The Agora
In the spirit of the Ancient Greek Agora, we invite you to join our vibrant community - a contemporary meeting place for the exchange of ideas, inspired by the practices of old. Just as the Agora served as the heart of public life in Ancient Athens, our platform is designed to be the epicenter of meaningful discussion and thought-provoking dialogue.
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Voting History & Results
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The problem is not that they are allowed to speak, it's that people aren't pushing back, or when they do push back they are equally combative causing both parties to feel like it's person vs person and not society vs the problem. This is extra visible in US politics, with name calling, unregulated news broadcasters and the lack of consequences for outright lies.
It's also a well known and documented phenomenon that suppressing opinions, paradoxically enough, can lead to the strengthening and intensification of those opinions. These opinions didn't spawn with Trump, they just got a orange face to latch on to and amplify with.
On your last point: Sure, if the instance is meant for this only, then we should block it which is why I voted yes. But, we can't accuse them of always curating echo chambers if we block them every time they post something we disagree with. Then we are careless and ignorant at best, and idiots at worst.
Maybe, but I'm not advocating for a complete silencing of these opinions. I'm saying we shouldn't allow these in this space because they will degrade the quality of life here.
No but they were spread by the media that was giving way too much attention to this turd. Had nobody taken him seriously, we wouldn't be here today.
If we didn't allow a prominent public figure to do a Nazi salute, there would be less openly Nazis today on the internet.
A few years ago these were the kind of behavior that got you put in jail. Today it's debated if we allow them at our table...
Blocking a maga instance is not the same as completely blocking any kind of discussion with them. If they register to an open fascist organisation, discussion with them will be hard.
Like another poster below said, they choose not to engage in good faith, they choose not to re evaluate their view point when presented with new information. They chose their echo chambers because it's a safe space for them.
They are welcome to have a real discussion, but unless proven otherwise, a fascist instance will not. They will drag you down to their level and push the Overton window more and more toward authoritarianism.
So you are advocating just that, in this space, where it is possible to do so.
And that’s fine, I just disagree and think that it could potentially lead to even more animosity and diversion if done uncritically. Again: I voted yes time.
He won twice. These opinions were extremely prominent before, inbetween and in his second term, just not shown publicly. People took him seriously because they feel neglected and ignored. It’s a symptom of a highly dysfuntionial society. Trump is just the pimple on a cancer ridden corpse that is american politics.
You and I seem to mostly agree politically, but if people stick their heads in the sand and ostracize those on the other side of the fence, then this shit will keep happening.
I’ll skip your last section as it’s not relevant. We’ve already established that we agree and are discussing the tollerance paradox, not this instance in particular.
I’ll end with a hope that your (I assume you’re american) mid terms go heavily to the left so you can have some normality back. Mamdani winning NY was awesome. One of very few politicians I consider sane/normal these days. We’re rooting for you from across the pond.
Thanks for the discourse and enjoy the weekend.