Notes
An Instagram video of mine was taken down by the company because the audio was reported as a copyright violation. I appealed, pointing out that the audio was merely a siren and that it had even been grabbed from the Instagram audio library — the complainant, I alleged, was motivated by a desire to silence my viewpoint, not to protect a copyright. Today, Instagram sent an email: “Hi paolo_biscotto! We received your appeal and re-posted the video you originally shared at 12:32 PM on August 10, 2022.” I don’t think it would have gone so easily for some other issues, but pro-choice opinions are still allowed there.
This is a timely reminder that I haven’t said it directly very recently but that nothing could be truer: People who are not making free speech a non-negotiable priority at this point have their heads firmly buried in the sand, and will live to regret their former indifference. This includes the arrogant blowhards who carry on about being “anti-fascist”, “anti-racist”, &c., as they focus their activism on limiting others’ rights to free expression. Across the political spectrum, we are plagued by charlatans who trade in moral certainties, and they pose the gravest threat to a livable future that I know of.
