Mediaboss Marketing

from the the-moral-panic-to-end-all-moral-panics dept

Over the last year and a half, weve had plenty of stories about how various state legislators are shoving each other aside to pass laws to try to regulate speech online. Of course, thats generally not how they put it. They claim that theyre regulating social media, and making lots of (highly questionable) assumptions insisting that social media is somehow bad. And this is coming from both sides of the traditional political spectrum. Republicans are pushing bills to compel websites to host speech, while Democrats are pushing bills to compel websites to censor speech. And sometimes they team up to push horrible, dangerous, unconstitutional legislation for the children.

Over at Politco, Rebecca Kern has done an amazing job cataloging this rush by state legislators across the country to push these laws almost all of which are likely unconstitutional. Its depressing as anything, and in a few decades when we look back and talk about the incredibly ridiculous moral panic over social media, maps like these will be front and center:

You should read Kerns full article, as it breaks the various bills down into four categories: banning censorship, reporting hateful content, regulating algorithms, and mandating transparency including interesting discussions on each category.

Of course, as youll note in the chart above, while Texas, Florida, and New York are the only states so far to pass such laws, the Florida and Texas ones are both on hold due to courts recognizing their problems. While New Yorks only passed bill (it has more in the hopper) perhaps isnt quite as bad as Floridas and Texas, its still awful and hopefully someone will challenge the constitutionality of it as well.

However, part of the problem is that for the apparently dwindling collection of people who still believe in free speech online, all of these bills (and many of the states listed above arent doing just one bill, but multiple crazy bills all at once) are creating a sort of distributed denial of service attack on free speech advocates.

We simply cant respond to every crazy new bill in every crazy state legislature trying to regulate speech online. We (and here I mean literally us at the Copia Institute) are trying to help educate and explain to policymakers all across the country how dangerous and backwards most of these bills are. But were a tiny, tiny team with extremely little resources.

Yet, at the same time, many in the media (without noting that they compete with social media for ad dollars) seem to be cheering on many of these bills.

And, speaking of free speech advocates, it is beyond disappointing in Kerns article to see the Knight First Amendment Institute, which Ive worked with many times, and which I respect, quoted as supporting some of these clearly unconstitutional bills. There seems to have been an unfortunate shift in the Institutes support for free speech over the last year or so. Rather than protecting the 1st Amendment, it has repeatedly staked out weird positions that seem designed to chip away at the 1st Amendment protections that are so important.

For example, they apparently see the ability to regulate algorithms as possibly not violating the 1st Amendment, which is crazy:

However, Wilkens, of the Knight First Amendment Institute, said that while the bill may implicate the First Amendment, it doesnt mean that it violates the First Amendment. He said that while its still up for interpretation, the legislation if it became law may be held constitutional because the states interest here in protecting young girls seems to be a very strong interest.

Im not going to go deep on why this is disconnected from reality both the idea that the bill being discussed (Californias AB 2048) would protect young girls (it wouldnt) and that it might be constitutional (it obviously is not), but its distressing beyond belief that yet another institution that has taken in many millions of dollars (way more than Copia has received in nearly 25 years of existence) is now fighting against the 1st Amendment rather than protecting it.

Theres a war going on against online speech these days, and much of it is happening in state houses, where it is very, very difficult for the remaining advocates of online speech to be heard. And its not helping that others who claim to be supporters of free speech are out there actively undermining it.

Filed Under: 1st amendment, california, florida, free speech, online speech, regulating social media, state legislatures, states, texas

Here is the original post:
More Than Two Thirds Of States Are Pushing Highly Controversial (And Likely Unconstitutional) Bills To Moderate Speech Online - Techdirt

Entertainment

Today Japan held the election for the House of Councillors of the National Diet, and popular mangaka Ken Akamatsu managed to win a seat.

Published on July 10, 2022 Giuseppe Nelva

Home News Love Hina Mangaka Ken Akamatsu Elected to Japans House of CouncillorsAfter Campaigning for Creators Freedom of Expression

Today Japan held the election for the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet, and popular mangaka Ken Akamatsu managed to win a seat.

Akamatsu-sensei, who debuted as a professional mangaka all the way back in 1993 with Hito Natsu no Kids Game, is mostly known for Love Hina, the romantic comedy serialized on Kodanshas Weekly Shounen Magazine between 1998 and 2001, which sparked an anime series, several OVAs, light novels, and even video games.

In todays election, he ran with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party following a campaign mostly centered on protecting creators freedom of expression, artistic freedom from censorship and undue external influences.

Akamatsu-sensei is the first manga artist elected to the Japanese National Diet and announced his victory on Twitter, mentioning that he will work hard to fulfill his promises not to betray his voters.

