloncup]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

Banned for doing what?

And you didn't answer the question why "oversensitive morons" don't have the right to free speech as well.

Never said they didn't, what I did say is that they shouldn't have the right to have others banned over anything they find offensive.

Such as?

Pewdiepie making a ISIS joke back in '16.

His account was suspended for like 5 minutes and he deleted his account because he was a big baby over not being "verified" any more. He wasn't "banned" from Twitter.

Oh lol. I guess PewDiePie is a typical fascist crybaby.

 

[Snark218]

Imagine being so low as to steal Tom Hank's name for your troll account.

Tom Hanks username, Chet Hanks content.

 

[nimelennar]

being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

That depends on how you define "democracy."

If the majority of people would agree with censoring that comment, then that is very democratic; sufficiently pure democracy is indistinguishable from populism.

There's a different direction you can take democracy, though, and that's liberal democracy. Where the rights and dignity of people are preserved against the power of the State, even if that's not what the majority would prefer. That way, minorities can participate and it gets closer to an ideal system where everyone gets to participate.

The latter sounds like what you're arguing in favour of, but there's a catch: what if the thing preventing the minorities from participating is the speech of one of the majority? Well, then you have to decide, what is truer to the spirit of democracy? Is it allowing one person to speak unrestricted, even if it means the people that person's speech is targeting can't safely participate? Or do you prioritize the participation of the most people over that of the one person?

Myself, I would think that encouraging maximum participation by the maximum number and variety of people is truer to the ideal of a liberal democracy.

So, yeah. I don't know what definition of "democracy" you're using, but by either major definition I see, censoring speech that is both unpopular with the majority, and abusive towards minorities (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "spicy" unless you can provide a contrary example) is quite in line with the ideal of democracy.

 

[Jordan83]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

So. Question. You hold a party at your house. I come over. Your kids are there. Do you believe it is wrong for you to ask me to stop talking about sex, and cussing loudly in front of your kids?

No not really, but I don't see where you're trying to get at with this. Unlike Twitter, my house is not a social media nor a place for everyone to interact. I'm not claiming to be the place where "your voice matter". So what's your point again?

Not the person you're replying to, but...

Perhaps their point is that if you don't believe it's wrong to ask someone to stop talking about sex and cussing in your house (and presumably you don't believe it's wrong to remove someone from your house), why is it wrong for Twitter to do the same to someone in their house?

Twitter is not owned or controlled by the government. It is not, no matter how badly people want to insist it is, "the new town square." I have never had a Twitter account in my life, and have never, as a result of that, missed out on something pertinent or critical to my life.

They can choose to allow or kick out whoever they want. It literally has zero impact on my life. It's their house; not mine.

Is that a problem? If so, why? Because I fail to see it as a problem.

 

[Chemical Tribe]

I didn't read through every comment, sorry if this point has been made already.

Without excusing all the bad things Elon Musk has done, I'd like to posit the following scenarios:

How would a smart person go about making Twitter grow? One path would be to open the platform to trolls and scammers, and peddlers of woo by refusing to moderate. Would that really work? Has it worked anywhere, including truly extremist sites?

Another way would be to get people foaming at the mouth by pretending that Twitter will radically change its policies. Encourage the fighting by dropping hints that a certain former President will soon be back. Give vague reassurances to their stoke their fears.

Remember that episode of South Park where the Devil fought Jesus? I'm looking for Elon to exit Twitter with several $100M in profits in the next year or two. After making essentially no changes at all to their moderation policies.

1. No. Because all decent people leave or never join and then the trolls, ect, have no one left to troll.

Yep, and that's why all the "non-woke" Twitter wannabes will always be in distant second place or worse. Prominent conservatives like Ted Cruz routinely used to post to Twitter about how they were gonna leave Twitter to go to Parler. Then never did...

It's almost like "woke" is a made up boogeyman that really means "people now acknowledge people we don't like as valid, and we get called out when we say something offensive". If it were really the plague they claim it is, they wouldn't have a choice in leaving- they'd be kicked off. After all, that's what they keep saying isn't it? That the "woke left" is banning them left and right and "cancelling" them? And yet, they're still on Twitter complaining about it...

These people have spent all of America’s history being able to say whatever they want, about anything, to anyone, whenever they want.

Anything less than that is a horrible “woke” affront to everything they hold dear…

Bingo. They've used their social power to silence people for generations, and now they're scared because they don't hold the social power anymore. Or at least, they no longer have a monopoly on it.

