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[Erevador]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

 

[Chumley]

What they mean is, how is Maher liberal enough.

Purity tests. Align on 90% of important issues, but if that 10% doesn't fit they're not a liberal and they're not a friend.

Pragmatism and perspective are foreign words for a certain subset of young liberals. Endlessly infuriating that it persists even with all of the elections we continue to lose.

 

[elrechazado]

I'm from Berkeley and I'm against her speaking here because it's honestly just going to result in property damage and people getting hurt. Nobody is going to convince the other side of anything; anybody coming would be there for the spectacle. The school has a responsibility to its students to prevent this from happening.

And they could do that by curtailing violence, or sponsoring 10 competing speakers at other venues. I can't wait until the Christian fundamentalists in this country start learning this lesson about the power of anonymous violence to shut down anything they don't like.

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

And scary and gross

 

[Brianimaniac]

Always the case when you point out the holes in a bullshit arguement they always take their ball and run home. Only thing left is to say how terrible Gaf is



Didn't one of Milo's supporters shoot somebody at one of these things?

Are you familiar with the rationale behind not negotiating with terrorists? If you give into their demands, you're incentivizing terror.

The same logic applies here. Free speech is protected, but if it's established that these protected public universities will cancel any time there's a threat of violence, then that incentivizes threats of violence. Once it happens a few times, you're then guaranteeing that any controversial speaker will be met with threats of violence, because that avenue of suppressing speech has been opened up.

People don't want to hear that because they hate Ann Coulter. I hate Ann Coulter too. But it goes both ways. We've seen this same sort of things when women in games and tech would speak. Especially if those women were openly feminist. That's why Anita Sarkeesian would receive death threats. Not because anyone actually intended to kill her, but because they saw the opportunity to suppress her speech. Her speech is protected, but if all it takes is threats to shut her up, then threats are what we get.

 

[Slayven]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

LOL

Censor racism in America? Good luck

 

[The Kree]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

No it's not. Don't confuse censorship with a low tolerance for actual legitimate bullshit.

 

[Zantetsuken]

Must be opposite day. Could have swore they meant likely

 

[Vicetrailia]

Where does it say he likes Coulter? Where is that parallel being drawn? Seems to me he's just a staunch advocate of the right to free speech, opposing viewpoints and the right for, while stupid, challenging opinions to be made on campus.

The best and most charismatic people have the cognitive complexity to take in all view points so they better understand the opposition, how to talk to the people and alter opinion etc. They don't tell someone to shut up because they disagree with them.

Sounds like you just want people to hear get bullshit because afterall, I wish she had the cognitive complexity to learn and grow and not just spew her oppressive hateful bullshit infinity wherever she goes. But nope.

The bullshit tolerance is low, it's not even entertaining.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Because?

He likes her as a person in spite of apparently loathing every bit of hot garbage she spews and believes in? In spite of those unseemly rejects of society that she panders to every day of her existence?

Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[Slayven]

Are you familiar with the rationale behind not negotiating with terrorists? If you give into their demands, you're incentivizing terror.

The same logic applies here. Free speech is protected, but if it's established that these protected public universities will cancel any time there's a threat of violence, then that incentivizes threats of violence. Once it happens a few times, you're then guaranteeing that any controversial speaker will be met with threats of violence, because that avenue of suppressing speech has been opened up.

People don't want to hear that because they hate Ann Coulter. I hate Ann Coulter too. But it goes both ways. We've seen this same sort of things when women in games and tech would speak. Especially if those women were openly feminist. That's why Anita Sarkeesian would receive death threats. Not because anyone actually intended to kill her, but because they saw the opportunity to suppress her speech. Her speech is protected, but if all it takes is threats to shut her up, then threats are what we get.

The people that advocate for genocide IE Duke and Spenscer are the terrorists If you are negotiating with them you are denying the humanity of a lot of people

 

[radios shipping overview]

The best debaters and most charismatic people have the cognitive complexity to take in all view points so they better understand the opposition, how to talk to the people and alter opinion etc. They don't tell someone to shut up because they disagree with them.

*extremely bill maher voice*

 

[elrechazado]

The people that advocate for genocide IE Duke and Spenscer are the terrorists

Nice, except they are doing this to a full spectrum of speakers. But pretend they are all David Duke to avoid the point.

 

[Plumbob]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

*Yawn*

 

[boiled goose]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

Not wanting to give someone a podium at a University is different from being against free speech and pro censorship.

