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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

Of all the new progressive-led 'ways of doing things', are there any examples of one that got 'refined' and dialed down a bit from its prior fervor?

Will this refinement entail not trying to cut off people from their income based on public accusations made under anonymity and that nobody attempted to bring to court?

I mean, basically all of them?

Look at the Black Panthers to MLK, look at the Stonewall Riots to Ellen. It always starts with militancy and fringe extremists bringing an issue to light, and then moderates and respectability politics processing it into something palatable over a decade or three.

Black Panthers to MLK

The Black Panthers were literally founded after the March on Washington.

Aren't you basically agreeing with the parent? The extreme elements interact with the mainstream and get some of what they want. The extreme stays extreme, but over time, the mainstream moves further and further to the left, even though they never adopt the extreme policies wholesale.

I don't think so? I though OP was implying that leftist movements never get moderated from the initial extreme agitator incarnations, and I disagree.

I said 'new', as in recent. What does a 'refinement' of #metoo in regards to wrongfully accused men look like? What does a refinement of antiracism in regards to making the OK gesture look like? If we're already admitting that some of this stuff in the zeitgeist has gotten unreasonable in its zeal, what are the 'sane' rollbacks we can all soon expect? And do you honestly expect progressives to acquiesce and go along with them?

I also do not share your take on the historical progressive stances being moderated over time. I would say many of them started moderate, or at least had a prior moderate incarnation it eventually arrived at (gay people are normal folk just like me and you wouldn't even be able to tell, dont judge somebody by their skin) and only got more extreme with their ambitions once they settled in and enjoyed the comfort of their power (drag shows for children, venerating blackness as unique and special).

Perhaps this is the 'refinement' you gesture towards? They've certainly done a magnificent job of grabbing the reigns of media and ensuring their takes are the only acceptable ones. That is a success story, in a way. And yet it does nothing to address any of my concerns with the fundamentals of their arguments and ideologies. I want them turned back, not grandfathered into respectability they'll proceed to exploit.

I think we were more sane and moderate about these things in previous decades, and progressives ruined that. Why should I wait for them to sort themselves out again?

Oh, you mean what refinements have been made to things that are more recent than the timeframe in which refinements happen.

Ok, well, maybe my framing of the question reveals my answer here. But to play along...

What does a 'refinement' of #metoo in regards to wrongfully accused men look like?

People supporting Johnny Depp and Al Franken way more than they did Harvey Weinstein and bill Cosby?

What does a refinement of antiracism in regards to making the OK gesture look like?

Literally that meme dying out in the course of a few months and no one talking about it anymore?

And do you honestly expect progressives to acquiesce and go along with them?

Yes, that was my thesis statement.

I would say many of them started moderate (gay people are normal folk just like me and you wouldn't even be able to tell, dont judge somebody by their skin)

Yeah this is just ahistoric as far as I can tell.

Like, how old were you in the 80s? Do you actually remember the sequence of events? 'Gay people are normal folk and you can't even tell' came after 'It's genetic and we can't help it, pity us instead of persecuting us' which came after drag queens and queer bars rioting in the street and warring with cops.