Hi, Lemmy! So I made two mistakes. But I’d like to inform Lemmy, that there is a free speech version of the Lemmy code being used to throw racial slurs around. That instance is called goatpen.co I advise you not to go there, as you will come across racial slurs on the front page.

So my first mistake was asking what people on discussions.app like to use for different social networks. One instance, as mentioned above was goatpen.co. My curiousity got the better of me, and I went to check it out. That was my second mistake. That place is a cesspool.

That’s all I wanted to say. Someone or some company is using lemmy’s code to host a lemmy-clone and make it a cesspool.

  • nutomic@lemmy.ml
    29·
    3 years ago

    Lemmy is open source, meaning that anyone can use it for whatever purpose they like. Realistically there is nothing we can do against that. The sooner we accept this reality, the better.

    In my opinion, the main goal of Lemmy as a project is to challenge proprietary social media like Reddit. That wont be achievable if we try to exclude anyone from using Lemmy. Of course that doesnt mean that we have to agree with their opinions, and block tools exist exactly for this reason.

    Also, I think if these extremists leave Reddit, that could eventually lead to their deradicalization. Reddit has no real incentive to deradicalize them, because more users and more activity means more ad money for them. But fediverse instances are usually run by volunteers in their free time, who have less incentive to permit such toxicity.

    • Vegafjord eo@lemmy.ml
      8·
      3 years ago

      Exactly! Algorithms ends up favouring polarization for the sake of polarization. Decentralized social infrastructures takes away this destructive element of social infrastructures and that alone will have a positive effect.

      • southerntofu@lemmy.ml
        1·
        3 years ago

        The problem is not polarization. The opposite of polarization is universal thought control. The problem is fascism and that Reddit communities are very reactionary and keep on pushing an alt-right agenda.

      • handvat@lemmy.ml
        7·
        3 years ago

        Just like a kitchen knife can be used by murderers does not mean that the kitchen knife manufacturer should actively monitor who is buying their knifes and go after the ones with bad intentions in my opinion. In the same way, I don’t think free software should be licensed under such an ethical open source license.

        First of all, it’s just very hard to enforce I’d imagine. Would people who do not care about respecting human rights to begin with even care about such a license? You’re not stopping “evil” by making up rules that “evil” people don’t follow almost by definition. At least the license is more clear about what is considered as acceptable and what not unlike the infamous “The Software shall be used for Good, not Evil” clause, for which I have to give it some credit.

        Everything you can make can be used for wrong things and I suppose you’ll have to accept that you’ll never have full control over that. The only thing that can stop something to be used by people with bad intentions is to never create it in the first place.

        Besides, I´d rather have my enemy use open source software instead of closed source software. If they use open source software, it’s easier to get a grasp on what they’re capable of.

        For software like Lemmy with federation, I’d just say to block those from federating to your own instances and stop giving those instances attention. As long as the flagship instances that federate with each other keep up a positive attitude, I would just ignore those extremist people’s instances

        • jhghjb (he/they)@lemmy.ml
          19·
          3 years ago

          Just like a kitchen knife can be used by murderers does not mean that the kitchen knife manufacturer should actively monitor who is buying their knifes and go after the ones with bad intentions in my opinion

          wrong

          I’d just say to block those from federating to your own instances and stop giving those instances attention

          that humanizes them, they’ll feel like “i’m not allowed there but at least i can exist”, which is a very dangerous precedent

        • poVoq@lemmy.ml
          31·
          3 years ago

          This video is crap, he doesn’t even make a logical argument against “ethical software”.

          I also disagree with the idea behind “ethical software” because it is a bit like DRM, i.e. it has the potential to hurt the honest people that follow licenses, but those “unethical” people will laugh about it and use the software anyways.

        • ᗪᗩᗰᑎ@lemmy.ml
          11·
          3 years ago

          Completely disagree with the video, pick any example and I can counter it logically.

          If I make a hammer and my “usage license” states it can’t be used to threaten or intimidate others, is that unethical? If I make software and say you can only use it if you don’t threaten or intimidate others, is that unethical?

          I’m not sure I see whats wrong with an ethical license. It’s not about “changing others” as the video you linked states multiple times, its about not enabling hate groups to leverage tools/resources for evil.

          Edit: I don’t know who that guy in the video is but he’s projecting A LOT. Claiming the “ethical software” devs are “damaged broken people” - You take this man seriously?

          • jhghjb (he/they)@lemmy.ml
            11·
            3 years ago

            distrotube is an alt-right free software extremist cryptofascist youtuber that frequently attacks Coraline Ada Ehmke, a trans woman that founded the Ethical Source organization, he’s the worst of the worst

      • slacktoid@lemmy.ml
        11·
        3 years ago

        I have an issue with the ethical open source license, this is irrespective of my stance on free software, which is being ethical is ambiguous, it depends on the reader or interpreter as to what ethical is.

        For example I would consider being anti racist ethical but someone else could interpret being anti racist as racist ( or however they victimize themselves )

        That ambiguity, that my stupid ass could come up with off the cuff, is why its a bad license to use.

        • southerntofu@lemmy.ml
          2·
          3 years ago

          How could anti-racism be racist? Sure you can have resentment and preconceived ideas about a person based on their skin color, but racism is far more than this. First because there’s cultural racism, too. Second, because racism is a structural oppression which distirbutes power and resources unequally: there is not a single place on Earth to my knowledge where white people are victims of structural racism.

          • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
            0·
            3 years ago

            there is not a single place on Earth to my knowledge where white people are victims of structural racism

            South Africa, right now.

