Blue Sky and Birds: When Good People Don't Tolerate Bad Behavior

Lessons From Twitter and BlueSky

“I just couldn’t take the rape threats anymore,” my friend said, after finally deciding to leave Twitter last month. She wistfully talked about how good Twitter was when it was good – before every post was met with threats of physical violence or insults or both.

As you no doubt have heard, and likely experienced, Twitter has become a sticky cess-pit of hate speech. That’s all because its owner and self-proclaimed Chief Twit claims to love “free” speech.

After acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk gleefully announced that comedy was legal again. Of course, comedy has never been outlawed on Twitter. And, for most people, cruelty and hate speech aren’t knee-slappers.

But everyone knew what he was saying.

And so that is how a billionaire opened the floodgates to the rightwing orcs and trolls of the internet, under the guise of “fairness” and “free speech” and “democracy.”

What happened over the ensuing two years was as predictable as a billionaire’s business plan for buying the American presidency.

It was predictable because while history may not repeat itself, it often sings a similar tune.

And back in the 1940s, a philosopher named Karl Popper described the rise of a dangerous group that also was given a great deal of leeway in the guise of “free speech” and free thought. Even though their positions were discriminatory, hateful, and vile, their intolerance was tolerated by everyone else who was trying to be thoughtful and respectful of “both sides.”

That rational attempt to understand another (grotesque) viewpoint was understandable – and the instinct laudable. After all, to change harmful behavior it helps to understand its origin.

But then something terrible happened. Very suddenly, the tolerant were themselves targeted by the intolerant. The tolerant were destroyed, locked up, silenced.

And suddenly only the intolerant views were tolerated. By law.

Of course, he was describing the rise of Nazism and of the Nazi party.

And this is the gist of what Popper termed the Paradox of Intolerance: allowing intolerant, hate-based speech to have completely free rein is dangerous because the intolerant will simply overwhelm and extinguish the tolerant.

And of course, that’s exactly what happened at Twitter.

With free passage, the orcs swarmed the universe and screamed hate-filled, conspiracy-theory-laden, threatening content so loudly that everything and everyone else was drowned out. Bots and trolls interrupted real conversations. For years, well-intentioned people put up with the increasingly dangerous engagement because of the size of the platform and the inertia of change.

To stay on the platform and be part of the conversation, we had to tolerate the intolerant.

But then, after the election, something quite remarkable happened.

Folks had had enough. Millions fled Twitter en masse to start up new conversations at a relatively new and scrappy competitor, BlueSky.

Unlike Twitter, where the block function was significantly watered down, BlueSky’s block function is strong and simple. Once you block threatening orcs and trolls, not only will you not see them, but they won’t see your content either – ever again.

Removing their fuel effectively suffocates these trolls, who flounder about looking for someone to fight. Theirs is a symbiotic relationship; they require a combatant. But because no one engages them, they just … fizzle out.

I like to imagine them melting down into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Because BlueSky is a pretty safe place, it’s also become a pretty popular place. In the last month, BlueSky has more than doubled in size to over 23 million members – up from 10 million in September. Meanwhile, Twitter usage has fallen.

Wouldn’t you know. The market decided.

People who come to BlueSky are relieved that they don’t need to brace themselves for death threats after posting a comment. They can have thoughtful and nuanced conversations. Trolls are easily blocked.

It’s not perfect; there are growing pains, as with anything that more than doubles in size in two months. But there are guardrails in place to protect the tolerant from the intolerant.

The ethos and message is clear. Here, friend, we are trying to keep you safe.

Of course, MAGA folks cry foul and scream that they are being censored. And to a certain extent that’s true – but it’s because their views and behavior are abhorrent in any society. It is right and proper and correct for us to at the very least walk away from them.

After all, as Karl Popper explained, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.

If there is any criticism to make, it’s that we all collectively didn’t leave Twitter sooner. It’s that we weren’t willing to put our millions of feet down and demand better treatment for ourselves and for our fellow humans. It’s that we’ve been unwilling to shame people for having abhorrent and vile views – maybe because we thought it wouldn’t matter, or it wasn’t important.

