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Culture War Roundup for the week of December 12, 2022

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I would be amusing if out of retaliation Musk banned Biden

I am not sure why social networks need to act as arbiters of political matters or accuracy (such as determining what constitutes as Covid misinformation). Perhaps it's for fear of losing advertiser revenue if perceived as being too complacent about purported extremism. Pre-2016 it seemed like this was not as much of a problem. Now it's not just about social networking, but being a planform for government officials and the media.

I would be amusing if out of retaliation Musk banned Biden

I think that would be a really, really bad move. And not all that amusing, either.

The motive is more direct and personal: It’s not arbitration if you are already sure it’s the truth.

I think a lot of analysis of media bias overlooks this concept. It’s more appealing to posit a conspiracy or at least a class struggle. But the banal explanation is simpler.

Given that Twitter already influences The Discourse, its employees feel a perfectly normal tribal obligation to use that influence. On seeing something bad, stopping it feels good. For those who saw Trump as getting away with murder, so to speak, that meant trying to apply any sort of consequence. It’s the old “I know it when I see it” test from obscenity law.