Alex Jones kicked off YouTube, Facebook, & iTunes

[senorsheep]

I'm not opposed to that, and I actually misread B-Fly's original post and thought they had just filed it rather than banned. However, I do think the audience that would be seeking out his books would be prone to ignore the disclaimer.

I think that's why I downgrade the risk of leaving the book on the shelf, misinformation and all. Anti-vaxxism is like Alex Jones-ism in that most people who encounter it have likely sought it out because they've already made the conscious decision to reject conventional wisdom and pursue knowledge of what they know is an alternative viewpoint. Is the library an appropriate platform for that? I don't know the philosophy behind what libraries should be expected to accommodate.

And B-Fly is correct, the practical considerations count, too. You can't make room for everything, so, at some point, somebody has to make the call on what's worthy and what isn't. Anti-vaxxer books aren't very worthy, and I'm OK with libraries dumping them on those grounds. Anti-vaxxers can buy the book on Amazon.

[Mithrandir]

I think that's why I downgrade the risk of leaving the book on the shelf, misinformation and all. Anti-vaxxism is like Alex Jones-ism in that most people who encounter it have likely sought it out because they've already made the conscious decision to reject conventional wisdom and pursue knowledge of what they know is an alternative viewpoint. Is the library an appropriate platform for that? I don't know the philosophy behind what libraries should be expected to accommodate.

And B-Fly is correct, the practical considerations count, too. You can't make room for everything, so, at some point, somebody has to make the call on what's worthy and what isn't. Anti-vaxxer books aren't very worthy, and I'm OK with libraries dumping them on those grounds. Anti-vaxxers can buy the book on Amazon.

As i stated earlier, no libraries in my Consortium own this book and only a few libraries in PA own it (that I can tell).

A quick search on a nationwide library consortium database shows that about 180 libraries across the US own it.

[Sour Masher]

A business is free to limit speech where ever and whenever it wants. I have no problem with Apple, YouTube, etc. saying we are not going to promote your speech on our platform. We own it, and you don't.

Every single one of Jones' targets should be suing him for liable/defamation as these personal attacks are false. Sue the asshole until he has no money to promote his agenda. Prove him wrong in the court of your peers.

Jones' speech being banned by big business is no different than NFL owners deciding Colin Kaepernick's speech/actions are harmful to their product. You have to be willing to make the sacrifice if you want your message out in the public.

Again, for me, I agree with you and others who say we should be tolerant as a society of minority ideas, even vile ones. I don't even mind if these platforms want to allow such things. As you say, it is a slippery slope if they do not. However, outright lies, harmful, viscious lies peddled as facts by a powerful voice is dangerous and should be shut down. It is important to note his hate speech didn't get him kicked off. It was his specific, repeated lies about individuals and the harm those lies caused. That is different from someone having an offensive opinion or ideology. That is different from even someone questioning the reality of Sandy Hook, as many conspiracy theorist have done. It was specific, targeted, angry, and aimed at inciting action in his listeners.

[Sour Masher]

Jones's lawyer is currently trying to make the home addresses of Sandy Hook parents' known to the public. This despite the fact, or more likely because of the fact that their whole case is based on the fear and harm Jones's conspiracy theorist fans might do if they knew that information. Jones is trying to intimidate them into drop ping their lawsuit. How someone like him can have millions of fans, including our president, is unfathomable to me.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/al...tJQ?li=BBnbfcL

[DMT]

He has millions of fans because there are millions of stupid hateful assholes in our country.

[Judge Jude]

Jones is an awful person - and a price we pay for a free society

I support whatever we can do for those families

[Fresno Bob]

I think you should leave the book there, despite the risk of uninformed people adopting its discredited message, because I think there's a greater danger in accommodating people who demand that books they don't like be pulled from library shelves. Your wife is correct in this case, but how confident are you that the next person who adopts this tactic will demonstrate the same judgment about whatever peeves them? Or the next? Or the next?

I'd rather see the book remain available with a disclaimer, or placed in some type of alternative medicine section, than see it pulled. Even our good and sensible acts create ripples we cannot control or predict.

move it to the FICTION section, with the Bibles!

[Gregg]

move it to the FICTION section, with the Bibles!

Hmm...I wonder what response the "with the Bibles" comment was meant to inspire?

[Fresno Bob]

Hmm...I wonder what response the "with the Bibles" comment was meant to inspire?

I almost suggested putting them both into the 130 section of the library "Parapsychology and Occultism" but thought that would be inflamatory!

[Teenwolf]

I go back and forth on this topic. What empowers these charlatans and what works to actually shut them down. It's very tricky.

I was reading an article on the "wellness industry" from the New York Times that has some relevant points.

Moving the kind of product that churns the wheels of the wellness-industrial complex requires a constant stream of fear and misinformation. Look closer at most wellness sites and at many of their physician partners, and you’ll find a plethora of medical conspiracy theories: Vaccines and autism. The dangers of water fluoridation. Bras and breast cancer. Cellphones and brain cancer. Heavy metal poisoning. AIDS as a construct of Big Pharma.

Most people think they will be immune to these fringe ideas, but science says otherwise. We all mistake repetition for accuracy, a phenomenon called the illusory truth effect, and knowledge about the subject matter doesn’t necessarily protect you. Even a single exposure to information that sounds like it could be quasi-plausible can increase the perception of accuracy.

Belief in medical conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the pharmaceutical industry is suppressing “natural” cures, increases the likelihood that a person will take dietary supplements. So to keep selling supplements and earthing mats and coffee enema kits and the other revenue generating merchandise, you can’t just spark fear. You must constantly stoke its flames.

There can be no modern wellness industry without medical conspiracy theories.

https://nyti.ms/2n15Hj1

It's super relevant to Alex Jones because this is his business model. His famous quote about putting so many chemicals in the water that it turned the frogs gay, for example. This type of conspiracy helps him sell his miracle supplements, which is his biggest money maker.

Also, the 2nd paragraph is very illuminating, as far as the power of repeated falsehoods... shows exactly how dangerous these folks lies can be, where anything is believable if its repeated enough. I'm sure the entire package sells a lot of supplements.