Coinbase Bans Milo While USA Drops to 48th for Freedom of the Press

[Magician]

Coinbase, one of the few crypto exchanges and broker in the United States, has banned Milo Yiannopoulos from its platform.

The controversial polemicist had his account closed within three minutes, suggesting Coinbase has some sort of blacklist.

The Silicon Valley based exchange has not publicly commented on the matter, with this being the latest development in the apparent institution of corporate censorship.

Coinbase joins many others, from payment processors to social networks, that have refused access to individuals who are perceived to provoke social cohesions.

The mosque shooting may have contributed to a recent acceleration of what has been called de-platforming of individuals that are perceived to effectively scapegoat.

Most such individuals, however, also have good points to make. Has feminism gone too far, for example, to the point where men are discriminated against? Are certain ghetto like areas due to government planning and policy or is it merely that birds of a feather flock together?

People like Milo do at times go too far in making such points and usually they preach, instead of debate. Those that disagree, however, appear to have not quite engaged in a debate, seemingly leaving only one side with the microphone. A microphone that is now apparently being taken off or is having its volume reduced.

The prime example of refusing to engage in a debate is Owen Jones storming off a news studio following what back then in 2016 was yet another attack.

It can be argued that this refusal to engage in debate has gradually led to groupthink and even more radicalism in certain sections that has so far culminated in the mosque shooting.

That does make some speech dangerous, and might be why independents perhaps don’t mind too much this de-platforming. Yet the fall of USA in freedom of the press ranking shows the other side of the coin.

USA drops to 48th in freedom of the press rankings, May 2019

Milo and others have a responsibility as public figures to be careful with their language and to be mindful of the effects their words may have, especially if they are creating a narrative that effectively dehumanizes.

Yet society in general also has to be mindful of compromising its principles too much as a reaction to what may be temporary events because hard-won rights given away are hard to take back.

The solution is debate. Not one side preaching. More mixing. More challenging of ideas rather than drumming of narrations. More sitting at tables, rather than shouting at microphones.

With the rise of social media, perhaps that art of debating is starting to get lost, but it has to be rediscovered if America is to stop dropping in rankings.

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