But it does matter. It is important.

There’s a lot to learn from the Twitter/BlueSky situation – which I consider to be a bright moment in an otherwise dismal election season.

Decrying hate speech is less about silencing a bully and more about allowing their would-be victim the freedom to move. It’s about good people standing up for others – and in the process standing up for ourselves and protecting the world that we want to live in.

It’s about understanding that hate speech – on any platform – needs to be countered and squashed and shamed. Not because we don’t value free speech, but because we do.

Those are valuable lessons. But there’s another that I hope you’ll take to heart, especially as we move into a challenging time in American history. We have witnessed, yet again, the incredible power that millions of people have when we all move in concert. In a matter of weeks, Twitter’s dominance has … shifted. Wobbled. Faltered.

Can you appreciate just how significant that is? We sucked power away from an entire social media platform, simply by standing up for our principles and walking away from abusive speech.

Let that be proof that together, we can accomplish much, much more than you think is possible.

Let’s get to work.

P.S. If you’re on BlueSky, I’m at @hornish.bsky.social

Actions for the Week of December 3, 2024

Here’s the part where – if you are so inclined – we roll up our sleeves and engage in what I like to call Action Therapy. In each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. You can tuck these actions into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.

Small Thing to Read: New Yorker’s Scathing Pete Hegseth Piece

As you likely know, Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Defense. Since he was announced, reporting has shown again and again that he’s not a person who should be in authority. There are many, many stories. But above and beyond all the others, Jane Mayer really pulled out all the stops for this must-read piece. Read it here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/pete-hegseths-secret-history

Small Event to Attend: Monday December 9 North Carolina Election Evaluation

What happened in North Carolina in the 2024 election? Why were some wins close and why did some losses happen? What lessons can we start to learn from 2024 for the future?

Robert Hubbell of Today's Edition will moderate a discussion with some of the key leaders of North Carolina's organizing and political world. The distinguished panel will include:

Jessica Laurenz, Executive Director, Put NC First

Anderson Clayton, Chair, North Carolina Democratic Party

House Representative-elect Dante Pittman, HD 24 (Wilson & Nash Counties)

House Representative-elect Beth Helfrich, HD 98 (Mecklenburg County)

This sounds like a great event, with co-sponsors Carolina Forward, Chop Wood Carry Water, Lean Left VT, NC Blue Crew, Register and Vote NC, Saving Democracy, Senate Circle, Swing Blue Alliance, Today’s Edition

It’s from 4-5pm eastern on Monday, December 9. Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/615022/?share_medium=native_share&share_context=event_detail_page&force_banner=true

Small Call to Make: PRESS Act (H/T Chop Wood Carry Water!)

There’s a lot of attention on cabinet announcements – which is 100% correct. But right now there’s a bill that needs to be moved, so let’s prioritize that first.

The bill is the PRESS Act – the "Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act." It shields journalists from government surveillance and from being forced to reveal sources.

Sounds pretty important right about now, don’t you think? Me too.

Here’s the good news. It’s already passed the House. YES I KNOW. Last month, Trump went on his social site and demanded: “REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL.” So it’s a miracle that the thing has passed the House – and this is our absolute best opportunity in the next four years to get this press protection in place.

Here’s the bad news. It’s waiting in the Senate.

For God’s sake.

Let’s call Senator Schumer in his capacity as Majority Leader and ask him to bring the PRESS Act up for a vote. This is vitally important, and is actionable NOW.

Call ‭(212) 486-4430‬ or ‭(518) 431-4070‬ or ‭(202) 224-6542‬ or ‭(914) 734-1532‬.

Say:

My name is ____ and I’m calling the Senator in his capacity as Majority Leader to ask him to bring the PRESS Act, S. 2074, up for a vote ASAP. This is the most important press freedom bill in modern history. It passed the House unanimously in January and has been waiting all year for Senate action. It is urgent for the Senate to pass it this year! Please bring this bill up for a vote now! Thanks.

Schumer's comment page does accept comments from out of state, too. But calls are ideal.

Bonus Action: Subscribe to Chop Wood Carry Water!

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