Trump throwing his toys out of the pram

Which governments are banning Trump, PippaZ?

Social media are banning him but they're far from being government agents (and it would be extremely worrying if they were)

MaizieD

^Who is to decide who is to be cancelled?^

I think that extreme hate speech is pretty easy to spot. Have you seen some of the stuff that people post on social media?

Treason against a well established and transparent democracy such as the USA's isn't exactly 'debateable' either.

In a newspaper, the editorial staff would be careful if they thought this could be brought before a court. We need, somehow, to bring our justice systems in to this so these things can be tested and that means the platforms have to have ownership of what is published (as, I believe, they do on here) and can therefore be held to account.

A simple test is "do the owners of the platform make revenue out of the platform?" If they do they are publishers, surely?

Whilst I have no objection to Trump being banned from various sites in an attempt to prevent further violence - I do wonder why they were not so quick to ban and take down the accounts of those preaching jihad.

I certainly think that the all the social media platforms actions can be questioned, but quite honestly at the moment I am grateful for the action that they have done.

This morning I was listening to commentary and they were saying that the sort of conspiracy theories likes QAnon etc the lies, incitement to violence is also playing out in the U.K. and the far right, and not so far right, who are being influence by these sites.

Before anyone dismisses this as hysteria as some are inclined to do, I would just like to point out that we have seen many posts here on GN who are clearly influenced by these platforms. In fact there was one doing exactly that just this week which was eventually taken down.

We can’t be too vigilant.

MaizieD

I'm worried about Avalon. They wanted to rerun this particular Presidential election because of the 'flawed system of voting', though they failed to explain what the flaws are, despite being asked, and now they question who decides what is a lie or conspiracy while repeating a lie which is ludicrously easy to disprove

MaisieD I did NOT want to rerun the Presidential election. I said if Trump could prove the election was rigged then he would be justified in asking for a rerun. Since he can’t it doesn’t apply.
I don’t understand what the lie is that I am supposed to have repeated. My concern is with the power of social media platforms.

I don’t understand what the lie is that I am supposed to have repeated.

You said that Obama didn't go to Trump's inauguration. So where did you get that from?

MaizieD

^I don’t understand what the lie is that I am supposed to have repeated.^

You said that Obama didn't go to Trump's inauguration. So where did you get that from?

Obama was certainly at trump’s inauguration and invited him for tea at the White House not long after trump won the election. Hillary rang trump to concede. The inauguration and tea party is well documented and photographed. Melania looked terrified. trump has serious issues and should not be POTUS any longer.

My concern is with the power of social media platforms.

I'm sorry, but your initial concern was with the probity of the US Presidential election and their voting system. Which I, rightly or wrongly, took as you casting doubts on Biden's election as US President.

Now, I might be a completely brainwashed product of 'the system' and willing to believe all 'Their' lies and never question anything, but I think I am a reasonably intelligent woman who can generally (though not always) tell the difference between bullshit and possible truth, and I didn't believe for one instant that Trump's assertions about the election had any truth in them whatsoever. So I'm looking a bit at anyone who appears to give them more than a passing thought...

Forgive me if I have misjudged you.

Avalon
I am worried by your confusion
I don’t understand what the lie is that I am supposed to have repeated. My concern is with the power of social media platforms

You clearly stated in your post of 9.09 this morning
I don’t see that Trump saying he wasn’t going to the inauguration of Biden incites riots. Obama didn’t go to Trumps. Things are getting very subjective. There has to be more objectivity. The cancel culture is very worrying

It is manifestly obvious Obama was present, we all saw him, well those of us who watched it on TV did.
Trump also claimed more people attended his inauguration than Obama’s despite clear news photographs and TV footage to the contrary.
So are you repeating fake news or genuinely sceptical of what we all saw?

MaisieD if you look back you will see that I agreed I got it wrong about Obama and that he did indeed attend.

As for the rest I guess I am neither extreme right wing or left wing come to that. I was a little disappointed that Biden had to take advantage of the situation and say if it was a BLM protest it would have been handled differently. It might well have been but America needs to heal and I had hoped he would be doing that not stirring things. There is so much hatred, it doesn’t take much.

I give everything a passing thought as I like to be reasonable in all things so I look for the logic.

MawB just take the bit about Obama out. It’s a non sequitur really and read the rest please which is what worries me. If the boot was on the other foot and It was Biden I would say the same. Some of Trump’s posts were justified in being deleted but I couldn’t see it in that one.

I was a little disappointed that Biden had to take advantage of the situation and say if it was a BLM protest it would have been handled differently.

