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Ellen Pao defends Reddit social justice agenda by citing user safety from being “attacked”
Ellen Pao confirmed Reddit’s intent to turn the site into a safe space Wednesday while using the argument that they don’t really want to censor users, but want to make sure people can post freely without being “attacked.”
Speaking at the <Code> conference to Kara Swisher, Pao talked about the now infamous stolen celebrity pictures published to Reddit during the fappening in 2014, and how they made staff Reddit feel uncomfortable.
“We don’t want to be a site where people put stolen pictures,” Pao said. “We also don’t want to be a site that censors content.”
Although indicating that they don’t want to be a site that censors content, Pao then once again cited the need for Reddit to be a “safe place,” and perhaps more concerningly what that may entail.
“We have a commitment to privacy and safety.”
“If we become a site where people are not comfortable expressing ideas because they are going to be attacked by others….that doesn’t fit in with what we believe as a platform.”
She further separately added “[We don’t want to] prevent people from feeling like they are not able to say that they want to say.”
Coded messages
For those not familiar with the modern spin of those in the social justice space, people are able to say what they want to say, as long as it doesn’t upset, offend or “trigger” others.
Pao in saying that Reddit shouldn’t be a site where people are not comfortable expressing ideas because they are going to be attacked by others, means that any dissent or disagreement to the orthodoxy of the social justice warrior class would not be allowed, because it would be considered as an attack, just as it is across campuses and safe spaces in many Western countries today.
The appeal against censorship, even invoking free speech, is another common trope used regularly by advocates as well; no, they don’t want to censor anyone’s speech, but speech that offends and triggers doesn’t count as speech versus a brutal attack by the “patriarchy” that attempts to silence others through “hate crimes” and other such concepts.
It should be noted that what we’ve heard from Pao really isn’t anything different to what we’ve heard before about her agenda, but does further confirm that, if her agenda is implemented, Reddit may soon end up being the new Digg, and not in a positive way.
Image credit: somegeekintn/Flickr/CC by 2.0
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