Elon and free speech

[coco]

...We have a social duty to judge everyone by his or her behavior...

Unless it is a bad person. Then we judge anything that they do that might be wrong to actually be wrong. Where there's smoke, there's fire, you know.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

If you disagree with or have rational criticism of her views/positions, then No.

Based on the tweets quoted in that article, I'd say that's exactly what Musk was doing with Soros. Doesn't rise to anti-Semitisem level if you ask me. One guy doesn't like what another guy does with his money, and says so. With no overt or covert references to his ancestry. Easy peasy. Why try to make it more than it is?

The quoted tweets say: “George Soros reminds me of Magneto. … He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

"I disagree with Mr. X on Issue 'A'" is a criticism.

"I disagree with Mr. X on Issue 'A' because yada yada" is rational criticism.

"Mr. X is the mortal enemy of all that is good and pure and decent" is Demonization (aka Othering).

[Del]

+JMJ+

If you disagree with or have rational criticism of her views/positions, then No.

Based on the tweets quoted in that article, I'd say that's exactly what Musk was doing with Soros. Doesn't rise to anti-Semitisem level if you ask me. One guy doesn't like what another guy does with his money, and says so. With no overt or covert references to his ancestry. Easy peasy. Why try to make it more than it is?

The quoted tweets say: “George Soros reminds me of Magneto. … He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

"I disagree with Mr. X on Issue 'A'" is a criticism.

"I disagree with Mr. X on Issue 'A' because yada yada" is rational criticism.

"Mr. X is the mortal enemy of all that is good and pure and decent" is Demonization (aka Othering).

"Othering" is a leftist word, full of emotion and devoid of meaning. Can be a good activity nor a bad activity, depending entirely on context.

"Demonizing" is a real word, and a real activity. It means portraying a person as so bad that pretty much anything he does is evil. For example, the Democrat media incessantly demonized Donald Trump.

I'm content to demonize George Soros. If anyone can name something good that Soros has done in recent decades, I am open to changing my opinion. Do you have anything to offer, Wos?

[Del]

+JMJ+

[…]

I dislike pretty much everything Nancy Pelosi does. I might even say some of he actions are demonic. Am I, by definition, anti-Catholic?

Well, if you demonize her, then Yes.

If you might say some of her actions are demonic, but then qualify that with admission that some of your own actions might be similarly demonic, then' I'd hafta go with No.

If you simply find her personality disagreeable, then No.

If you disagree with or have rational criticism of her views/positions, then No.

See how quick and painless that was?

Nancy Pelosi is also the living parody of a comic-book super-villainess. She has her hand all up in Biden's puppet.

And Hakeem Jeffries is a marionette.

[Del]

Elon Musk Vows To Go To War Against Companies That Punish Employees For Activity On X

[FredS]

^This is awesome.^

If it's true - that Musk will pay for legal defenses of those unjustly terminated for social media conduct that has no bearing on the work they do nor impinges upon their employer - then it's a rich dude putting his money where his mouth is and fighting the good fight. It should be understood, however, in light of the discussion about Soros above, his supporters will say he's doing exactly the same thing. Just for the other side.

[Del]

^This is awesome.^

If it's true - that Musk will pay for legal defenses of those unjustly terminated for social media conduct that has no bearing on the work they do nor impinges upon their employer - then it's a rich dude putting his money where his mouth is and fighting the good fight. It should be understood, however, in light of the discussion about Soros above, his supporters will say he's doing exactly the same thing. Just for the other side.

Well, it's similar.

Musk is a free-speech absolutist. His promise is that he will assist anyone with an actionable lawsuit who was fired or cancelled for something they tweeted (or "liked") on his platform. Right or left doesn't matter to him (it just happens that leftists are the ones who are doing the persecuting).

This feels noble, because it is.

Soros is pressing his values on the culture by financing the elections of DA's who mirror his vision. The guy who gets the most campaign donations from the community is overwhelmed by the guy who gets the big Soros bucks.

This feels nefarious, because it is.
====================================
But Soros doesn't really have as much influence as he thinks. Because people are going to get the communities that they want, even without his money.

San Francisco is overrun with crime, drugs, homeless camps and excrement because they voted for that. They can change this, if they want to, and Soros won't be able to stop them. Only they don't want to.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Source: Axios
Link: axios DOT com/2023/09/04/elon-musk-anti-defamation-league-x-ad-sales-slump

Musk threatens to sue ADL after blaming it for X ad sales slump

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Sept 4, 2023 — Elon Musk threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League on Monday after blaming the nonprofit for an advertising revenue slump on X since he led a takeover of the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Driving the news: Musk accused the ADL in a post on X of "trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic" after the nonprofit reported a spike in hate speech on the platform following the reinstatement of banned accounts there.

• The billionaire said that U.S. advertising revenue "is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that's what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!"
• Musk said in another post before threatening to sue the ADL that he's "pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind."

The big picture: The Anti-Defamation League published a report in May that found over 5,000 examples from February of "virulent antisemitism from 2,173 accounts" on Twitter after accounts were reinstated under free speech advocate Musk's direction.

• On Saturday, Musk responded to a right-wing campaign to ban the ADL on X, saying: "Perhaps we should run a poll on this?"

[…]

What they're saying: An ADL spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the nonprofit doesn't comment on legal threats as a matter of policy, but addressed the push to remove the group from X.

• "ADL is unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization. This type of thing is nothing new," the spokesperson said.
• "This onslaught comes following our participation in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where ADL proudly marched shoulder-to-shoulder with African American leaders and those from other minority communities. It also follows a meeting with the leadership of X … that clearly upset these hateful groups," the spokesperson added.
• "Such insidious efforts don't daunt us. Instead, they drive us to be unflinching in our commitment to fight hate in all its forms and ensure the safety of Jewish communities and other marginalized groups."

[Jocose]

[Jocose]