I don’t think free speech absolutists are Nazis, and I have read enough of Noah’s writings to be fairly certain he wouldn’t be clumsy enough to conflate those positions either. I do believe that free speech absolutism is a naive and ultimately dangerous position, because it empowers the very forces who dedicate themselves to destroying the kind of society where a variety of different people can coexist in relative peace.
Al should never have left. He was (and is) brilliant. We need sharp minds like his to counter the endless stream of right-wing troglodytes that parrot anything their thought-masters feed them.
I always liked Al Franken and today you gave me a new reason to like him. I have often been intimidated by rabid conservatives who, unrequested, showered me with verbal diarrhea that contained nothing in support of their positions. If only I had known how to respond as Mr. Franken did in this video! Well, now I know! Thank you, I like your style.
Read his post on Substack allowing actual Nazis while attacking others (centrists) for arguing for free expression. While I’m here if he is so worried about Nazis being allowed to speak how about actual commies. Two sides of the same coin. Always have been. Murderers all and the real oppressors.
If these communists were advocating a return to the terror of Soviet Russia under Stalin, China under Mao or Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, I would have zero qualms about booting them out.
OTOH, if it’s just some fool arguing against all evidence that one-party state socialism really WOULD produce a worker’s paradise and avoid all the bad outcomes of communist regimes past if we gave it a chance, I would consider them a good candidate for ridicule but not for banning.
The difference is that all the abuses of Nazi ideology are printed right on the tin. The abuses of communism are the result of trying to implement an unworkable idea by force. But the true believers in communism love the utopian vision, not the brute force. That’s wrong, delusional and stupid but they don’t set out to enact all the cruelties like Nazis do.
I generally agree with you. It was his reference to centrists and Nazis in the same sentence that I object to. When folks start trying to control speech I get very confused as to where they will draw those lines. I see what is happening in the UK and don’t want to see it here.
You responded to a comment I made on Noah Berlanskey’s Substack about his ongoing comments seeking to limit participation on Substack. I have not replied to his comments before because he sort of limited his comments to actual practicing Nazis. In this post he was asserting that the center has been radicalized implying that those “radicalized” folks should also be censored. I tried to ask him to give examples of centrists who were so radicalized that they are dangerous (I am one of the evil centrists) but the little sissy blocked me for my comment and I can’t reply to your question. So, give me some examples of centrists who are so radical they need to be controlled by Mr. Berlanskey’s ilk?
I don’t think free speech absolutists are Nazis, and I have read enough of Noah’s writings to be fairly certain he wouldn’t be clumsy enough to conflate those positions either. I do believe that free speech absolutism is a naive and ultimately dangerous position, because it empowers the very forces who dedicate themselves to destroying the kind of society where a variety of different people can coexist in relative peace.
Al should never have left. He was (and is) brilliant. We need sharp minds like his to counter the endless stream of right-wing troglodytes that parrot anything their thought-masters feed them.
I think a lot of people think that. I wonder if he would run again, saying he has done his "penance."
I always liked Al Franken and today you gave me a new reason to like him. I have often been intimidated by rabid conservatives who, unrequested, showered me with verbal diarrhea that contained nothing in support of their positions. If only I had known how to respond as Mr. Franken did in this video! Well, now I know! Thank you, I like your style.
Yes, And! Great essay !!
Read his post on Substack allowing actual Nazis while attacking others (centrists) for arguing for free expression. While I’m here if he is so worried about Nazis being allowed to speak how about actual commies. Two sides of the same coin. Always have been. Murderers all and the real oppressors.
If these communists were advocating a return to the terror of Soviet Russia under Stalin, China under Mao or Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, I would have zero qualms about booting them out.
OTOH, if it’s just some fool arguing against all evidence that one-party state socialism really WOULD produce a worker’s paradise and avoid all the bad outcomes of communist regimes past if we gave it a chance, I would consider them a good candidate for ridicule but not for banning.
The difference is that all the abuses of Nazi ideology are printed right on the tin. The abuses of communism are the result of trying to implement an unworkable idea by force. But the true believers in communism love the utopian vision, not the brute force. That’s wrong, delusional and stupid but they don’t set out to enact all the cruelties like Nazis do.
I generally agree with you. It was his reference to centrists and Nazis in the same sentence that I object to. When folks start trying to control speech I get very confused as to where they will draw those lines. I see what is happening in the UK and don’t want to see it here.
You responded to a comment I made on Noah Berlanskey’s Substack about his ongoing comments seeking to limit participation on Substack. I have not replied to his comments before because he sort of limited his comments to actual practicing Nazis. In this post he was asserting that the center has been radicalized implying that those “radicalized” folks should also be censored. I tried to ask him to give examples of centrists who were so radicalized that they are dangerous (I am one of the evil centrists) but the little sissy blocked me for my comment and I can’t reply to your question. So, give me some examples of centrists who are so radical they need to be controlled by Mr. Berlanskey’s ilk?
What on earth are you on about? Just answer the damn question.