He ran for the election within the national proportional representation block, which is a nationwide district that elects 50 members per election by single non-transferable vote.

In a blog post published just before the election, Akamatsu-sensei mentioned that he has been drawing manga for 28 years, and at times he received comments like Ken Akamatsus manga saved my heart, which have been a great motivating force for him.

As a matter of fact, he himself was supported by many manga since he was a child. Anime helped him when he was having a hard time during exams, and video games helped him when he was struggling with work.

Akamatsu-sensei continued by mentioning that he truly believes that it is because of manga, anime, and video games that he has managed to make it this far.

He is sure that many have had the same experience at least once, and when people are sad or suffering the work of many creators has the power to help them.

He is now determined to pursue the following two points:

Go here to read the rest:
Love Hina Mangaka Ken Akamatsu Elected to Japan's House of Councillors After Campaigning for Creators' Freedom of Expression - Twinfinite

Definition and Origins

Communism is a specific form of the broader philosophy of socialism. Communism is further left on the political spectrum than socialism. However, both communism and socialism share similar understandings of the relationships between economic structures and social conditions, and between the individual and the state. Although there are many versions of socialist philosophy, socialism generally retains private property ownership and calls for gradual political change. By contrast, communist theory holds that change will occur via a proletariat revolution that will abolish private property.

Communism originated with the German philosopher/intellectual Karl Marx (1818-1883). In 1848, he published The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895). The Communist Manifesto argues that the story of history is the story of class struggle. Communism posits that industrial society is divided into two classes of people: the proletariat (workers) and the bourgeoisie (capitalists). The interests of the two classes are in conflict. The bourgeoisie, who own the factories and businesses, profit from the labor of the proletariatat the proletariats expense. Moreover, the problems of industrial society, such as the poverty Engels described in The Condition of the English Working Class (1844), are inherent in capitalism. The powerful elites could not be expected to voluntarily give up control. Therefore, communists predicted that the collective struggle of the working class would lead to the proletariat revolution and the elimination of capitalism in favor of a classless society based on the principle of From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.1

Soviet Union

Communist ideas spread rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Communist political parties formed in every state across Europe, but they achieved the most success in Russia under Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924). Lenin was the leader of a faction of Russian communists known as the Bolsheviks. The term Bolshevism refers to Soviet-style communism. Bolshevism has significant departures from traditional Marxist communist theory.

Russia had been ruled by the Romanov dynasty since the 17th century. By the late 19th century, Russia faced a series of challenges that culminated in World War I. For Russia, World War I was a disaster, causing widespread hunger and popular unrest. In 1917, the country collapsed into revolution. The Romanov dynasty was deposed. Following several months of disorder and civil war, Lenin seized control and established the Soviet Union.

After Lenins death, Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) assumed power. Stalin consolidated his power by removing or killing real or perceived political dissenters. He implemented a series of Five Year Plans for the economic growth of the Soviet Union. These plans distorted Marxist communist theory into violent totalitarianism. Under Stalins dictatorship, the Soviet government exercised near-complete control over citizens private and public lives through terror and repression.

Germany

Socialist parties in Germany grew out of the trade union movement and began achieving electoral success in the late 19th century. By 1912, the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD) was the largest party in the Reichstag (German parliament). In 1918, the left wing of the socialist movement split off to form the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Germany, KPD) under Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and Karl Liebknecht (1871-1919). In the first election after the war, the Social Democrats won almost 40 percent of the vote. SPD leader Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925) became the first president of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1925. The Social Democrats remained the largest party in the Reichstag until the July 1932 elections.

The Communist Party was never as popular as the Social Democrats. It reached its electoral peak in November 1932 with 16.9% of the vote.2 Within six months of this election, however, Hitler had seized power. He banned political parties other than the Nazis and began imprisoning German communists at Dachau.

Anti-Communism

Socialist and communist philosophies had never been popular with Europes conservative elites. They considered these beliefs to be dangerous ideologies that threatened their traditional political and economic control. The Russian Revolution and emergence of the Soviet Union increased fears of violent revolution and a radical reordering of society. These fears played out both within Germany and across Europe. Within Germany, Hitler was able to become chancellor in 1933 in part due to President Paul von Hindenburgs (1847-1934) fears of communismthe Nazi party was reliably anti-communist.

Across Europe, a similar logic governed international reaction to Hitlers new Third Reich. By the 1930s, Stalin had initiated forced collectivization, or the replacement of private farms with state-run, collective farms. He had also established industrial production quotas. His efforts eliminated the free market. This also gave the rest of the world a glimpse of the type of communist revolution the Comintern, a Soviet-controlled, global communist organization, was encouraging internationally. If communism were to spread from the Soviet Union into Germany, it would reach into the heart of Europe. The fear of communism prompted several European leadersincluding British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlainto focus at first on Nazisms anti-communist credentials rather than its territorial ambitions or antisemitism.

