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Comment by tomp | Hacker News Reader

But the university isn't "your" platform. It's "our" platform. Why would exactly you get to choose what ideas to present (and amplify)?

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I'm of course not literally calling it "my" platform. I'm pointing out that the student body and faculty of the university (or the TV show host, or the convention organizer or what have you), they are the owners of the respective platforms. And they get to choose who to allow and who not to allow to attach themselves with their brand name.

In case there are any illusions, the hate-mongering trolls are not there to engage in intellectually vigorous debate. They are there to buy themselves a patina of respectability by attaching themselves to these respectable brand names. These institutions would be fools to allow themselves to be used that way.

I disagree. I think it is in the benefit of the platforms themselves (e.g. Twitter) to promote equality, tolerance (to different points of view) and freedom of speech, especially to those they disagree with (e.g. Milo). IME it's the "tolerant liberals" that don't even try to engage in intellectually vigorous debate (they'd rather protest, ban, shout, fire their oponents, or call them "hate-mongering trolls").

History has taught "tolerant liberals" to be vigilant of the fascists when they try to take advantage of machinery of a liberal democracy to further their intolerant agendas. We've decided not to fall for it one more time, no matter how much the would-be fascist supporters try to harangue us with that "tolerant liberal" line.

Surprisingly, though, history hasn't taught "liberals" that supression of the freedom of speech and thought control are predominantly fascist (well, totalitarian really - communists used them as well) tactics.

History also hasn't taught "liberals" that words loose meaning if you overuse them. If every man is a "rapist", every comedian is a "racist" and everyone who oposes illegal immigration is a "fascist", those words lose all meaning.

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