You think that that echoes only left wing concerns? So only left wing people are bothered about the inequality in treatment suffered by BAME people? Humaneness is strictly a quality of the Left?



I hope it wasn't you who was talking about 'cancel culture' because you've just tried to do it..

MaisieD nowhere did I say anything about only left wing people are bothered about the inequalities in treatment. It seems to me you misinterpret most of my postings. I was not trying to cancel Joe Biden. I said I was disappointed he said it when America needs to heal which is something I thought he wanted to do.

On BBC IPlayer there is a short drama series entitled "The Republicans", the last one being about Trump. On Netflix there is also a satire called "Death to 2020" with Samuel L Jackson as the presenter and Hugh Grant playing a professor of history. I thought they were both very funny and might cheer you up.

As for the rest I guess I am neither extreme right wing or left wing come to that. I was a little disappointed that Biden had to take advantage of the situation and say if it was a BLM protest it would have been handled differently.

How else is one supposed to read this? What Biden said is absolutely true; why would a 'centrist' not like it?

The thought struck me as soon as the riot got under way and we saw footage of the scenes at the Capitol. Police were armoured like lobsters and there were hundreds of them deployed at any hint of a BLM protest. The attack on the Capitol had been planned for weeks. It was all over social media. It was not a surprise.

So why the different treatment? And why does mentioning that the treatment was different bother you as a centrist?

Biden needs to heal the USA for the black people because they've been lower than the low in the US citizen stakes for centuries.

MaisieD why say it? We don’t know the treatment was any different but it would put in your mind that it was. America needs a peacemaker. Why do you keep arguing with everything you have decided I said even though I didn’t. We have seen violence from all sides for many months. Enough. Peace needs to be found.

25Avalon

MaisieD if you look back you will see that I agreed I got it wrong about Obama and that he did indeed attend.

As for the rest I guess I am neither extreme right wing or left wing come to that. I was a little disappointed that Biden had to take advantage of the situation and say if it was a BLM protest it would have been handled differently. It might well have been but America needs to heal and I had hoped he would be doing that not stirring things. There is so much hatred, it doesn’t take much.

I give everything a passing thought as I like to be reasonable in all things so I look for the logic.

You agreed you got it wrong. No apology for a totally erroneous statement. A statement some might have picked up and believed. Stuff like this is how false news spreads.

Let Biden get on and heal it then.

The interview I saw on CNN with Biden showed him saying that he didn’t want to get drawn into the discussion about the BLM protest, but a reporter later stood up and asked him the question to which he answered that it would have been handled differently.
Not sure if the footage of Biden being asked a direct question has been cut from later News programmes as I only saw the CNN footage.

Lucca I can get the sack cloth and ashes out. I admitted I got it wrong and that it was an erroneous statement. I stand by the rest of what I said which was the important bit.

For those that don’t know, it is tradition that the incoming president visit the outgoing president at White House BEFORE his inauguration and they both ride to the ceremony together. It happened with Trump and Obama but won’t happen this time.
We are hearing rumblings of some state capitols being targets on the 17 th.
All the republicans who stood up for this man chose party over people. Trump is not a conservative Republican and was democratic years ago. He even gave Hillary Clinton a million dollars for her first run.
I fear for Biden a d Harris as the inauguration is outside.

Rhinestone

For those that don’t know, it is tradition that the incoming president visit the outgoing president at White House BEFORE his inauguration and they both ride to the ceremony together. It happened with Trump and Obama but won’t happen this time.
We are hearing rumblings of some state capitols being targets on the 17 th.
All the republicans who stood up for this man chose party over people. Trump is not a conservative Republican and was democratic years ago. He even gave Hillary Clinton a million dollars for her first run.
I fear for Biden a d Harris as the inauguration is outside.

Why oh why can’t they hold it in a secure indoor setting?

It would be the most sensible thing to do and frustrate the mob.

Sod precedent.

25Avalon

Lucca I can get the sack cloth and ashes out. I admitted I got it wrong and that it was an erroneous statement. I stand by the rest of what I said which was the important bit.

Which important bit? The bit where you criticised Biden for answering a question about BLM? You're right, the USA needs to heal. In order to do that, the white supremacists and bigots that Trump has given legitimacy to, need somehow to be put back in their boxes.
I don't like 'cancel culture' when it prevents say, JK Rowling speaking. I don't see that in any way like banning Trump from social media. I don't believe it needs the regulators you talk of to decide JKR isn't dangerous but Trump most certainly is.

But you cant pick and choose. I agree with trump being banned from Twitter but the last people in the world I want to make those decisions are those who run Twitter etc. In most cases those people have the critical thinking capacity of a slug.