Hacker News Reader

Comment by amanaplanacanal | Hacker News Reader

Right. Government censorship is exactly the same behavior as private citizens choosing who to listen to. That take is exactly the problem here. That's not how the first amendment works.

I can't tell if you are confused, or are intentionally trying to confuse others.

View on HN

I hope you enjoy the world you helped create

Pretty sure it was the founding fathers that that passed the first amendment, not me.

The issue is that the current president can't take criticism, and is ignorant of the Constitution. And a lot of people seem hot to excuse his unconstitutional actions.

Give it a rest, it was not just “people deciding who to listen to”.

People were being fired. People were being shamed at scale. People’s careers were being ruined. Some committed suicide. All because of some shit they said online. It just shouldn’t be that easy.

Yes. Your boss can fire you for being racist or sexist or whatever. That's between you and your boss. The government can't threaten you and get you fired. That's unconstitutional.

You perhaps aren't familiar with our first amendment? What part of the world are you from?

If your boss is pressured to fire you, whether that pressure comes from the government or a mass of people who don’t like you, the damage to our liberties is still the same.

Just because a million people hate you for something you said does not mean you should be punished as they see fit. Any punishment should be limited to social status, not employment or other societal benefits. Otherwise, why not just deny healthcare to racists, sexists, or people not aligned with the ruling party’s interests?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com