Oddbean

This is one of the only places left on this fucking Internet where people can speak without fearing they'll get banned or have their lives ruined over their opinions, and you want to discourage that?

You want people to suffer real life consequences for voicing their thoughts on the Internet, when you know damn well the outrage mob will take great pleasure in going after those that say the wrong thing. It must be really fortunate for you, where every thought you have is in line with the group think.

LOl, what a ridiculous statement. I was one of those they went after on Twitter. But I’m glad I said what I said because I had a right to say it, and I also happen to correct in almost every case.

Alright, I was a bit unfair. I don't know you, good on you for standing up for what you believe. I agree with some of your points, like this one: "By only voicing your dissent anonymously you are reinforcing the frame of the censor, validating his contention that no decent person would hold your view." You're right, but there is a massive power imbalance. Everyone who speaks is made an example of. It's just not possible to speak freely and without fear when your livelihood and safety are threatened over it. Most of us cannot afford it. Knowing who you are is an implicit threat that the system holds against you. It's not a coincidence that all major social media platforms are cracking down on anonymous accounts. So I disagree that anonymous speech should be discouraged. On the contrary, I think we need to re-normalize it. By doing so, we normalize the idea that it's ok to share your opinion without having to fear for your life.

Yes, I address that power imbalance in the post. But the remedy IMO isn’t to hide, but the opposite. The only reason they can get away with going after your livelihood is that so few people are saying the real shit under their real names. If we all did it, that would end. It’s like saying — how are we going to storm the castle, we might get killed. Yes, but if 100 million people storm the castle, the castle will surrender. Key is to convince people that we are the many and they are the few. And anonymity undermines that.

When you got banned from Twitter, it didn't achieve anything. Musk buying it is the only thing that changed it, for better or worse. Countless people got banned from Facebook and it meant nothing. Just another voice that can no longer be heard. People will never spontaneously rise up against anything, that is a myth. We change little by little, by discussing and sharing ideas. Eventually small changes lead to big things. All totalitarian regimes are obsessed with controlling access to information. It's information that is the real danger, they would love nothing more than to have people stand up for what they believe in. It saves them having to find them.

I didn’t get banned from Twitter. A mob of angry psychos came after me. And many people told me they appreciated the way I stood my ground and didn’t let it shut me up. But I fundamentally disagree with your premise which is that they are strong, and we are weak. That we need to hide because they’ll get us, and if we show ourselves we’re doomed. No. If I’m a totalitarian regime I want everyone thinking like that. I want them too scared to stand up. The last thing I want is every citizen to avail himself of his free speech rights and tell me to fuck off. Then they have a problem. It is not they who are powerful and hunting me. I’m am the predator and they should be terrified of the reckoning for what they have done the last three years to our basic liberties and to our institutions. I will see to it they are prosecuted to the extent I can. I just need to persuade frightened people to come along. And I will. One at a time if I have to.

People never stand up against totalitarian regimes, those regimes rot from the inside and eventually fall to coups. Most coups are dressed as revolutions, but they aren't. They never are. There is no power in the unorganized masses. The sheep could all band together and trample the dog but they never do. They never will. If you want to go after those in power, you need to orchestrate power of your own. Presumably your vote matters, so what better way to influence that vote than changing people's minds. You can't do that if you get de-platformed and fired over it.