[Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech

Luke Munn luke.munn at gmail.com
Tue Dec 6 22:38:47 PST 2022 

>
> In particular, it might be instructive to be a bit introspective
> and ask _why_ do you want some specific version of 'free' speech?
>
> Who is it that you want to hear, or to be heard?
>
> Who is it that you want to speak to, or be heard by?
>
> And about what?
>

This. >

"Alongside these general incentives, it’s also important to highlight
Musk’s invocation of that powerful term: ‘free speech’. In principle, free
speech is a wonderful idea; in practice, it’s often a smokescreen deployed
by those who wish to continue abusing others. Indeed, radical right
platforms like Gab and Parler explicitly position themselves as
‘free-speech social media’ and platforms for the people. Claiming to be
'censored' for 'speaking the truth' is a strategy in which the abuser
becomes the victim – the one who is ‘cancelled’ for not being ‘politically
correct’.
https://stories.uq.edu.au/contact-magazine/2022/what-musks-twitter-will-look-like/index.html



>
> Best,
>
> /P
>
> On 06 December, 2022 - Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the link to your article, Sky -- I found it enlightening in
> > several ways.
> >
> > I will point out, however, two points in which we might not agree:  1.
> As
> > I mentioned in my Op-Ed, criminal activity was and is never protected by
> > the First Amendment.  Although I gave only two examples in my short essay
> > -- misleading info about Covid, and the storming of the US Capitol in
> > January 2021 -- there of course are many other kinds of crimes that
> should
> > not and would not be protected speech.  These certainly include
> > harassment.  2.  You say the "marketplace of ideas" is inherently not
> > equal.  No doubt that's true in practice -- and true of everything.  But
> > it's worth pointing out that, in theory, the marketplace of ideas is
> > supposed to provide equal access to all ideas.  Indeed, as I say in the
> > op-ed, that's its raison d'etre.
> >
> > -- PL
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 6:10 PM Sky Croeser <scroeser at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > With some trepidation, I'm going to build on what Morten is saying to
> add
> > > that "free speech", and the US Constitution, are not the only
> frameworks
> > > that we might use to think through these ideas. Avoiding state
> repression
> > > is important, but if all attempts to shape the spaces where we discuss
> and
> > > deliberate are positioned as being somewhere along the line between
> > > "censorship" and "free speech", we miss other important considerations.
> > >
> > > There are important questions that are not always best answered within
> > > this framework, including:
> > > * Who gets to speak, and who gets listened to?
> > > * Who is safe speaking?
> > > * Do the structures we build support constructive (or transformative,
> or
> > > generative) dialogue, or conflict?
> > > * What kinds of ideas and emotions spread through different systems we
> > > build?
> > >
> > > These questions are worth asking not just about Twitter but also about
> > > alternatives we're exploring, and I hope that we'll consider other
> > > frameworks of thought beyond the liberal free speech framework.
> > >
> > > I've written more about this here:
> > > https://adanewmedia.org/2016/10/issue10-croeser/
> > >
> > > And there's also a comic version! Available to print out at home and
> turn
> > > into a booklet if you need a fun stocking stuffer!*
> > >
> > >
> https://medium.com/@nicolemarieburton/a-new-comic-that-challenges-us-to-reframe-our-notions-of-freedom-of-speech-and-freedom-in-84e1ecd1d1af
> > >
> > > *I'm joking please don't shout at me but please feel free to ask for a
> > > printable version
> > >
> > > On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:44 am, Paul Levinson via Air-L <
> > > air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > >
> > >> Thanks for that, Morten.  I do make precisely that point -- the
> difference
> > >> between government censorship and private organization content
> moderation
> > >> -- in my Op-Ed.
> > >>
> > >> -- Paul
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L <
> > >> air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a
> > >> small
> > >> > request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn
> from
> > >> > people smarter than us:
> > >> >
> > >> > When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between
> > >> > state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the
> > >> > also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and
> > >> editorial
> > >> > decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish
> > >> between
> > >> > coercion and persuasion as expressions of power?
> > >> >
> > >> > I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized
> discussion
> > >> to
> > >> > everyone’s benefit.
> > >> >
> > >> > Thanks.
> > >> >
> > >> > Morten
> > >> >
> > >> > From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of
> > >> > andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > >> > Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM
> > >> > To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > >> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech
> > >> > It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in
> 'academia' is
> > >> > one of free speech suppression...
> > >> >
> > >> > "Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in
> Indonesia
> > >> > who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free
> > >> > speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.
> > >> >
> > >> > The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for
> suppressing a
> > >> > story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say
> > >> > nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is
> > >> > astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?
> > >> >
> > >> > Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as
> > >> > partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party
> > >> > tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).
> > >> >
> > >> > If you are interested in a different take you might like to try
> this...
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$
> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$
> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> > Best,
> > >> > Andrew
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:
> > >> > > just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free
> speech
> > >> > > <
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks-twitter-files-trump-tweets-complicate-free-speech-rcna60322__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEgnQAbu9Q$
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > > -- PL
> > >> > > _______________________________________________
> > >> > > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > >> > > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/aoir.org__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEhPlpZETg$
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEhFcrzoAw$
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEjDrzjsYQ$
> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> > _______________________________________________
> > >> > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > >> > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > >
> > >> > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
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> > >>
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> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > <
> > >> >
> > >>
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> > >> > >
> > >> > _______________________________________________
> > >> > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > >> > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers
> http://aoir.org
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> > >
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> --
> Petter Ericson, pettter at cs.umu.se
> Postdoc in the Responsible AI group, Department of Computing Science,
> University of Umeå
> _______________________________________________
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