I've been worrying about the centralization of PAL as soon as I realized the implications. The thing was, a few days ago, I didn't know what it really meant. I didn't know if it meant that they could do something that might cause the coin to instantly devalue...or if they could censor in what ways.
What they could do with their front end. I thought that perhaps whatever they chose to do would probably be way off. Until then, maybe PAL would be a good way to earn. And whatever changes happened, they'd probably be slow, right?
Well, we're perhaps seeing the first steps...and it's a doozy...
Some dick apparently told Gandalf the Grey to die, and that he would kill him. I personally don't think that's acceptable talk at all, and personally hate when people tell people to die, or kill themselves, or that they're going to kill them. But...it's the internet...it happens...and some people are psychotic or sociopaths or whatever.
Everyone knows this isn't acceptable behavior...but no one knew the consequences. No one knew that suddenly PAL would decide that certain actions could get you "muted" on PALnet in different ways.
I can't defend this idiot. I never was that good at playing devil's advocate. I can't defend someone telling someone I actually kinda like that they're going to kill them.
But see, that's the problem with censorship and other things, isn't it? It's not like they enforce the rules against people that don't deserved it too often. At least at the start. It always starts with the ones that are the hardest to defend.
That's what birthed the saying "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," which apparently was written by historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall, according to this page.
Of course, I don't even wanna defend the right of this ass clown to threaten people on the chain. I also can't defend PAL for enforcing rules that didn't exist yesterday, creating consequences out of thin air, and making it so that suddenly the centralization is very real.
What other rules are they gonna pull out of their ass? What other consequences?
People need clear rules. People need to know what the consequences are. They need to know how to appeal decisions. They need to know who the fuck is inn charge of deciding who receives those consequences.
I just staked close to 500 PAL since I started using it...and now I'm wondering if that was a mistake. I also have orders in to buy more PAL if the price goes down...and I have to wonder if that's a mistake.
I still have more posts coming to payout...including this one...that will earn PAL.
I don't wanna defend some idiot's right to threaten people...if he was serious with that threat. Maybe he just has anger management issues. I don't fucking know. I know he has a bot following him that threatens to flag anyone that even replies to him.
What I do want though is to use a social network that isn't run as shittily as all the others. There need to be clear rules. There need to be guidelines on how they are enforced. There need to be second chances, for all the people that aren't total dickweeds, and maybe struggle every day with their internal demons and their anger. There need to be clear guidelines on the enforcement of the rules and how long the person has to live under the consequences. If this asshole, or some one in the future that ends up under the same consequences decides that they're gonna try to be nicer, how long until they could possibly get them reversed? Who decides that? Will they define a tribunal? Or just a bunch of shadow workers that we have no names for?
Same shit...different platform.
This is the first step. The first enforcement. There will be others. Gradually they will define more and more rules. They will decide what is and is not allowed. And gradually less and less will be allowed. But their first step already declared that they don't have to tell us what the rules are before they decide to enforce them. We're supposed to just know. The rules of what is and is not acceptable in society.
But then, there's a difference between what's generally not acceptable, and what influences the money you earn, and what gets you in trouble on some internet website.
So, this is the new reality of PALnet. What's next? What's for tomorrow?
An auto-da-fé of the Spanish Inquisition and the execution of sentences by burning heretics on the stake in a market place. Wood engraving by Bocort after H.D. Linton (source)
Used under CC BY 4.0 License
