Et tu Wordpress?

Following the de-platforming of Frontpagemag by Disqus I have been mulling whether to continue with this platform and therefore considering alternatives.

I started searching for articles about Wordpress as that was a platform that I thought had a good track record on freedom of speech. However an internet search immediately revealed that they too have committed the sin of de-platforming a site it would appear purely just because they are right wing (as with other platforms no specific reason was given apparently) (November 15, 2020):

I don’t know the site very well but I think links to their articles have been shared here, I’m not aware this site is guilty of hosting what we might regard as “extreme” content. According to the above article it seems they suspect this was the moment they stepped over the invisible line:

Size of audience seems to be a factor more generally as well, they are happy to allow dissenting voices as long as you don’t get over a certain threshold (interestingly I have heard the Chinese Communist Party has a similar policy).

My conclusion is that the only platforms that we can rely on to support dissenting right-wing voices are platforms that have explicitly stated a committment to do just that.

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PS. I found an interesting comment btl which might explain it, with reference to 2 graphics at the end of the article.

Comment below the article.

The first graphic shows what looks like what is meant to show a US Marine Corps knife with the word RESIST written on the blade. The second graphic was just text that said “Whatever it takes”, together the commenter speculates this could have been seen as an incitement to violent action. However if this was the reason for the ban then why didn’t Wordpress just say so, and as the commenter pointed out far left activists use such language all the time without being banned.

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You have posted this twice, Chauncey.

I was referring to the article you link to with the date 13 Nov 20. You posted it twice above. But now the second posting has gone. You have removed it.

Nothing is clear to me. I am all at sea with this topic.

Nothing in any of the links is clear. And the comments make everything even more incomprehensible. What they hell are they talking about? Why have you posted all this? Especially why the comments?

Sorry, Chauncey. I know you are getting at something, but I cannot see what. I see it as just litter as it stands. Start over with a single sentence telling us what it’s about?

I was thinking about stopping using Disqus as a commenting system at the Participator for several reasons, one of which being because as I mentioned above they banned Frontpagemag.com. As you also use Disqus at your main site I thought that the subject of which alternatives to use might be a topic you would be interested in as well.

I was initially considering going back to Wordpress as one alternative but since Wordpress have also banned a right wing site (the one linked to) I was having second thoughts about Wordpress as well. I think such censorship needs to be publicized as widely as possible, and opposed wherever possible, that was another reason for posting the main topic.

Hope that’s clearer, if so I’ll go on to explain the significance of the comment.

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Thank you. But our webmaster says there is no good alternative. They are all as bad - or as good - as each other.

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It’s just amazing how many policies we see now that mirror those of the CCP. It would almost cause you to think the CCP is pulling all the strings…

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Yes. It is quite contagious. May as well swear off using the internet.

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But I couldn’t live without the internet.

I don’t recall how I ever managed to live without the internet.

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