G A S T H E J E W S
I just received a 30 day FaceBook ban (including all the pages, groups, and events I run), for typing that combination of characters in a comment.
First, why did I type them?
My brother and I are Jordan Peterson fans. What a brilliant thinker JP is! Yesterday, he uploaded a video to YouTube called "if you can't be funny then you aren't free". My brother posted the link on FB for me to check out. It was excellent.
I responded with:
He got me at "Gas the Jews!"
My brother agreed that this punchline (about 6 minutes in) was the best part of the clip, but a couple hours later, I got this popup:
If I had said "he upset me at Gas the Jews", the opposite meaning, would that be okay? Or can those 10 letters never be typed? Did an algorithm decide I uttered hate speech, or was it human error?
Appeal denied
FB asked if I wanted to appeal, so I clicked "YES", and immediately got the response "We reviewed your post again and it goes against our Community Standards on hate speech." And if I'm ever found guilty a second time, I'll be lifetime-banned from the site.
"We need to be able to be horribly funny. To allow people the freedom to find the ability to transcend that horror with comedy. A mark of a free society is that comedians can push the edge of what is acceptable." - Jordan Peterson, Jan 6 2019
If I can be banned for merely repeating what Jordan Peterson said, should he be banned for having said it in the first place? What about the comedian he heard it from? Of course not. This is censorship gone wild and out of control. This isn't a free society.
PS: They don't ban you for a full month on your first offense. I've been bad before. I was caught posting pro-cannabis information before "legalization" happened in mid-October, and was banned for a week. Next time, it's for life.
PPS: FaceBook was the only method of communication left between my brother and I. I no longer have a phone, and he doesn't have a computer, but we both had FaceBook/Messenger. We live far apart, and I don't have any way to tell him I've been banned for 30 days (FB doesn't notify your friends and there's no indication you're gone). It's bizarre, but I will probably have to send him a letter, because he'll be expecting me to check in. Physical mail isn't censored yet, is it?
DRutter
