To think free speech on MN is dead?

[BabyItsAWildWorld]

Despite the lofty sounding promises from Justine a few weeks ago which had me wringing out my hankie and waving my MN banner (which I've had for over a decade.)

And now, just like that, in some presumably misguided attempt to 'make things better' they've thrown away the most important thing about MN.

The level of moderation, the inconsistency, the artbitrary rules, the illogical attempts to police words, and FACTS, so feelings don't get hurt, it's a hot stinking mess, and the only way they'll be able to deal with the mess they've created is to either get more authoritarian, or to get rid of the poeple whose views they don't like.

They seem to be trying abit of both at the moment.

So Long MN, the take your chances and no complaining bearpit of debate that made MN pretty much a unique place for women.

It's shit, and it's sad. Really really sad.

AIBU?

Be careful Singlenotsingle you'll be put in the naughty corner for that kind of talk.

Baby courageous post.

I think I will have to wean myself off MN. It has its uses of course. But so full of Virtue Signallers and Trolls (the two worst things in my mind) as to be impossible to debate anything seriously or get any real help if you are struggling. Some of the posts are surprisingly stupid, angry or unsympathetic. Been like that for years though. A few shining beacons of intelligence and humour to be fair. But many posts are awful. MN can't really deal with that and often when they row in, they're useless. A bit like an inexperienced TA who just rounds up all the children and just screams you're all going to be removed from playtime.

Once again, free speech means that the government cannot throw you in prison for what you say. MN is not the government; it is a private entity and does not have to host any comments which the mods, rightly or wrongly, deem breach their guidelines.

If I had £1 for every time someone misunderstood what free speech actually means I'd be able to retire.

The xkcd comic about free speech, whilst obviously being geared more towards the US as it mentions the 1st Amendment, never stops being relevant.

Obviously it's a business and they can do whatever they like, I wasn't saying they should be legally stopped now was I?

Just that I think it's a very bad move, and very sad for MN and what it represented previously.

Also obviously this is at present related to the trans debate, but it's bigger than that, much bigger in fact, it's about policing of debate to try to ensure no one gets offended, even if that means banning factual statements.

It may be trans stuff right now, but if you can't see what a dangerous precedent that is and how it can, will, easily be applied to other areas, then you really are worrying naive.

Who gets to decide? how far will it have to go to police people's thinking and language?

When you are banning facts, quite bloody far apparently.