Communism was antithetical to Nazism because communism prioritized class above nation and race. However, in the Nazi imagination, communism was recast as Judeo-Bolshevism. Judeo-Bolshevism claims that communism was a Jewish plot designed at German expense. Judeo-Bolshevisms threat was emphasized by Germanys proximity to the Soviet Union and competing Nazi-Soviet territorial ambitions in Eastern Europe. The existence of a communist state so close to Germany was not merely a political threat, but also an existential racial and ideological threat. For Nazis, both Jews and communists were made worse by their supposed identification with one another.

As soon as the Nazis rose to power, they began targeting communists, both inside and outside Germany. In 1933, the first concentration camp opened at Dachau to hold political prisoners. The first prisoners were all communists. Later in 1933 the Nazis banned all political parties. They intensified the targeting of Communists, Social Democrats, and trade unionists. As early as 1933before the Nazi regime had made any significant moves against Jews or the disabledGerman Communists were detained in mass arrests and tortured. Once the war began, the Commissar Order demonstrated the depth of Nazi fear and hatred of communism. Issued in June 1941, the Commissar Order directed German soldiers to shoot on principle all Soviet commissars (Soviet Communist Party officials) and POWs, in violation of international law.3

Last Edited: Jun 10, 2019

Read the rest here:
Communism | Holocaust Encyclopedia

Alex Cejka doesnt think about the danger anymore.

He knows the treacherous journey his father led him on as they escaped Communist Czechoslovakia when he was 9 formed him as a person. But Cejka, 51 and in his second season on the PGA Tour Champions, wont say it still drives him.

Everybody has some kind of a story, Cejka said. That formed me in my early years, to appreciate everything you have, for the chances you are given, youve got to work on those chances, nobody gives you anything for free, youve got to earn everything.

Cejka (pronounced CHAY-kuh) and his dad traveled by foot and train, by swimming and biking through Yugoslavia, Italy and Switzerland before settling near Frankfurt, Germany. His father, an engineer with multiple college degrees, was forced to work in a restaurantbusing and cleaning tablesbefore he found a better-paying job.

My dad taught me a great lesson when we came when I was a young kid. We came to a different country, I didnt know how to speak the language, I didnt have any money and my dad didnt have any money, Cejka said Thursday at Firestone Country Club. You learn to fight, the survival is there, and that shows it doesnt matter if you are 15 or 23 or 40, that drive is there.

The whole trip, the whole situation formed me into a person who thrives, doesnt want to give up, if I fail, Ill try again. But I dont want to say its somewhere in the back of my mind. I was just too young to understand what situation my dad was in or how difficult or challenging or what dangers there were, but I think the whole trip formed me. It was tricky.

Inspired by German star Bernhard Langer to abandon ice hockey and soccer for golf, Cejka has called on all those lessons during his professional career.

He turned pro in 1989 and earnedthe first of 11 international victories in the 1990 Czech Open. He joined the PGA Tour in 2003, but in 2013 and '14 was forced to step downto theKorn Ferry Tour, wherehe wononce. Cjekas only victory on the PGA Tour came in the Puerto Rico Open in 2015, when he picked up a $540,000 first-place prize.

His PGA Tour earnings totaled nearly $13 million, but on the Champions Tour he picked up the pace, winning two majors in 2021.

PGA Champions Tour debut: Pearl Jam, Phil throws BP and a Tiger trouncing: Oh, the stories Justin Leonard can tell

Defending champion nearly died: 'My eyes were yellow': Steve Stricker gains new perspective from frightening health crisis

Triplett follows Jayland Walker crisis: Golfer Kirk Triplett's plea after Jayland Walker tragedy: 'Community has got to reconcile'

Man benefits from Northern Ohio Golf Charities: 'He's conquered so much': Golf helps empower disabled man not expected to walk or talk

Coming into this weeks Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, Cejka had earned over $2.3 million in two seasons and stood 14th on the 2022 Schwab Cup list with two top 10s and seven top 25s in 13 events.

In his return to Akron for the fourth of five senior majors, Cejka fired a 6-under 64 on the famed South Course Thursday to claim the first-round lead.

Cejka knows whats working for him on the Champions Tour.

It's a big difference if you play on this tour or if you play on the PGA Tour against 23-year-old kids who hit it 50 yards past you, make every putt, make every chip, he said. The last couple years on the PGA Tour I played good, but the courses were just too long. You know, too much pressure. You're trying to make the cut and you're annoyed even if you make it but you finish 50th because physically, you just can't beat those guys on a weekly basis.

