Facebook Now Blocking Integral Way In Which The People Can Criticize The Government!

This is a very well researched and sourced article about Facebook's new broad announcement of banning certain articles under the guise of "Satire" ... But it's relying on it's users not being intelligent in order to block much more than hoaxes...Facebook is banning a very integral part of how we criticize our politicians and government... This is why I am not on FB. I know that we all know a lot of this, but it had some new things and ideas I had not thought of before.

(50/50 rule applied)

"It was announced today that Faceboook will "flag" satirical articles, such as those from the online satire news site, "The Onion" (which was named specifically). The report (link) goes on to explain that many Facebook users are "fooled" and "fall victim" to satirical articles. So, in order to "combat" this issue, the article says, "'We are running a small test which shows the text '[Satire]' in front of links to satirical articles in the related articles unit in News Feed,' a Facebook spokesperson told Ars Technica. 'This is because we received feedback that people wanted a clearer way to distinguish satirical articles from others in these units.'

To many, however, this is raising some very serious red flags. First of all, back in May of 2014, Facebook was blasted for labeling ANY article posted on the site which just mentioned the word "Islam" as unsafe. An article from The Examiner dated May 31, 2014 (link) stated, "How far is Facebook apparently willing to go to stifle certain topics or articles? On Friday, administrators of the Facebook page 'Islam Exposed' informed Examiner that at least two of our recent articles were falsely flagged by Facebook as 'unsafe.' Affected articles had one element in common: Both mentioned Islam."

For years, Facebook has faced scrutiny over it's self-labeled "privacy policies". Many feel that the company takes broad liberties in using surveillance-like technology to gather information on it's users. But why is this latest revelation a reason for concern? Well, let's start with the word "satire" itself. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is as follows (link):

sat·ire noun

: a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc. : humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc.

Let's take a look at Oxford's definition (link):

Satire
Syllabification: sat·ire

NOUN

1The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Now isn't that interesting? Facebook is mistaking the words satire and hoax. You see, the critical issue with Facebook saying it is going to ban articles with the word "satire" is that satire, in it's purest form, is a way for people to make other people aware of the government's mis-doings and actions. Mark Twain popularized satire in the 1800's as a way of helping people to understand crooked politicians and laws.

According to Wikipedia (link), the history of satire dates back to ancient Egypt. They explain, "Satire and irony in some cases have been regarded as the most effective source to understand a society, the oldest form of social study. They provide the keenest insights into a group's collective psyche, reveal its deepest values and tastes, and the society's structures of power. Some authors have regarded satire as superior to non-comic and non-artistic disciplines like history or anthropology. In a prominent example from Ancient Greece, philosopher Plato, when asked by a friend for a book to understand Athenian society, referred him to the plays of Aristophanes.

Historically, satire has satisfied the popular need to debunk and ridicule the leading figures in politics, economy, religion and other prominent realms of power. Satires confronts public discourse and the collective imaginary, playing as a public opinion counterweight to power (being political, economic, religious, symbolic, or otherwise), by challenging leaders and authorities. For instance, it forces administrations to clarify, amend or establish their policies. Satire's job is to expose problems and contradictions, and it's not obligated to solve them. Karl Kraus set in the history of satire a prominent example of a satirist role as cofronting public discourse."

Satire is a way for the public to "challenge leaders and authorities" - and it must remain that way. The Onion is a fake newspaper - akin to Mad Magazine or any other Hoax website or magazine. There is even a website called "Not The Onion" (link) for those who may be confused (such as Mark Zuckerburg and literally everyone at Facebook, obviously) that clearly explains what satire is and is not (hint: "The Onion", though hilarious, is not satire)."

Here is the whole article: [link to yournewswire.com]

Last Edited by TriFire444 on 08/17/2014 06:36 PM