Hyman Rosen 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Behind Washington’s Antitrust Gambit

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2022 @ 08:26am

    Aside from the fact that such limitations in general violate the 1st Amendment, Citizens United, the corporation, was formed precisely to speak the political speech that the government was attempting to silence. You could not ask for a better test case.

  • On the post: Colorado Residents Lose Control Of Their ‘Smart’ Thermostats, Swelter In 88 Degree Heat

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2022 @ 08:16am

    Con Ed ran a similar program in New York City a few years ago, for which we signed up. They ended it a few years later, I don't know why. Maybe NYC didn't hit peak usage enough for it to matter. It sounds like one of those things environmentalists would push for without having evidence to back it up. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that when utility companies want their customers to pay for peak capacity, ideologues like Bode will squeal in outrage. They seem to expect that people can reduce their dependence on the grid, with solar or other alternatives, and therefore reduce what they pay to the utility companies, but the companies should still be obligated to provide the same amount of electricity as always during heat waves and such.

  • On the post: Behind Washington’s Antitrust Gambit

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 13 Sep, 2022 @ 09:07pm

    Corporations are one way that people organize themselves for a common purpose. Restricting the freedom of speech of a corporation is restricting the freedom of speech of the people it comprises. Citizens United was correctly decided.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 02:23pm

    That is false. As a simple counterexample, you could imagine a society where everyone has a small plot of land that grows all the food they need to survive, and contains a house where they live. Then someone writes a song and teaches it to their neighbors, and it spreads to everyone. Now everyone has received an improvement to their lives at no cost to anyone else.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 10:53am

    Well, when woke ideologues seek to silence anyone who dares suggest that it may in fact be a choice...

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 10:18am

    What is really simple is the politics of envy. Point at the people who have been successful and accuse them of cheating and theft, so that the failures will be fooled into giving you power. Let the failures rob and riot and loot and burn with impunity and tell them that it's not their fault. Wealth is the ability to live your lifestyle without worrying about being able to pay for it. It should be worshipped, and people who don't have it should do what they can to reach that status so that their children won't have to. That was me. I grew up poor, but with a lot of luck and serendipity, got into a lucrative career (computer programming), married and had a child, and he is going on to the same field but with college completely paid for, a small nest egg, and therefore great prospects.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 07:22am

    I have done no such thing. I had a longer reply, but it seems to have gone into the Masnick hole. Note that this is exactly what the woke ideologues want. They will make their statements and delete responses, so that onlookers will think they have the final word and that there has been no rebuttal. That's what viewpoint-based censorship is about.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 07:15am

    "Real" free speech includes being intolerant of other people's views. As always, you speak of "forcing" others to share views, so that you can hide behind the legalism of the 1st Amendment to say that such censorship is permitted. In a society that has free speech as a foundational value, large generic platforms should not be censoring opinions based on viewpoint, and if they do, they should be criticized to encourage them to change their minds.

  • On the post: You’re Living In The True Golden Age Of Television. Enjoy It, Because It’s About To End.

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2022 @ 07:10am

    So we're heading into streaming winter just like we're in crypto winter. This stupid railing against Wall Street ignores the fact that the companies have been pumping hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions, into producing programming at a loss in order to acquire subscribers. At some point, those companies need to spend less than they take in, and it looks like we're getting to that point.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2022 @ 06:39pm

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke#Attacking_the_term

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2022 @ 04:02pm

    And therefore I would expect it to censor opinions based on viewpoint, which makes it a poor site for free, wide-ranging discussion. That's why the "go elsewhere" garbage beloved of the woke ideologues who want opinions censored is useless. It's the large generic sites that should be encouraged not to censor.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2022 @ 02:18pm

    Religious Sincerity

    The Volokh Conspiracy has excerpts from the Georgia Supreme Court discussing how the courts should go about judging religious sincerity. One factor is that we're all sinners - we may sincerely hold a religious belief even though we act in violation of it. Another, of course, is that the government is not permitted to judge the sincerity of a belief by how well it conforms to some establishment church. tl;dr - it's complicated and difficult. https://reason.com/volokh/2022/08/24/georgia-supreme-court-on-sincerity-and-religious-exemptions/

  • On the post: Further Thoughts On Cloudflare And Infrastructure Moderation

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2022 @ 07:03am

    No. As in the link I posted, I came across the information on File 770, a multi-author blog devoted to science fiction. I am not opposed to reproductive rights, and I am not opposed to people stating their opinions either way, although I might argue with them. I would certainly not make death threats, since it's much more fun and rewarding to state my correct opinions calmly and let my opponents do the frothing at the mouth.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 10 Sep, 2022 @ 07:17pm

    This one time, you're actually not wrong. Both sides, etc.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 10 Sep, 2022 @ 07:15pm

    OK, I defend it. Why wouldn't I? People inclined to commit suicide because other people say they should need mental health treatment, not the ability to silence the speakers. (Note that I too believe that trans people should be able to live and work free of discrimination, but even if I didn't, you telling me to kill myself would elicit maybe a chuckle and the satisfaction of knowing that my opinions were making you unhappy.)

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 10 Sep, 2022 @ 07:03pm

    Over and over again, the woke ideologues here keep posting the entirely irrelevant point that platforms are allowed to censor opinions based on viewpoint. It doesn't matter that they're allowed to do that. In a society that has free speech as a foundational value, a large generic service provider should not be censoring opinions based on viewpoint. If they do, they should be criticized for it in the hope that they will change their minds.

  • On the post: Politico’s New Owner Signals He’s Doubling Down On Feckless ‘He Said, She Said’ Journalism

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 10 Sep, 2022 @ 05:27pm

    It is also appealing to America in general. This is how the jury system works, for example. Jurors hear all sides, with each side bringing its most persuasive evidence, and then decide which to believe. Woke ideologues might prefer that only their side be heard, but that's not going to happen.

  • On the post: Politico’s New Owner Signals He’s Doubling Down On Feckless ‘He Said, She Said’ Journalism

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2022 @ 12:44pm

    Journalists aren't qualified to know what's true and what isn't. At best, they can report what both sides say and include what proportion of people are on each side, if they have a good way of finding out.

  • On the post: Everyone’s Mad At Cloudflare; Is There Room For Principled Takes On Moderation?

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2022 @ 12:17pm

    Such a refusal is always censorship. But it's also always legally permitted censorship. Generic platforms should not be censoring opinions based on viewpoint, but if they want to, they can. They are also free to single out things they find particularly egregious.

  • On the post: Politico’s New Owner Signals He’s Doubling Down On Feckless ‘He Said, She Said’ Journalism

    Hyman Rosen ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2022 @ 08:02am

    Diabolical Wokrs

    This article is symptomatic of just how badly the diabolical wokes need to be pushed back. I am having a healthy dose of schadenfreude at their panic as they see that their garbage is being rejected more and more

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