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Friday 22 July 2016

Don’t Menshn Milo Yiannopoulos

The Twitter ban on pro-am man-baby Milo Yiannopoulos arrived; he therefore departed. There were protests from many out there on the libertarian right; these came to nothing. Yiannopoulos will have to go elsewhere in order to whip up hatred against those he so shamelessly uses to expand his media presence. The decision has been made and will not be reversed. Most understood this. But not everyone.
(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

In the strange parallel universe inhabited by (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, all that needed to be done was to have a suitably vocal stampy tantrum and the people who police Twitter would see the error of their ways, restoring the deeply unpleasant Yiannopoulos to his rightful place in the social media pantheon. So off she ranted.
Sadly, Ms Mensch went wrong from the word go, as she failed to understand that Twitter is not a Government agency and can make its own rules on who participates. “In this instance,  social networks should come under monopoly rules. @Nero conservative speech suspension should be looked at by Congress” she announced. No-one listened.
But … but … look over there: “#Gamergate gets harassed like this @safety and you ban @nero instead? Subhuman filth ok with you?” That was the same term - “subhuman” that she had used herself. About Yiannopoulos, before she became his bestest friend.
Still no-one listened. So she tried lecturing Twitter management. “This tweet is the real #FreeMilo scandal. @jack made @nero responsible for 300k other people. That's Twitter's job”. It was the left’s fault: “This is the kind of left wing stuff @jack and @safety routine ignore. Far worse than anything @nero said”. Anyone not agreeing is a rotten lefty!
That too did not work, so Ms Mensch changed tack and declared Yiannopoulos to be the winner. “I would like to congratulate @Nero who has allowed @jack to make him into a conservative media superstar at zero cost to himself #FreeMilo … It would have cost @nero literally millions of dollars of Twitter advertising to be the top global trend for 24 hours #FreeMilo - @jack gift” she trilled. Still no-one listened.
But someone was talking about him in the Netherlands! There was a mention of Geert Wilders (maybe not much of a recommendation)! Yiannopoulos must be important: “So @Nero is going global lol #FreeMilo”. The ones who abused Leslie Jones were someone else’s big boys who did it and ran away: “You know by now that literally none of these are Milo @nero or his mates right @jessiecath?” Still no-one listened.

Louise Mensch goes from one lost cause to another: before Yiannopoulos got himself banned from Twitter, she was flogging a rumour from a far-right conspiracy theorist about what happened during the Bataclan Theatre shootings. That went nowhere and earned her nothing but ridicule. Now she is defending Milo Yiannopoulos for the same reward. And still does not get it that Twitter has made its decision - which is not going to be changed.

The stupidity on display is breathtaking. And remember, they allowed her to become an MP.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it time Twitter changed its name to Twatter?

What a load of utter shite it all is.

Mensch of course is the same Nazi crackpot she's always been and always will be.

Anonymous said...

Dearie me, she does get excited doesn't she. If Louise Mensch told me the sun was shining, I'd go outside and check. Have to admit though that I can sort of see the reason the right wingnuts are pi55ed off, since (as many of them have pointed out) ISIS and their supporters are allowed to operate twitter accounts and go unmolested by the staff. It does seem a bit rum. One might argue that ISIS is simply broadcasting propaganda and not harassing anyone (as Milo Y is said to have done), and that this is permissible freedom of expression. But when the consequences of that propaganda include inspiring would-be jihadists, who might actually want to kill real people, rather than sending them rude messages via social media, it does seem that we might have our priorities in the wrong order.

Anonymous said...

Rehab, then therapy I think.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Lou's worried that having got rid of Milo Twitter might turn its attention to her soon. After all, she encourages exactly the same kind of group pile on that has got Milo banned, retweeting comments she disapproves of and getting her demented followers to abuse the writer. And just like Milo she is dependent on Twitter for the attention she craves, if she had to rely purely on visitors to Heat Street to get her bilge out then pretty soon she'd be left ranting to no one.

Unknown said...

But there's an irony there in that Daesh are generally careful not to be seen directly calling for harassment in the way that Milo has (as has the Mensch on occasion).

Robin said...

Sadly, Ms Mensch went wrong from the word go, as she failed to understand that Twitter is not a Government agency and can make its own rules on who participates. “In this instance, social networks should come under monopoly rules. @Nero conservative speech suspension should be looked at by Congress” she announced. No-one listened.

I share the sentiment, but reference to Congress/monopoly rules is about where govt regulates private sector, not govt agencies. Certain however that there'd be @zero basis for a monopoly claim in the competitive marketplace of social media, so Mensch is - as usual - merely radiating ignorance.

Man From Atlan said...

Mensch is going on about WikiLeaks tweet how many of its critics are 'tribalists' using the triple bracket ((()))) tags. Oh dear, and pass the popcorn, but why can't Murdoch put her and KT Hopkins on a show? Would be the closest to a perpetual motion machine I can think of; they'd run on outrage forever :)