I can have a good week and I can finish up there, but that's not what we play for playing 30 tournaments and finish once up there. Those guys are just super good. The game has changed in the last couple years, everybody hits it so far now. So it's really pleasant to play like guys my distance with no cut. It's a totally different mindset than teeing it up on the PGA Tour on Thursday and you know you have to shoot 6 under to make the cut. That's the only difference.

Cejka has also found the lifestyle suits him. He and his wife travel by RV, which is parked across the street from the Firestone clubhouse. They bring their smallest dog on the road as well.

Its a great spot, I love it here, he said.

Cejka qualified for the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational at Firestone in 2003 and 2004, but was not in the field for the 2021 Bridgestone Senior Players. He loves the test of the difficult old course.

It's a great course. I played here a long, long time ago … I want to say 20 years ago maybe, and it was back then already really, really tough, really narrow, Cejka said. I just told myself I've got to miss it in good spots and I did. My thinking was great, my execution was great today.

Cejka is pushing for his third senior major with the same drive he learned when he was 9.

It made me what I am now, still humble, still appreciate every chance, he said. Im on it now. After playing so many years on the PGA Tour, you are 50 and you can still have a second chance. And Im playing here with guys Ive known for 20, 30 years who are major champions, my heroes when I was young, they are Hall of Famers.

You know what an honor it is for me to play with guys like this? It doesnt matter if its Fred Couples or Bernhard Langer or Vijay [Singh], you name them all.

"Weall want to beat each other. We are great friends. But when we step up there, everybody has an ego. Most of us dont do it maybe for the big money anymore, but its our drive, its our ego and you want to play good. That'swhat were here for.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

Read more here:
At age 9, golfer Alex Cejka and his father escaped Communism - Akron Beacon Journal

While reading Indian-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Lowland', you're instantly taken to the 60s Naxalite movement in Kolkata.

The Naxalbari movement also saw differences in the Communist Party of India. Two years after the India-China War of 1962, the party split, leading to the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Jyoti Basu, the beacon of Indian Communism, became one of the founding members of its politburo

Jyoti Basu had many achievements to his name, such as being Indias longest-serving chief minister (overtaken by Pawan Kumar Chamling) and a beacon of Indias Communist movement. But in 1996, he came close to adding another feather to his cap almost becoming Indias first Bengali and Marxist prime minister, eventually losing out to H.D. Deve Gowda when his Communist Party of India (Marxist) decided not to join the United Front government.

His watch saw many big initiatives, such as land reforms, minimum wages for agricultural labourers, a three-tier panchayati system, dole for the unemployed and widows, and the establishment of a separate department for youth services, as per his obituary in Frontline magazine.

Today, let's remember the Leftist stalwart and CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu on his birth anniversary.

Basu had served as the chief minister of the state from 1977 to 2000. Basu ruled West Bengal for 23 uninterrupted years between 1977 and 2000, and was known for his realpolitik at the height of the Vietnam War, he renamed the Calcutta street on which the American consulate stood after Communist icon Ho Chi Minh, and then went to Washington to seek investment.

Born into an upper middle-class family in Calcutta, Basu was introduced to politics through the Communist Party of Great Britain, becoming acquaintances with Harry Pollitt, Rajani Palme Dutt, Ben Bradley and other leaders. He also attended lectures of Harold Laski, a Marxist poet who later became chairman of the British Labour Party, and involved himself in organising various activities of Indian students in the UK.

The turning point in his political life came in 1938 when he joined the London Majlis and became its first secretary. The main function of the Majlis was to organise meetings of Indian leaders visiting England with those of the Labour Party and other Socialists, and this brought Basu into contact with the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

Leading light of the Indian Left

Having developed a firm belief in the Communist ideals, Basu returned to India in 1940 and joined the Communist Party of India, also becoming secretary of the Friends of the Soviet Union and Anti-Fascist Writers and Artists Association in Calcutta.

In 1977, after the Emergency, the Left Front came to power in West Bengal, with Basu, who had switched to the Satgachia constituency, becoming CM.

He retired from active politics in 2000, leaving the Left Front government in the hands of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who ruled for 11 more years. Basu remained a member of the CPI(M) politburo till 2008, and a special invitee of the partys central committee till his death.

Basu suffered multiple organ failure on 1 January 2010, and passed away on 17 January 2010.

As per his wishes, his body and eyes were handed over to SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, for research.

(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here.To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)

More here:
Jyoti Basu Birth Anniversary: Remembering the beacon of Indian Communism - Free Press Journal