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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Elon Musk / Twitter

95 replies

Circumferences · 26/04/2022 07:45

I'm just musing really, seeing as it's looking like Elon Musk is going to buy Twitter, whether this is good news for people with opinions like those on this board, or if it won't make any difference.

EM has strong "free speech" principles so he claims, but is currently based in the extremely problematic (from a GC pov) California. I understand he's moving the company or the factory anyway to Texas because workers rights barely exist there, but HQ would still be in California.

He'll probably keep all the same HQ staff on too, who are openly misogynistic and pro-paedo, who ban us for stating black isn't white and keep violent rape and death threats against us up because "they don't break talk guidelines"...

Anyone know what Elon Musk thinks of GC feminism?

OP posts:
DialSquare · 26/04/2022 07:48

Apparently Jameela Jamil has said she'll never tweet again now Musk has bought Twitter so that's something.

PronounssheRa · 26/04/2022 07:57

No idea where he personally stands on gender critical issues. However a lot of self identified liberals are very unhappy and are threatening to leave twitter.

A while ago there was a discussion on here about the potential backlash against the prevailing trend of right think, cancel culture etc. A worry was just how far the pendulum would swing the other way. I guess this is the start of us finding out.

titchy · 26/04/2022 08:03

Why are the liberals threatening to leave Twitter - surely they're delighted because they can now say what they want without repercussions? not that they didn't anywayConfused

ResisterRex · 26/04/2022 08:06

If he gets rid of the MAPs policy and brings in sex, not gender then we might have a clue as to where he stands.

Does a free-for-all on child sexual abuse mean free speech? Or does it mean it's a crime that shouldn't be tolerated?

donquixotedelamancha · 26/04/2022 08:07

Apparently Jameela Jamil has said she'll never tweet again now Musk has bought Twitter so that's something.

LMAO. She'd implode.

As an aside, I'm currently watching the good place and I hadn't realised that JJ just nicked her MO straight from her character.

nettie434 · 26/04/2022 08:13

I don't know about his views on women. I suspect that while it will be harder to get people and/or tweets banned, there will be less moderation. I think the threats to people like JKR will be even worse. However, if trolling becomes so bad that advertisers and world leaders go off Twitter then he may decide to revise his policy of being a 'free speech absolutist'.

tabbycatstripy · 26/04/2022 08:23

God knows. I wouldn’t put it past him to buy it to close it down. That would be pretty hilarious.

Needmoresleep · 26/04/2022 08:23

I thought he has said that he will do more verification of users, so less trolling. "Everyone will be a blue tick".

SpindleInTheWind · 26/04/2022 08:26

The Guardian already has an article about how to leave Twitter if it’s all too much. I wonder if one of their US staffers wrote it, or it’s for the US market?

I thought I’d just, you know, wait and see what happens?

Tbh I rarely use it because it’s the way it is. Change will be interesting.

kimberly489 · 26/04/2022 08:34

DialSquare · 26/04/2022 07:48

Apparently Jameela Jamil has said she'll never tweet again now Musk has bought Twitter so that's something.

I'm sure hes gutted

IvyTwines · 26/04/2022 08:34

I'd be surprised if he was a feminist, but his girlfriend recently left him for the Wikileaker Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, another famous transwoman who I once naively assumed when all over the Guardian was gay and having surgery and would be so much safer in a women's prison, but turns out to still have a penis and be sexually attracted to women.

hidinginthekitchenwithwine · 26/04/2022 08:45

the liberals threatening to leave Twitter because of it's new awful policy in support of free speech Grin could set up their
own platform maybe: they could call it Bitter.

FacebookPhotos · 26/04/2022 08:46

It will be interesting to see if he is a free speech absolutist. I suspect he is, and that he will allow unlimited disinformation, and probably threats too. I like the idea of requiring verification, but would have to leave Twitter if they require everyone to post under their real name (as a teacher I really don't want my students to be able to access my personal social media).

