Ask HN: YC Alum Made Gab; Should YC Condemn in Wake of Pittsburg Shooting?
Is there ever a bad time to condemn platforms that profit from hate speech? What do you think?
Still, maintain my comments below, but apparently already banned for the founder(s) own inappropriate behavior.
First of all, you cannot have any sort of conversation on the internet without having some hate speech.
This is especially true of a website dedicated to free speech. Now, in this case, the argument can be made they should have censored it or moderated it appropriately -- perhaps. So far, I haven't seen explicitly what was said on Gab.com. However, is that free speech? I think there's a line, I don't know where to draw it.
So far the only quote(s) I can find:
> "HIAS likes to bring invaders that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I’m going in."
> "Why hello there HIAS! You like to bring in hostile invaders to dwell among us? We appreciate the list of friends you provided,"
I'm sorry, but that is not necessarily something that anyone would know to moderate. Even if it was, there were way worse stuff posted on twitter (which he was banned from, eventually). These things take time and I think trying to railroad a company for inadvertently not moderating is kind of silly and somewhat sad.
One final thought... perhaps this occurred because his ability to share his thoughts were stifled (by twitter for instance)? The ability to voice one's opinions is what this country was founded on. Not inciting violence mind you (I'm not super familiar with this case). From the beginning, it was understood the ability to share one's voice, is both powerful, but also a release to some of the tension. When people feel they lose their voice, they will often turn to the barrel of a gun.
Not saying that occurred here, just that we as a society need to consider slowly and methodically how to react. Not do any knee jerk reaction.