> “We are all familiar with stories of people who have said or written something and then faced a terrible online backlash,” she said.
> “There is a difference between valid criticism, which should be part of free expression, and this kind of backlash, ugly personal insults, putting addresses of homes and children’s schools online, trying to make people lose their jobs.
> “To anyone who thinks, well, some people who have said terrible things deserve it – no. Nobody deserves it. It is unconscionable barbarism. It is a virtual vigilante action whose aim is not just to silence the person who has spoken, but to create a vengeful atmosphere that deters others from speaking.”
This does seem to be a bit of a scourge of the social media age
Odd contrast to the guardian interview where she revealed she what she meant by “free speech” was actually just wanting to openly talk about harassing gnc and trans people in bathrooms without gnc or trans people or generally those who would not like to see people beaten up, arrested or harassed for using the loo judging her.
Deplatform anyone who doesn’t agree with your views and you will get this. Cant wait for things to go as bad as China.
“I was deplatformed for saying my opinions!”
“Oh no! Did they cancel your book?”
“No.”
“Did they say you can’t write any more?”
“No.”
“Did they cut off your revenue and assets?”
“No.”
“Did they silence you in the press?”
“No, they paid me for an interview about how I’m being silenced.”
“…So..?”
“wOmEn CaN’t HaVe PeNiSeS!”
“…”
Self-censorship has always been a thing. Doing a live interview on TV? You’re welcome to suddenly start talking about how great David Icke is but there might be consequences. I’m sure many David Icke fans feel a huge pressure to self censor in life – it just is what it is.
Wanna go online and start spouting off about trans people, you’re welcome to (as proved by the millions of people doing this across multiple platforms every day) there’s just consequences.
Ultimately every action has an equal opposite reaction. People are pretty free to say what they want in real life and online, and others are free to respond. We all make informed decisions over when and how to speak and the reaction that different utterances elicit is constantly evolving.
Faulty Towers featured the n-word being shouted repeatedly and was hailed as the best comedy ever at a time when saying fuck on TV would get you a life time ban from the BBC, times change.
The reality is that we have never had more freedom of speech than we have now. It’s just that others also get freedom of speech and that seems to be where the problem lies.
Funny how free speech never seems to be used for anything other than hating trans people these days.
And I bet I know who’s going to position themselves as the answer to this – people who don’t want to be judged for open bigotry. Censorship may be a problem, but most of the people claiming to have answers represent something far worse. Traditionally victimised minorities are probably right not to engage with “but muh censorship” whining until reactionary overcorrection isn’t the only realistic alternative.
She’s going to be shocked to learn how many racists aren’t allowed to platform racist things these days. I’m sure she’d sharp stop spouting off about people’s right to be loudly bigoted if it was about people of colour rather than once again being about trans women trying to have a piss in peace.
8 comments
> “We are all familiar with stories of people who have said or written something and then faced a terrible online backlash,” she said.
> “There is a difference between valid criticism, which should be part of free expression, and this kind of backlash, ugly personal insults, putting addresses of homes and children’s schools online, trying to make people lose their jobs.
> “To anyone who thinks, well, some people who have said terrible things deserve it – no. Nobody deserves it. It is unconscionable barbarism. It is a virtual vigilante action whose aim is not just to silence the person who has spoken, but to create a vengeful atmosphere that deters others from speaking.”
This does seem to be a bit of a scourge of the social media age
> [This is the driving logic of her fear for free speech: that she can’t say biological sex is inalienable without sparking a storm. “So somebody who looks like my brother – he says, ‘I’m a woman’, and walks into the women’s bathroom, and a woman goes, ‘You’re not supposed to be here’, and she’s transphobic?](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/nov/28/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-bbc-reith-lecture-freedom-truth-trans-rights)”
Odd contrast to the guardian interview where she revealed she what she meant by “free speech” was actually just wanting to openly talk about harassing gnc and trans people in bathrooms without gnc or trans people or generally those who would not like to see people beaten up, arrested or harassed for using the loo judging her.
Deplatform anyone who doesn’t agree with your views and you will get this. Cant wait for things to go as bad as China.
“I was deplatformed for saying my opinions!”
“Oh no! Did they cancel your book?”
“No.”
“Did they say you can’t write any more?”
“No.”
“Did they cut off your revenue and assets?”
“No.”
“Did they silence you in the press?”
“No, they paid me for an interview about how I’m being silenced.”
“…So..?”
“wOmEn CaN’t HaVe PeNiSeS!”
“…”
Self-censorship has always been a thing. Doing a live interview on TV? You’re welcome to suddenly start talking about how great David Icke is but there might be consequences. I’m sure many David Icke fans feel a huge pressure to self censor in life – it just is what it is.
Wanna go online and start spouting off about trans people, you’re welcome to (as proved by the millions of people doing this across multiple platforms every day) there’s just consequences.
Ultimately every action has an equal opposite reaction. People are pretty free to say what they want in real life and online, and others are free to respond. We all make informed decisions over when and how to speak and the reaction that different utterances elicit is constantly evolving.
Faulty Towers featured the n-word being shouted repeatedly and was hailed as the best comedy ever at a time when saying fuck on TV would get you a life time ban from the BBC, times change.
The reality is that we have never had more freedom of speech than we have now. It’s just that others also get freedom of speech and that seems to be where the problem lies.
Funny how free speech never seems to be used for anything other than hating trans people these days.
And I bet I know who’s going to position themselves as the answer to this – people who don’t want to be judged for open bigotry. Censorship may be a problem, but most of the people claiming to have answers represent something far worse. Traditionally victimised minorities are probably right not to engage with “but muh censorship” whining until reactionary overcorrection isn’t the only realistic alternative.
She’s going to be shocked to learn how many racists aren’t allowed to platform racist things these days. I’m sure she’d sharp stop spouting off about people’s right to be loudly bigoted if it was about people of colour rather than once again being about trans women trying to have a piss in peace.