#Facebook has now twice removed this article from Z's page.
It is about free speech being undermined not by protests or "cancel culture," but by the immense power and influence of wealthy elites and conservative politicians who selectively suppress dissenting voices.
You decide.
#inequality #censorship #freespeech
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/extreme-inequality-is-a-threat-to-free-speech/
@znetwork You don't have a "free speech" right to use Facebook's megaphone.
This isn't about free speech; it's about entitlement.
@LouisIngenthron
If only it were that simple…
While that may be true of my neighbor’s megaphone, Facebook, by virtue of its scale, is a mass media and affects the lives of many, many more people than me and my neighbor. This alone is enough to argue that it should be under democratic rather than authoritarian (i.e. corporate) control.
Moreover, it is not “their megaphone” since they have built it with the laws, infrastructure and knowledge provided by the state (I.e. the people).
> Facebook, by virtue of its scale, is a mass media
In America, we don't revoke people's rights based on the size of their organization or how successful they are. Facebook's scale has no bearing on how your free speech rights are applied.
> Moreover, it is not “their megaphone” since they have built it with the laws, infrastructure and knowledge provided by the state (I.e. the people).
By that logic, literally nothing is owned by anyone. Everything ever made is built with the "laws, infrastructure, and knowledge provided by the state".
@LouisIngenthron
I understand what you say in your first point, but it does not change the validity of my original statement.
I fully agree with the conclusion you draw in your second point. There is no logic or justification for private ownership (i.e. control) of the means of production. Please note that I am still not saying that my neigbor is not entitled to his own private megaphone, because it only affects him, not a mass of people.