Current Events > First Amendment: The government won't make any laws prohibiting free speech

(+) Yeah! (+)

Republicans: "So what youre saying is that Twitter can't ban me for calling people the n word????"
"No, i said the government."
"Twitter?"
"GOVERNMENT"
"I hear you loud and clear. TWITTER IS GOING DOWN."


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https://i.imgur.com/ZrFCdxu.jpg

who posted

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Why doesn't Fox news play my sociology professor's messages? I know they're getting them. It's government censorship!

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unnamedsoldier posted...

https://i.imgur.com/ZrFCdxu.jpg

God I hate redhats. The gross misunderstanding and ignorance over what 1A actually is and covers has been my #1 source of aggravation the last few years. And we've been in a pandemic for half that time.

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PoundGarden posted...

God I hate redhats. The gross misunderstanding and ignorance over what 1A actually is and covers has been my #1 source of aggravation the last few years. And we've been in a pandemic for half that time.

Are you sure you're not an Ayn Rand or at least Jeffersonian type of loon?

Government can't tell you shut the hell up. I can, though.

Take the phrase "! hate Trump!"

You cannot be arrested for saying that, no matter where you say it, or who you say it to.
You WILL however be banned from Parler, or other extreme right wing communities.

That's the difference.

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What's with libertarians being like "at least it's not the gubmint"?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Are you sure you're not an Ayn Rand or at least Jeffersonian type of loon?

Government can't tell you shut the hell up. I can, though.

objectivism is so far off from private companies having a TOS its absolutely sad to even make that presumption.

dudes not wrong, we can make legislation to reign in tech companies if we really get to that state but using the 1A as any sort of ground is always gonna get you laughed at in the face, as it should.

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Muh private company

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up

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unnamedsoldier posted...

https://i.imgur.com/ZrFCdxu.jpg

This isn't wrong, though.

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Can I get fired at work for telling my boss I didn't vote for Trump or would my boss be violating the 1st amendment?

Repubs will move the goalpost to "Social media has too much power and influence and they have to be regulated!".

Which I'm sure they wouldn't give a shit if social media was more right leaning.

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WingsOfGood posted...

Can I get fired at work for telling my boss I didn't vote for Trump or would my boss be violating the 1st amendment?

It really depends on the job.

If you are an "At Will" employee, they can let you go for any reason they want to.


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Solar_Crimson posted...

This isn't wrong, though.

i mean

it is wrong.

but ok champ you believe in what you want its a free country right lmaooooo

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bigblu89 posted...

If you are an "At Will" employee, they can let you go for any reason they want to.

Not true. Protected class/groups are a thing.

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Veggeta_EDGE posted...

Not true. Protected class/groups are a thing.

is "Republican" a protected class?

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MixedRaceBaby posted...

is "Republican" a protected class?

No but perhaps person who did not vote Trump is.

WingsOfGood posted...

No but perhaps person who did not vote Trump is.

ok

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MixedRaceBaby posted...

i mean

it is wrong.

but ok champ you believe in what you want its a free country right lmaooooo

I meant that "Private corporations can do what they want" isn't wrong, and that they are not subject to the "free speech" that Righties whine about.

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MixedRaceBaby posted...

is "Republican" a protected class?

Naw

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Solar_Crimson posted...

I meant that "Private corporations can do what they want" isn't wrong, and that they are not subject to the "free speech" that Righties whine about.

Oh ok. The flag suggests that big companies are trampling civil liberties because you know.

They ban you for being a Nazi

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WingsOfGood posted...

Can I get fired at work for telling my boss I didn't vote for Trump or would my boss be violating the 1st amendment?

If your state is at will you can be fired for having brown eyes and itd be legal. Only thing you cant be fired for is a protected category like a disability or being trans.

The "MUH FREE SPEEECHHH!! BRAVEEEHEAAART" types are annoying as shit, and 1st amendment doesn't protect you from private companies banning you whatsoever.

But it is still worth discussing that a handful of people control the primary means of communication for most of us, and they can basically do whatever they want.

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E_S_M_Z posted...

But it is still worth discussing that a handful of people control the primary means of communication for most of us, and they can basically do whatever they want.

yeah but thats not whats happening.

no one is forced to have a twitter, or a facebook, or a tiktok. and you think people are you're out of your mind.

i can't sue SBAllen for saying hes controlling all the questions that are frequently asked about games


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E_S_M_Z posted...

But it is still worth discussing that a handful of people control the primary means of communication for most of us, and they can basically do whatever they want.

The primary method of communication is a cell phone, not social media. Facebook, Twitter, etc isn't a necessity for anyone.

Veggeta_EDGE posted...

Not true. Protected class/groups are a thing.

Well, yes. I thought that part was understood.

Your voting block isnt a protected class/group.

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"How dare people talk about the spirt and ideal behind the first amendment when talking about the first amendment! The founding fathers clearly only wanted it to apply in a rigid obtuse legal sense ignorant of the social dynamics of an internet they couldn't have possibly conceived of."

I can live with twitter banning people, but things like Amazon removing hosting from competitors is shady af. If parlor wasn't breaking any laws that never should have happened.

If we want to go with this "free market companies can do what they want" thing which apparently hivemind liberals only approve of in this 1 instance, then at the very least we need to allow the actual existence of companies to compete.

None of this works if we thumbs up every time the amazon/google/facebook monolith crushes competition. That's not free or fair anything.

