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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 18, 2023

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https://www.independent.co.uk/space/elon-musk-russell-brand-caroline-dinenage-mps-twitter-b2415346.html

Social media site X has been asked by a senior MP if owner Elon Musk, who changed its name from Twitter, “has personally intervened in any decisions on Russell Brand’s status on the platform”. Following rape and sexual assault allegations being made against Brand, online content platforms that host his content including YouTube and podcasting company Acast said that he will not make money from advertisements on their sites and apps. Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage has written to other video hosting sites and social media outlets on Wednesday to ask whether Brand can make “profit from his content” on their platforms.

In the communication to X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, Dame Caroline said: “We would be grateful if you could confirm whether Mr Brand monetises his content and, if so, we would like to know whether X intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand’s ability to earn money on the platform.

“Given Elon Musk’s response to Mr Brand’s tweet regarding the allegations, where he wrote ‘Of course. They don’t like competition’, we are also keen to understand whether Mr Musk has personally intervened in any decisions on Mr Brand’s status on the platform.

“We would also like to know what X is doing to ensure that creators are not able to use the platform to undermine the welfare of victims of inappropriate and potentially illegal behaviour.”

https://twitter.com/CountDankulaTV/status/1704607541852844072/photo/1

I think that it is important. But I am at loss of words so I am not even sure where to begin to make it effortpost. It is outrageous, indefensible and at first I though it was satire.

Do think this is rogue action? (my guess no), Will there be punishment for the MP for overstepping greatly any boundaries? (also no).

It's amazing that seemingly overnight, a norm was kayfabed into existence that people accused of sex pestery should be deplatformed/demonetized off all social media. Like this has always been the case, and has been applied in a politically neutral way. Despite, to my knowledge, this is literally the first time it's ever happened.

The political motivations for this are naked as can be. Even in the initial reporting, it was included in the article that none of the women chose to come forward, they were sought out by reporters. At least that's what I heard reported at The Hill, still can't read the initial article due to paywall and archive links not working for me for some reason.

I mean, yes, in the past, well-known rapists and sexual harassers faced little to no economic and social consequences if they had enough power or popularity to being with, and continued to rape and harass people throughout long and successful careers.

The new way is very far from perfect, and since it's new there's a lot of refinement still needed.

But it is definitely better than the old way.

  • -21

You omit one big fact though - Russel Brand has raped and harassed no one.

Damn, I didn't know you had the ability to definitively tell who has or hasn't raped and harassed people at a distance, you should really get a job in the criminal justice system.

Anyway - yeah, I agree that consumers having imperfect information and mistaken beliefs is one of the many distortionary factors that make capitalism not work so well in practice. But hey what can you do, consumers are going to act on their beliefs, true or not..

  • -11

yeah, I agree that consumers having imperfect information and mistaken beliefs is one of the many distortionary factors that make capitalism not work so well in practice. But hey what can you do, consumers are going to act on their beliefs, true or not..

with this do you mean that the government is the consumer of X?