1. nxx788 Jul 26, 2023 parent

   There are several instances of left wing folks being banned, he stated that "cis" will be disallowed on the platform, he's removed tweets at the behest of governments like the Saudis, and this post is literally about text disappearing, lol.

   It's not hard to find instances.

   Note, I think it's fine for companies to moderate speech on their platforms. No objections there. Just don't simultaneously claim you are some sort of free speech absolutist.

2. nxx788 Jul 26, 2023 parent

   And freedom to "censor" speech they don't like.
3. nxx788 Jul 26, 2023 parent

   Police in America exist universally in a position where using their authority is basically unchecked and assumed by default to be "the right thing". They have incredibly dangerous powers, and by and large the response to them wielding those powers is, "if you did nothing wrong, then the police won't harass you."

   This dynamic invites bad behavior, and no cop operates outside of this environment.

   Add onto this the fact that cops take courses like "killology" that teach them that they are warriors, not servants, and it's a recipe for abuse after abuse.

   And the actions of a police officer can send someone to an underfunded justice department, causing an innocent person to be sent to jail to await trial, and then lose their job or relationship or community.

   So, when I say, "All Cops Are Bastards", I'm not saying cops are rude or mean, I'm saying, all cops exist in a system that is set up to encourage exactly the sort of behavior this article shows. It's not a judgement on whether I think an individual cop is polite or friendly, it's a condemnation of the systemic issues that exist.

   There are ways we could fix this, there are ways we could get to community led policing that would make me change my tune. They are probably expensive and would take time to get right before they got cheap again. But until then, ACAB.

4. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   I think we agree. Your first two paragraphs are the point I was trying to make.

   I disagree with your opinion in the third paragraph, but I think we can agree to disagree.

5. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   I judge parties by what they do. And what they've done is monumentally center right, with small local exceptions.
6. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   Musk is absolutely not anti censorship. He's proudly removed views he disagrees with and fulfilled government requests to remove tweets (which is about as definitionally censorship as you can be.)
7. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   I don't think anyone thinks free services don't have costs. Everyone (or nearly everyone) understands they are taxpayer funded. Even to the layman.
8. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   The original point was that language is descriptive - if words are understood by people, then that's what they mean.

   I disagree with you, but I'm not discussing your value judgement, I'm discussing whether "free" is widely understood to mean taxpayer funded.

9. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

   Center right, by any reasonable analysis. Largely pro corporate, fairly disinterested in change from the status quo.

   Very, very few even question capitalism, let alone call for its replacement.

10. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    And there's a second amendment contingent on the left now too. Organizations like the socialist rifle association (SRA), Pink Pistols, John Brown Gun Club (JBGC) and several others. It's far from the majority position left of center, but there's plenty of folks who recognize the disproportionate impact gun laws have on minorities, and the difference in arms between an increasingly violent right and the minority groups in America.
11. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    Free public schools, free health care, toll free roads, free housing.

    It's not the only way we refer to these things, but it's an accepted one.

12. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    Then it's not free. Opportunity cost is real.

    I don't ask my kid to volunteer because he got a chicken pox vaccine, he just gets to not have chicken pox for free. And that's ok.

    We can choose to make the next generations lives better than ours, even if we gain no material benefit ourselves. (Though I'd argue that an educated youth does materially benefit the populace.)

13. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    They are paying no matter what. If you don't educate kids well, you are just paying for it when you retire and get fucked by a weak workforce.
14. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    As someone who was homeless in high school (but still graduated thanks to some incredible non-familial adults), it's very easy to think, "fuck it, I'm out, I don't need this extra stress". Doing homework is real fucking hard when you don't have anywhere that's home.
15. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    That's not how the language works. We have long ago decided that "free", when used in the context of social services, is correct enough to be understood.

    Do you think that definition is bad? If so, maybe you'll catch more nibbles by trying to engage in a dialog?

16. nxx788 Jul 24, 2023 parent

    I'm a leftist, left of democratic socialist and definitely left of social democrat. But can we please not point fingers and question people's motives? If someone says they are X, then we should believe them until there's a preponderance of evidence to the contrary.
17. nxx788 Jul 22, 2023 parent

    If we taxed wealth at 1%, the wealthiest would still be getting wealthier and we'd be able to cover the needs of so many more people, fight climate change, or whatever else.

    You think Apple stops operating here because of a 1% headwind? No way.

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