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Me: * googles "Free Speech Mastodon Instance" *
Google: Oh you mean "Nazi Mastodon Instance"
Me: Heck no!
@freemo Well my point is whenever I search for free speech Google assumes I'm looking for a Nazi instance
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@realcaseyrollins Yea its sad
But the issue lies in how people choose to define free speech
@freemo Of course.
I'm just frustrated that the media brands free speech as being only for the alt-right and racists
@realcaseyrollins I agree but how much of that is an issue in semantics. Part of the issue is we havent well made any semantic distinguish between free speech and "no rules" so we get things that tend to be lawless like gab. We need to better define what we feel free speech really means in a practical sense I think.
This sort of thing has been likened to evaporative cooling[1]. From a collection of particles of varying temperature, you can allow the hottest ones to escape, and the average temperature of the remaining particles will be lower even if no individual particle has cooled.
Similarly, if people aren't restricted from being hostile and insulting on a certain instance, eventually the moderates who don't like being insulted seek a less hostile environment elsewhere - but since it's not the extremists that leave, the average of the remaining members becomes more extremist. You can start with free speech and wind up with Nazis depressingly easily.
A balance has to be struck to maintain a stable community. On one hand, enough dissent must be tolerated that you're not constantly retreating from the advancing frontier of forbidden expression. On the other, you have to be willing to expel the troublemakers before they drive off your moderate members. I think @freemo and the gang are doing a pretty good job here of striking that balance.
1: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ZQG9cwKbct2LtmL3p/evaporative-cooling-of-group-beliefs
@realcaseyrollins How do you have free speech and no-nazis at the same time without having some limitation on speech? Presuming you mean "no rules of any kind" by free speech