Amazon is a dystopian hellscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1tja6WW9NI

If supposed liberals are willing to sell their souls out to this just so they can disenfranchise largely poor struggling republicans from saying potentially ignorant political ideas, they should be aware of which devils they are backing.

Amazon/Twitter/Google is far less your friend/peer than the average Trump supporter, people on both sides have largely been gaslit into hating their fellow american so the big companies can just keep fucking over the planet.

What really stops us from fighting important things like climate change isn't "the republicans" (except maybe the politicians) but moreso it's this partisan bullshit. Most americans including republicans support things like more affordable healthcare, fighting climate change, decency to workers, but so long as the big companies can keep us at each others throats none of the important stuff gets done.

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joe40001 posted...

"How dare people talk about the spirt and ideal behind the first amendment when talking about the first amendment! The founding fathers clearly only wanted it to apply in a rigid obtuse legal sense ignorant of the social dynamics of an internet they couldn't have possibly conceived of."

can we talk about that well regulated militia and a ban on all guns that aren't muskets first?

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Zeeak4444 posted...

objectivism is so far off from private companies having a TOS its absolutely sad to even make that presumption.

An objectivist TOS would be either be extremely specific, or a simple "don't do anything illegal in [jurisdiction]", instead of relying on moderator discretion.

joe40001 posted...

both sides

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monkmith posted...

can we talk about that well regulated militia and a ban on all guns that aren't muskets first?

We can talk about that too. I'm not pro-gun. I'd imagine that rule was basically "people can have enough guns to stop the government from coming in and oppressing them unjustly"

How that maps to today we can have a discussion about.

Talking about one doesn't prevent talking about the other.

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GATTJT

both sides

Yes, and?

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Maybe we should classify internet and social media as public utilities, guarantee that every American has access to affordable high speed internet, and subject it to regulations that prevent hate speech, deter misinformation, and punish inciteful rhetoric.

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joe40001 posted...

If supposed liberals are willing to sell their souls out to this just so they can disenfranchise largely poor struggling republicans from saying potentially ignorant political ideas, they should be aware of which devils they are backing.

It is possible to criticize these large companies for their numerous faults while also applauding them for cutting down on speech and misinformation that is present on their platform. There's room for nuances, it doesn't have to be a which side are you on thing that you're making it out to be.

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Not long after the 1st amendment was ratified, the US passed the sedition act. Many of the legislators who voted for it would have been supporters of the first amendment at the literal time it was ratified.

All this to say, people have always been hypocrites and our laws are meaningless
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joe40001 posted...

If supposed liberals are willing to sell their souls out to this just so they can disenfranchise largely poor struggling republicans from saying potentially ignorant political ideas, they should be aware of which devils they are backing.

By no metric are Republicans "largely poor."

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I'm pretty sure the government forcing people to put content on their website they dont want on THEIR website is the exact opposite of freedom of speech; it's blatant fascism. It's fucking scary that anybody would think that's okay. Personally, if I was running Twitter I'd ban all users who state that Chicago style "pizza" is better than New York style pizza as would be my right.

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masterbarf posted...

Personally, if I was running Twitter I'd ban all users who state that Chicago style "pizza" is better than New York style pizza as would be my right.

Stromboli is the best style pizza anyway.

joe40001 posted...

Most americans including republicans support things like more affordable healthcare, fighting climate change, decency to workers,

[citation needed]

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Guide posted...

[citation needed]

asking him to post a shot of his asshole is likely a bannable offense...

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Its insane to me that leftists are so in favor of corporate censorship. If the first amendment werent already in place, theyd probably be opposed to it.

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Guide posted...

[citation needed]

https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/512099-poll-majority-of-voters-now-say-the-government-should-have-a

https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/06/23/two-thirds-of-americans-think-government-should-do-more-on-climate/

https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/5-charts-about-public-opinion-on-the-affordable-care-act-and-the-supreme-court/

To be clear I meant "more than 50% of americans and a considerable amount of republicans" not "more than 50% republicans"

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monkmith posted...

asking him to post a shot of his asshole is likely a bannable offense...

I just posted the links, get rekt

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AloneIBreak posted...

Its insane to me that leftists are so in favor of corporate censorship. If the first amendment werent already in place, theyd probably be opposed to it.

are you still drinking coke?

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The funniest whole part of this stuff is that the GOP response is to create laws that violate the first amendment by censoring the companies.

GOP: the first amendment should protect citizens rights. Tech companies shouldnt be able to silence us.
Also the GOP: We need to pass laws to govern what companies can and cant say.

Its amazing.

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AloneIBreak posted...

Its insane to me that leftists are so in favor of corporate censorship. If the first amendment werent already in place, theyd probably be opposed to it.

It makes total sense to me that "rightys" are in favor of being able to spew hate and misinformation on the internet. If the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendment weren't already in place, they'd probably be opposed to them.

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whitelytning posted...

The funniest whole part of this stuff is that the GOP response is to create laws that violate the first amendment by censoring the companies.

GOP: the first amendment should protect citizens rights. Tech companies shouldnt be able to silence us.
Also the GOP: We need to pass laws to govern what companies can and cant say.

Its amazing.

Yeah, them being hypocrites doesn't help this shit at all. If they went full "we are the party of free speech" it would do a lot better that this opportunism based thing.

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