this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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[–] Agrivar@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I may have missed something in civics class, but since when is access to a crappy social media site a right?

[–] makeasnek@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Since when is reading newspapers your government doesn't agree with a right? Since when is communicating with people your government doesn't like a right? Since when is publishing whatever you want a right? Since approximately 1776. It's such an important right that it's literally the first one in the constitution. Because our ability to speak freely and criticize the government is one of the rights that underpins all others. The medium shouldn't matter, speech is speech whether it's an app, website, chat server, newspaper, bulletin board, code, painting, drawing, whatever. If the government can just shut down any medium or venue they don't like because "it's propaganda", that basically closes the door to any open criticism of the government.

We've tried not having those rights for the sake of convenience, expediency, or social pleasantness. Tends to not end well. Ask people in Russia or Iran how that "government gets to dictate where and how you speak" thing is going for them. Insane bootlicking going on in this thread.

[–] borari@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I mean I’m not saying that this is being gone about the right way or for the right reasons, but when an adversarial nation-state is working to undermine US economic interests within its borders is there really anything wrong with punching back? I personally don’t think so, but I’m fully aware that I’m probably in the minority on this here.

https://twitter.com/lizalinwsj/status/1765615508357779477

(paywalled article from author above https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-technology-software-delete-america-2b8ea89f)

[–] yamanii@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

That slope is very slippery.