I also wonder if a much pared-down moderation policy might force some governments to take steps to require social media companies to remove illegal content. Personally, I'm not a fan of hate speech laws (because I worry about who gets to decide what constitutes "hate") but I do think that direct threats of violence which are against the law if they are said in person should be removed from social media.

tabbycatstripy · 26/04/2022 08:51

The first thing he will have to do is fire a lot of Twitter employees who will organise against whatever new policies he brings in.

And I am for the removal of threats, child abuse, violence promoting content, most the worst examples of abusive language (including blatantly racist, homophobic and transphobic language).

I’m also pro free speech, which means I don’t believe in policing ‘disinformation’ or ‘hate speech’ (unless clearly in the above categories) on a public platform.

But as it will be a private business I think he’ll have to follow local national law and that’s it.

ResisterRex · 26/04/2022 08:51

Just seen that he wants to make the Twitter algorithms open source. I expect that will be going down like a cup of cold sick in certain quarters.

Swayingpalmtrees · 26/04/2022 08:52

What I would like to see is an insistence and framework that ensures people are identified, verified and can only use twitter etc as genuine person. You can probably afford then to be a little more relaxed around the rules and ensure free speech as people are likely to be

  1. More careful what they post as people will know it is them
  2. It will be easier to prosecute those that are harassing, threatening and stalking as the police can clearly see who they are
  3. It could be used in a more positive way

If I had just bought twitter this is what I would be doing.

bellinisurge · 26/04/2022 08:55

I imagine he'd be happy with TRAs doing their grift AND more gender critical views. It's all to increase the user numbers for adverts or for some other more subtle monetising. And probably so-calledMAPs, Nazis, Trumpists and the whole caboodle.
Interesting to see how it will play out

WinterTrees · 26/04/2022 09:28

It's going to be discussed on Woman's Hour today

WinterTrees · 26/04/2022 09:29

It's going to be discussed on Woman's Hour today

twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1518867780925333504

WinterTrees · 26/04/2022 09:30

It's going to be discussed on Woman's Hour today

twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1518867780925333504

WinterTrees · 26/04/2022 09:36

It's going to be discussed on Woman's Hour today

twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1518867780925333504

Manderleyagain · 26/04/2022 09:39

ResisterRex · 26/04/2022 08:51

Just seen that he wants to make the Twitter algorithms open source. I expect that will be going down like a cup of cold sick in certain quarters.

Tbh don't really know what open source means, so who will be against the move & why?

If he's genuinely for free speech then it doesn't matter what his personal opinions are on, in theory. But I would be concerned that a more libertarian approach could end up with more freedom for MAP'S, porn, misogyny etc. Hopefully not. It sounds like he is as much interested in making the moderation decisions transparent. Transparency about what can & can't be said would really help because then what has been informal and implicit (based on the current orthodoxy of ppl with a particular set of beliefs) will become formal and explicit. That will be easier to criticise and harder to justify and maintain. It is also easier to appeal against decisions then.

To have users/customers in the UK, I assume it has to abide by UK law even if its based in california? Thinking about the EA 2010.

When twitter was making decisions against right/conservative speech many american liberals used the argument 'private companies can moderate how they like. You can always take your custom elsewhere'. The current majority belief/values among califirnia tech companies matched their own beliefs. They never thought about how they will be served by that if the prevailing culture changed. That' short sighted but not surprising. But they really should have thought 'what happens if someone I disagree with buys twitter?'.

WinterTrees · 26/04/2022 09:43

Jesus christ - I bloody hate the site update. Error 500 message 'our server is having a moment, we're making it a cuppa, try again in a minute' and 10 minutes later the post appears 4 times. 😡

It's going to make fast paced threads like Allison Bailey's completely unworkable if it's not sorted

TheLeadbetterLife · 26/04/2022 09:47

I don't have high hopes for it. Libertarians like Musk always think spaces like the internet will naturally self-regulate, but all that happens is that the loudest and most aggressive voices dominate. So men.

Unmoderated forums always turn to shite, and Twitter is barely moderated as it is.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 26/04/2022 10:30

I think basically if it says it hasn't posted, cancel and then refresh the page. Chances are it has.