Controversial - the place to discuss controversial topics

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Controversial - the community to discuss controversial topics.

Challenge others opinions and be challenged on your own.

This is not a safe space nor an echo-chamber, you come here to discuss in a civilized way, no flaming, no insults!

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, "trust me bro" is not a valid argument.

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Hastur@sh.itjust.works

Calls for defederation - Is the idea of the open marketplace of ideas outdated? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Hastur@sh.itjust.works to c/controversial@sh.itjust.works

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Lately I see a lot of calls do have specific instances defederated for a particular subset of reasons:

Don't like their content
Dont like their political leaning
Dont like their free speech approach
General feeling of being offended
I want a safe space!
This instance if hurting vulnerable people

I personally find each and every one of these arguments invalid. Everybody has the right to live in an echo chamber, but mandating it for everyone else is something that goes a bit too far.

Has humanity really developed into a situation where words and thoughts are more hurtful than sticks and stones?

Edit: Original context https://slrpnk.net/post/554148

Controversial topic, feel free to discuss!

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[–] pattmayne@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Right, you can block me. But that's different from denying other people from reading me, and denying me from reading other people.

Also, I'm not the one saying problematic stuff. I'm not afraid of being censored. I'm afraid of being denied access to censored material.

[–] dnick@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're not being denied access to censored material, you're (mildly) suffering from a lack of access to some material from some locations. I could spin up an instance tomorrow that only federates with platforms that limit their discussion to expired gift cards, and that in no way reduces your access to platforms that (for some reason?) discuss other things, like 'unexpired' gift cards (why would anyone bother discussing those? who the hell knows?).

You seem to be confused by the popularity and open access of an instance to mean that it should or must be some democratic, freedom of speech led unmoderated landscape or it isn't a legitimate platform and shouldn't exist lest it 'trick' someone into thinking it is something it is not. You think because a forum 'can' federate with any other group, it 'must' federate with 'all' other groups, and that is simply not the case.

[–] pattmayne@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 year ago

No I'm saying I'd like it to federate with others, while other people are saying they'd prefer not to. I'll debate federation, I won't debate whether I should debate federation.

To "spin up an instance" is not a reasonable solution. To argue generally (across platforms) for the merit of federation is what I'll cheerfully continue to do because it's a good and healthy way to engage with people about this exciting new technology.