Another obvious tell is how many Conservatives reference the 50s as America's "Golden Age". Notably, a time when most of them were children (Jon Stewart has a funny bit about that), and a time when you very much could be arrested and rounded up for saying the wrong things or simply not acting the right way. Though, in my experience, few of these people have even heard of the House Un-American Activities Committee. They never think about what was happening during the Red Scare when people were outed as "Commies" because it didn't and wouldn't happen to them. It only happened to people they didn't like, so it was fine. Or just as bad, it wasn't even on their radar because they have a bubble of awareness approximately 10 ft wide.

Once again, it's just projection. They're scared of these things because of what they would do if they had the power and they can't comprehend that other people aren't the same way. They see it as fundamental human nature.

It was a great time, probably the greatest time for anyone......if you were white that is. Free college, good loans to buy property, good wages, etc.

 

[Deleted member 817175]

A lot of people got banned. Some like Pewdiepie got their account back but again, being censored over a tiny spicy comment is stupid and not democratic at all.

So. Question. You hold a party at your house. I come over. Your kids are there. Do you believe it is wrong for you to ask me to stop talking about sex, and cussing loudly in front of your kids?

No not really, but I don't see where you're trying to get at with this. Unlike Twitter, my house is not a social media nor a place for everyone to interact. I'm not claiming to be the place where "your voice matter". So what's your point again?

So what part of your opinions can't be heard on Twitter right now? You still haven't said.

Does it happen to involve billionaire leftist bankers who are always sticking their big noses in where they don't belong?

It's not just about me, Musk's poll asking people whether the site adhered to the principle of free speech returned a big NO.

So this is your chance to speak for all of them. What speech do you currently feel unable to express on Twitter?

So far all you've come up with is that you feel it's unfair that Twitter doesn't let ISIS propagandize.

As I say, kudos for unintended originality in that response. I'm guessing it won't last.

 

[mpfaff]

If you poor saps can't detect the hysteria in your reactions you're pretty out of touch with yourselves.

I did call you all insecure virgins, so you got me on that.

As far as immaturity, it takes courage, maturity and some authentic confidence in your moral posture to encounter disagreement and grow from the process.

If you withdraw from the world into a bubble, you stagnate and never live up to your potential.

Personally I don't care if you live up to your potential, but for your own sake you should consider trying.

Shit bruh, everyone is so owned now. I don't get what all these people who are not straight white dudes are so pissed about. They just need to take some supplements and eat meat to get their T up as high as yours.

They think they deserve a space to be respected like people? Well they get to feel how bigots have felt all these years when people called them mouth breathing inbreds and banned them from saying the N-word on the good websites. Now bro Elon bought a good website so that the bros can finally tell people that look and act different to just go and die or whatever, if its legal they can say it. That goes for all those other bros who figure age is just a number and want to talk about that too.

If you want respect why would you ever expose yourself to the sewer that is twitter?

There's a difference between proper respect and wanting to be on a platform that at the very least mandates that everyone treats you like a whole person. Banning bigots and the type of conspiracy theories that target people is a baseline for most places.

Notice in the thousands of comments here on this story no one has said "Welcome to years ago, 8kun allows you to talk about whatever". It's because 8kun is a shithole that people keep away from. When you don't have standards you create a shithole. People have said it plenty here already but you can either be welcoming of everyone but bigots or you can be welcoming to bigots at the expense of everyone else.

 

[Uragan]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

You seem awfully triggered by the word 'impotent'.

Clinging to this one insult?

Well, that is the best you got. It is interesting that so many of the attacks on me are claiming I am hypersensitive.

I assure you that I take none of you seriously. You are sadly all fanatical and reactionary.

I will give away some of my actual weak spots to see what you can do with them. Lets see what you can manage.

I'm short, fat, I'm in my forties, I'm not white and I don't have much testosterone really.

See, here's the thing... we're probably not going to use any of those things against you.

Although, if you weren't "hypersensitive", you wouldn't consider all of us "fanatical and reactionary".

 

[Deleted member 817175]

You tried to call me impotent, which was desperate and embarasaing for you.

You seem awfully triggered by the word 'impotent'.

Clinging to this one insult?

Well, that is the best you got. It is interesting that so many of the attacks on me are claiming I am hypersensitive.

I assure you that I take none of you seriously. You are sadly all fanatical and reactionary.

I will give away some of my actual weak spots to see what you can do with them. Lets see what you can manage.

I'm short, fat, I'm in my forties, I'm not white and I don't have much testosterone really.

So which of these are "weak spots" in your view?

 

[GreyAreaUK]

I'm short, fat, I'm in my forties, I'm not white and I don't have much testosterone really.

Your physical attributes are a matter of supreme indifference to us.

 

[Deleted member 817175]

I'm short, fat, I'm in my forties, I'm not white and I don't have much testosterone really.

Your physical attributes are a matter of supreme indifference to us.

On the contrary, I am fascinated to learn that he views being non-white as a sign of weakness.

I had already guessed this but it's good to have it on the record.