That’s what New York Times told us on August 6, 2018, here.
How sad for a West that no longer believes in its own core values but goes increasingly authoritarian.
In the name of the common good, we get the common bad.
1. What a weak, nervous and insecure society it is that cannot tolerate but has to censor a man like Alex Jones.
2. What a gift these companies just gave him – martyrdom, victimization and more supporters.
3. Education is and remains the only way to combat such rubbish but is obviously no longer seen as such. Educational standards falling all over the West, people learning and studying too little and believing in all kinds of crap.
4. If Alex Jones, what else? Where? Who is next?
5. Close down tweets and statement by Donald Trump and many others: They have contributed enormously to hate speech (that no one can define except arbitrarily) – hate of Iran, threatening the total destruction of North Korea, defence of neo-Nazis, etc?
6. Close down the media that have excelled in hating Muslims for decades?
7. Remove content from news and other sites that have, at least since 2011, spewed out false, hateful and war-promoting “news” about Syria and its president/”regime” in particular – much of it certainly within some broad definition of hate speech and incitement to violence.
8. Do you want private mega-corporations to decide over and above your head and with no checks and balances that belongs to a democracy to define and decide what you shall be able to read?
I’m only asking. Somebody must begin to think.
It goes without saying – I hope – that this is no defence of Jones.
But combating him and his ilk this way is nothing but stupid, self-defeating symptom treatment – a short-sighted intensification of an already very vicious circle.