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This is really important. There's a tendency to conflate 'free speech' with 'uncurated speech' but they're different. Social signalling is how we avoid having to criminalise and enforce many difficult to define but terrible behaviours. The choices reputable institutions make shape that signal.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social

Core argument

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Exactly. Well said. This is exactly what the right went for when it attacked college campuses in the US during Trump 1 and called student and faculty protests against racist speech and speakers attacks on free speech. And this is exactly what has emboldened the far right.

We do not want people to feel comfortable loudly discussing the comparative merits of various racial groups at the pub. It is harder to maintain the social signal that this kind of thing is not on if every week a new paper of record is publishing a glowing profile of Nick Fuentes.

I take it you’ve never hung around anywhere in SW Florida where virtually everyone thinks they’re the embodiment of a lovable Archie Bunker, blathering bigoted views loudly everywhere from Publix to early bird specials at the VFW

I guess that's my point though! The laws around hate-speech in SW Florida are pretty similar to those in Miami, but you don't hear the same kind of stuff delivered full-throatedly, right? The social signal is different.

I think social signaling is something that can & does radiate beyond locality. Charlie Kirk is perhaps a good example. In a way, his advocacy for “bringing up tough topics” got him eyes & ears, like a preacher in a revival tent, that sought to break thru what normally would have been shut down

But have you considered that some people get irate at having their racism and transphobia mildly tutted at? Better to burn everything down, rather than risk that

Given the effect of algorithms, I'm not sure "uncurated" is quite the right word. This is more about free speech absolutism versus maintaining a balance between competing sets of rights (and I realise I've already lost the room because that really isn't very snappy).

And this is why I very strongly and directly attack people who say racist things. They don't get a free pass if we say it's a red line on civility.

International community needs to start enforcing red lines on human rights and international law. Pedos and war criminals and rich and corporations aren't held accountable for their actions. This is why we are where we are.