 

[Rentahamster]

Not unlikely since they're friends, and Maher is a "let everyone speak" kind of guy.

She also said she was hoping Hillary would win the Dem ticket cause she was afraid Bernie would be harder to beat. Could obviously have been reversed psychology or whatever it's called (currently don't rememebr the name for it).

Or she was right. Which she probably was.

 

[PinkyMonkey]

I dont get it, why shouldn't she able to speak?

 

[Chumley]

He likes her as a person in spite of apparently loathing every bit of hot garbage she spews and believes in? In spite of those unseemly rejects of society that she panders to every day of her existence?

Yeah, that makes sense.

It doesn't make sense, but Maher hangs out with a lot of people and is stoned pretty much constantly. I doubt he spends much time with her outside of work in the first place.

 

[ModernBoxes]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

Yup. It's hard to read or jump into these threads when you have people throwing out labels like islamophobic and flat out dismissing an entire valid discussion. I guess it's easier to come to a conclusion before the thought, and shout down any dissenters. When Sam Harris was attacked for his desire for a conversation a whole fringe group appeared to me.

It's the difference between far left and left.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

It doesn't make sense, but Maher hangs out with a lot of people and is stoned pretty much constantly. I doubt he spends much time with her outside of work in the first place.

He should do better.

 

[Yamauchi]

Maher is a progressive who also embraces the ideals of classical liberalism. That this is unheard of in the gormless tyranny of the regressive left should not make the defense of free speech unheard of or even unexpected within progressivism. So the headline is a bit silly, but it is the Washington Post afterall.

 

[Erevador]

No it's not. Don't confuse censorship with a low tolerance for actual legitimate bullshit.

Low tolerance for "actual legitimate bullshit." The elegantly worded battlecry of the new left.

"We oppose this [insert profanity here]. [Something vaguely defined] can't be tolerated."

It's so dull.

Purity tests. Align on 90% of important issues, but if that 10% doesn't fit they're not a liberal and they're not a friend.

Pragmatism and perspective are foreign words for a certain subset of young liberals. Endlessly infuriating that it persists even with all of the elections we continue to lose.

They're doing their best to take the American left into the permanently unelectable, Jeremy Corbyn direction as quickly as possible.

 

[Plumbob]

I dont get it, why shouldn't she able to speak?

She's allowed on campus and can stand on a bucket like all the other speakers.

 

[Kinyou]

If the reason she doesn't get to speak is the threat of violence then I can very much see why this is a free speech issue. And not like this will only swing one side.

 

[theCalamity]

I dont get it, why shouldn't she able to speak?

Potential violence arising from protests like with Milo a few months ago.

 

[Slayven]

Nice, except they are doing this to a full spectrum of speakers. But pretend they are all David Duke to avoid the point.

Names?

 

[blame space]

Illiberal??

 

[Aztechnology]

Sounds like you just want people to hear get bullshit because afterall, I wish she had the cognitive complexity to learn and grow and not just spew her oppressive hateful bullshit infinity wherever she goes. But nope.

The bullshit tolerance is low, it's not even entertaining.

I don't disagree. I wish she did have the cognitive complexity to do so, but that's not the point. Just because she's an idiot who "spews her oppressive hateful bullshit" doesn't mean that it's not important to hear people who believe the things she does. If anything it's important to actually listen and try to understand why these people are so volatile. Beat them with competence and intelligence.

They're like children. When does yelling at a child and telling them to shut up eve yield the desired long term results?

 

[Chumley]

He should do better.

Why is it even your concern or anyone else's who he's friends with? I don't see why anything outside of the views and opinions espoused on his show and in his stand up is relevant. It's not like this is a Roman Polanski situation where he's done things so egregious in his personal life that they color everything else he does.

 

[TTOOLL]

Potential violence arising from protests like with Milo a few months ago.

Potential violence by whom?

 

[Trago]

I mean, I don't like her either, but I think she should be allowed to speak at Berkeley. How are we gonna get anywhere if we can't even have a discussion?

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Is the 'regressive left' brigade showing up?

 

[teh_pwn]

I thought Gaf liked Bill?
At least that what it seemed like a few months ago.

A lot don't. He has a libertarian streak and says hateful things about Muslims.

For some reason I think I recall Ann and Bill being fuck buddies.

 

[Plumbob]

I don't disagree. I wish she did have the cognitive complexity to do so, but that's not the point. Just because she's an idiot who "spews her oppressive hateful bullshit" doesn't mean that it's not important to hear people who believe the things she does. If anything it's important to actually listen and try to understand why these people are so volatile. Beat them with competence and intelligence.

