On Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 11:09 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > This is a fairly serious question. Let me start by clarifying that when I > said that in Lange's case an apology was not the most important thing > because he is mentally ill, I did not mean that he should not be held > responsible for his actions, just that there were probably more important > things to worry about than a formal apology. >
There is an ever-growing segment of the populace for whom mental illness is now considered a viable excuse for anti-social behavior. I find the concept to be a potential slippery-slope to a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. That Twitter has not suspended Lange for posting supposed fantasies about enslaving and whipping a specific African American woman is yet another vile example of how desperate Twitter is to keep its number of active users. To me it isn't about free speech. Speech that targets another isn't protected under the first amendment, and even if it is, it doesn't need to exist on supposedly social media. Slate has been accused (and I think rightly) of targeting and attempting to smear the reputations of certain celebrities through erroneous and even non-factual headlines and Twitter posts, to what end I wouldn't speculate beyond a sadistic attempt to lure more people to its website. TMZ and Drudge are notorious for posting first and verifying later. And I'm not even delving into the political sites and feeds because I'm so sick of all things political (and because the focus was on people with mental issues abusing social media). But there really is no regulation by Twitter or Facebook or any of the major players. The lengths it takes to get an account suspended are insane, and even if it occurs, a new account can be created by the same person in minutes. I know of one person who has openly threatened rape, assault, and murder of multiple people on Twitter who has had accounts suspended more than 80 times in the past 18 months. There's a police file on him in his hometown, but neither the law nor Twitter does anything to stop him. He clearly shouldn't be allowed on the street, let alone have access to the internet, but he continues and will continue until he works up the nerve to carry out one of his many threats. I've been exploring alternative networks the last few weeks. Ello, Tsu, and Line, to name a few. I'm hoping for a place for more civil discourse can exist, where individuals can actually be social. I'll let you know if one of them works out. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