            • southerntofu@lemmy.ml
              3·
              3 years ago

              Attacking landowners to reclaim the resources and lands they stole from the people is not racism. Make equality (racial and economic) a reality and you’ll see there’s no such “racism”, but when the white 10% own over 50% of the resources in the country, and the State is bent on oppressing the poor (such as evicting squats/slums for the profit of big landlords) there’s bound to be a backlash.

  • riccardo@lemmy.ml
    11·
    3 years ago

    It was only a matter of time before alt-right instances championing “free speech” started to pop out - this is the first one I hear about, I was expecting them to adopt Lemmy earlier

  • QuentinCallaghan@sopuli.xyz
    4·
    3 years ago

    Actually there is also Votal.net run by Ruqqus refugees. And when I say “Ruqqus refugees”, it tells a lot about their view of free speech. The site appears to be currently under maintenance. According to statistics by The Federation, Votal.net was briefly the second-biggest Lemmy instance.

    • nutomic@lemmy.ml
      5·
      3 years ago

      Whats interesting is that they kept the slur filter, and banned a lot of users who were spamming slurs.

        • a_Ha@lemmy.ml
          2·
          3 years ago

          The :Admin of “votal.net” was opposed to slurs. it was a tool to steer votal in a better direction. Also the server is//was hosted in Switzerland where law prohibits apology of genocide. i do believe :A got fed up, tired and disgusted so :A closed the site because of too many neonazis, racists, antivax and such.

  • roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml
    31·
    3 years ago

    am i the only person who wants these people to have a space to talk to each other?

    they remind me of teenagers, when i read their forums, stupid immature ideas. they are on the road to nowhere.

    they can learn to think properly and become adults, and the best way is by talking to adults. the worst thing for them (and for society) is keeping then isolated.

    the ideal is keeping them in a big community where new ideas can leak into their filter bubbles. but failing that, they just need any community, to practice feeling empathy and social skills, stop then becoming radicalised by hatred.

    • poVoq@lemmy.ml
      7·
      3 years ago

      To some extend, but these kind of bubbles can also lead to stupid shit that can kill them and others. See for example the attempted take-over of the US parliament at the beginning of this year.

      • roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml
        3·
        3 years ago

        I totally disagree, but it sounds like the kind of argument we could discuss forever and get bogged down in and never learn anything.

    • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      3 years ago

      Have you seen the episode of Mythic Quest where the game is invaded by a bunch of Nazis, so they isolated a server in the game where all the Nazis were, and they all shouted slurs and rhetoric at each other?

        • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
          2·
          3 years ago

          Maybe, if we let them all shout profanities and obscenities at each other they will know how it feels to be on the other side, thus making them stop saying it, but that’s a long shot.

          • roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml
            2·
            3 years ago

            Would be an interesting experiment. Either they form a supportive community, develop human feelings, stop being so paranoid … they argue about stupid stuff forever … they get bored after a while and leave … the group gets diluted by more rational people …

            Whatever happens, it’s much much better than having nothing, leaving them isolated as sad individuals shouting at the wall and getting more and more enraged.

            • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
              2·
              3 years ago

              Exactly! I feel bad for these sad, fearful creatures. They are only enabling each other’s hate and fear more and more. I closed my accounts, so I won’t be countering any of their rhetoric. But if anyone else wants to take up the endeavor, by all means. Like I said, these sad, fearful creatures need help to learn that life isn’t that bad.

              • roastpotatothief@lemmy.ml
                1·
                3 years ago

                IMO it’s just a natural human way to be - though i know not everyone would agree.

                They just lack empathy for people they don’t know or care enough about to understand. The same way other people lack empathy for them.

                In a more open society, with more types of interaction, people don’t get the option to be dismissive of each other as much.

                That’s where this comes from, this idea helping people we abhor. And of keeping our enemy close to us, so we can influence him before he gets out of control

  • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
    31·
    3 years ago

    Free speech platforms are kinda stupid. I just told two people not to use racial slurs, be a decent human being, that sort of thing, and I got called out for virtue signaling. Idgaf about virtue signaling, be a decent goddamn human being! Also, communities.win is full of snowflakes. I got banned from a community for calling out antisemitism and homophobia. So stupid.

  • Crylo (he/him)@lemmy.ml
    2·
    3 years ago

    The unfortunate reality of uncorporate controlled social media is that we get uncorporate controlled social media of undesirable types.

    • Gmork@lemmy.ml
      3·
      3 years ago

      It is. The full URL is https://preview.goatpen.co/

      I’m glad this thread was made. I discovered the site yesterday and had questions as to the Lemmy roots with it proudly boasting ‘join Lemmy’ at the bottom of the page.

  • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
    1·
    3 years ago

    Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe I’m just in a good mood, but what if we were kind to these people? I’m not saying make friends with them, but y’know, show them kindness, a little compassion. Would that be bad to do?

  • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
    12·
    3 years ago

    HOLY SHIT…I HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA! Since most free speech networks run on blockchain, and most of them aren’t moderated, if a user uses a racial slur, they LOSE bitcoin or crypto when they get downvoted. What do you think?

      • sinewyshadow@lemmy.mlOP
        1·
        3 years ago

        I suggested this very concept on r/redditalternatives and was told it’s not true free speech. I’m all for free speech as long as it creates an open and respectful dialogue. If someone wants to be an unintelligent buffoon and shout racial slurs then that’s not creating a dialogue and there should be a punishment. Am I wrong?

  • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
    12·
    3 years ago

    It is precisely because of censorship these people became further and further radicalized, without the opportunity for regular people to arrive at their new locations and tone it down a bit. Lemmy is making the right call to do nothing about this.