Comment by chasing | Hacker News Reader

Comment by chasing | Hacker News Reader

Trump using Twitter isn't the problem. In fact, it actually gives us a weirdly detailed bit of oversight into his actions and thoughts (such as they are). I actually think this is helpful when dealing with someone so erratic and uninformed. Everyone in their right mind sees his tweets for what they mostly are: Frustrated bloviations and childish temper-tantrums.

The problem is electing someone as President who would use Twitter the way Trump does. We should never have done that in the first place and, thankfully, that's an error We The People can correct.

Addendum:

I do, though, think that Twitter's response is inadequate. They have a community. Their community is being turned toxic by this man and his ilk. His use of Twitter as President isn't the problem, but Twitter needs to address the effect of people like him on their platform and the world in general.

And that way more complicated than just banning a warmonger President. Sadly, I'm not sure Twitter has shown themselves to be up to the challenge.

Twitter will never ban Trump's tweets because he alone saved the company from coming to an end. Twitter is giving leaders free reign to tweet as they deem fit while everyone else needs to adhere to their code of conduct. It's a bit two-faced but from the perspective of running a business I see why twitter did this.

The simple fact of the matter is that the President of the United States -- no matter who they are -- occupies a special place in our society. So, yes, Twitter is right to treat him differently than, say, Milo.

And, yes: I'm sure this is all very good for Twitter's business...

In Twitter's position, I'd be concerned that my platform would be used for evil in a society where the population is particularly susceptible to propaganda. I wouldn't want to help a modern day Hitler get his message out "on my dollar."

Twitter isn't trying to maintain free speech on their platform with this ruling on world leaders, as they have removed and censored plenty of users before at the request of governments or because of rule/TOS violations, etc.

They're probably just keeping trump because it puts them in the spotlight and gets them a ton of money, thinking its for "free speech" is extremely idealistic imo

Sad but true. I know quite a few people who signe up to Twitter just to be updated on Trump's Tweets. And they by no means fans of him.

Without his tweets, we'd only know about how crazy and unbalanced he is via the "biased" and "corrupt" and "failing" media... with Twitter, we get to see it directly from his keyboard, thus leading to better debate about his fitness to serve.

P.S. Loved the Full page NY Times ad of his tweets - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cviq5rBWYAQeh56.jpg

That being said, it's a double standard, most ordinary people would have been banned before they tweeted half-way down the first column of what's in that ad...

> Without his tweets, we'd only know about how crazy and unbalanced he is via

...video of (or live attendance at) his speeches, and via the actual concrete actions he undertakes in government.

Right - things that were not tweets:

* Mocking the parents of a man killed in action serving his country in the military.

* The "grab em by the pussy" tape.

* Racist comments about Mexicans.

* Mocking a disabled reporter

* 'Both sides' about actual nazis.

* Having no knowledge of policy

* Constant lying

We don't need twitter to tell us that he's unfit, unhinged and incapable of doing the job.

What were the racist comments about Mexicans? I know he made some comments about illegal immigrants, but most Mexicans in America are not illegal immigrants.

>with Twitter, we get to see it directly from his keyboard, thus leading to better debate about his fitness to serve.

Yeah but, that didn't stop him from getting elected in the first place, if anything it made him more endearing to his base.

Does anyone have a higher quality image where you can actually read the tweets?

There's a online and updated version here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald...

> We should never have done that in the first place and, thankfully, that's an error We The People can correct.

Assuming enough people in enough places that 'matter' (not a majority of the voting population.. if you recall) wants that shitshow of a president to be replaced.

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