They're like children. When does yelling at a child and telling them to shut up every yield the desired long term results?

Berkeley students hear nonsense all the time, why deliberately expose them to more?

 

[theCalamity]

Potential violence by whom?

Anyone? Either side?

 

[radios shipping overview]

- "gormless"
- "regressive left"
- Sam Harris name drop

I think I'm one space away from bingo for this thread

 

[PinkyMonkey]

Potential violence arising from protests like with Milo a few months ago.

Violence from people who didn't want her to speak. Why don't these people want her to speak?

 

[rjinaz]

She has a radio show, is on tv all the time, multiple books. She has a voice and nobody from the government is out to get her. Violating her free speech my ass. Good for the universities for not wanting her hate speech spread at their campuses.

 

[Plumbob]

I mean, I don't like her either, but I think she should be allowed to speak at Berkeley. How are we gonna get anywhere if we can't even have a discussion?

Ann Coulter did not come to have a discussion, she came for self-promotion.

 

[Chumley]

I thought Gaf liked Bill?
At least that what it seemed like a few months ago.

Split kind of down the middle in OT. Certain bits from his show have received unanimous praise on GAF, some (like this) the direct opposite.

Some people refuse to accept he ever says anything good or right, some accept that he is occasionally a dumbfuck who is still a strident liberal regardless.

 

[TTOOLL]

Anyone? Either side?

Why would people willing to listen to her initiate any kind of violence?

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Why is it even your concern or anyone else's who he's friends with? I don't see why anything outside of the views and opinions espoused on his show and in his stand up is relevant. It's not like this is a Roman Polanski situation where he's done things so egregious in his personal life that they color everything else he does.

Why is it your concern that I'm concerned about the nonsense that comes out Maher's mouth? You can't label Ann Coulter as good people, and not expect to have people wondering what the hell you're even talking about. Ann Coulter is verifiable TRASH.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

I mean, I don't like her either, but I think she should be allowed to speak at Berkeley. How are we gonna get anywhere if we can't even have a discussion?

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you're being naive.

What, exactly, do you think has been happening over the entirety of our political discourse?

Why do you think Coulter's views are legitimate enough to be included in any sort of conversation?

Why do you feel that Coulter is entitled to a platform?

 

[Miles Quaritch]

GAF consensus is rapidly becoming illiberal and censorial.

Depressing.

Right? Why is GAF so against giving hate mongers a platform to spread their hate. Doesn't the hive mind realise that's how these people destroy themselves.

Just look at Spencer and Milo. Brought down through reasonable debate of ideas. They saw the light that their ideas were wrong.

 

[Mighty Chin]

Ann Coulter regardless if I find her vile has every right to speak where invited. The disgusting alt-right Nationalists that show up and cause havoc and violence should be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Maher' stance is that Liberals on college campuses live in their own little bubble where any dissenting opinion is quickly squashed. If you are not exposed to altering view points in college and allow these people to speak then when the time comes to enter the real world you will be at a server disadvantage.

I really do not see what Liberal GAF has a problem with here. Remember I'm a Liberal too.

 

[Codeblue]

If the reason she doesn't get to speak is the threat of violence then I can very much see why this is a free speech issue. And not like this will only swing one side.

Hate speech by people like Coulter has been making this country a more difficult place to live for ages. Violence as a result of speech isn't more acceptable than violence to hinder it. This is only now swinging to both sides because the demonization of vulnerable communities is favorite pastime of conservatives.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Why does Coulter need to speak at UC Berkeley, exactly? How's that going to advance the conversation and bring about better understanding? She's a mindless provocateur.

 

[Trago]

Ann Coulter did not come to have a discussion, she came for self-promotion.

At this point, you're probably right.

 

[Slayven]

- "gormless"
- "regressive left"
- Sam Harris name drop

I think I'm one space away from bingo for this thread

MLK

 

[Jombie]

This is absolutely ridiculous by the way.

How can you 'like someone as a person' when they consistently spout vile, evil nonsense? He talks about her like they simply have differing views on tax reform.

 

[Kinyou]

Right? Why is GAF so against giving hate mongers a platform to spread their hate. Doesn't the hive mind realise that's how these people destroy themselves.

Just look at Spencer and Milo. Brought down through reasonable debate of ideas. They saw the light that their ideas were wrong.

Milo was actually very much brought down by having him on Joe Rogans podcast and have him spread his bullshit. He dug his own grave there.