Friday, September 17, 2021

Jailbreak


Hello Facebook Followers.

(Also, various and assorted others)

You're wondering where I've been all week, aren't you? 

Well, I was suspended. From Facebook. 

Again. 

For the last several years, it's become tradition for me to be suspended on or about the anniversary of 911 and this year is no different. 

Facebook's idiot mechanical brain decided a post from two weeks ago (which I suspect was targeted by people mad about my annual 911 post but who couldn't flag that any more because I've taken it down and moved it here, so they picked a target of convenience) about a new law in a certain state, a post that literally mentioned not one single human person, political party, gender, identity, or ideology in any fashion whatsoever, was somehow a violation of its "harassment and bullying" policy. 

And I was suspended.

Formerly, when this happened, there was some sort of appeal process. But I was not offered such this time because Facebook claims to be "shorthanded during the COVID pandemic" (which I suspect is shorthand for "we just don't want to spend any money on actual people and we don't really give a shit how that works out for you, Zuckerberg needs a new mansion) and thus unable to review anything their mechanical brain flags. 

Basically, they're letting software make judgement calls regarding the subtleties of human expression and interaction without any human oversight and those judgement calls are final and absolute. 

No chance of error there, eh? 

You could write an entire scifi subgenre of horror stories about all the things that could go wrong with this idea. 

Nevertheless, here we are and it's impossible for me to modify my behavior to prevent this sort of thing in the future, because I have absolutely no idea what part of the two-line throwaway post violated the policy. 

What terrible thing did I say? 

This: "Really not surprising a bunch of Dollar Store cowboys who worship the idea of manifest destiny, rough frontier justice, and some idiotic heroic mythology of a lost cause as their own Thermopylae would once again legalize vigilante-style justice and the open carry of six-shooters."

That's it. 

That's what I said. 

Now how is that harassment and bullying? 

Harassment? Who did I harass? Literally who does that comment harass? How does it harass them? 

Bullying? Who did I bully? Texas? I bullied the entire state of Texas? Like the entire state. All those big tough giant hat wearin' beefsteak-eatin truck-drivin' pistol-packin' shitkickers. I made them cry. Stonekettle is bullying us! We are emasculated! We'll never be able to wear our pointy-toed boots in public again! We might as well be Vermont! 

They've been bullied. By me. 

I did that. 

I guess that's what Facebook is saying.

I mean, I'm going to just go ahead and interpret it that way, because it amuses me to do so. But, I don't really know, because there is no way to know. 

There are no guidelines, no explanation, no feedback, no appeal, no help

Nothing. Facebook provides nothing in the way of support whatsoever. So there is literally no way to know. Thus there is no way to do better. No way to learn. No way not to do it again

You literally cannot comply with Facebooks policy, because there is absolutely no way to know how you violated it. 

And yet, every single day my Facebook DMs are literally full of people calling me all sorts of horrible things, threatening violence. One guy literally threatened to show up and rape my wife and son while I watched. I got in contact with the police, they went to his house and arrested him and he's in jail right now, but when I reported it to Facebook they said it didn't violate their policies and, hey, if you don't like it, just ignore him. 

Because those things are not, apparently, harassment or bullying according to Mark Zuckerberg.

But, Goddamn, don't bully Texas. 

Again, I don't know. 

This is the third time this year and it's likely to keep happening. And every time I'm suspended, it's for a longer and longer timeout. 

Facebook doesn't care how much time and effort you've put into their platform.

They don't care if you're actually trying to comply with their idiotic and arbitrary rules. 

They don't care. 

And because Facebook does not care, the company has given over management of the platform to software, to machines and algorithms, and removed human training and judgement from the loop.

And you can't argue with machines. 

Sooner or later, I'm going to get suspended permanently. It's inevitable at this point. Especially since the robots are crawling backward through my timelines and going after posts that didn't violate policy ten years ago, but somehow do now -- even though they are about subjects long gone. 

Facebook does not care and will not listen. 

Twitter isn't any better, just different in its terribleness. 

The rules of social media are applied arbitrarily and there's just not one damn thing you can do about it. 

I think eventually social media will have to be regulated like any other utility. Maybe not eventually, maybe pretty soon and right now. 

And when that happens -- and it will just as soon as Republicans are back in charge and they come for those platforms that booted their demigod Donald Trump -- it's going to cost Facebook and Twitter billions

And they will have no one to blame but themselves. 

These companies are not going to get a whole lot of sympathy from me, even if it is Republicans who stick it to them for their own selfish reasons.

There is no point in complaining about it though I obviously am, or talking about "fairness" or anything else. Social media isn't fair. Despite the vaunted appeals of Zuckerberg and Dorsey to "free speech" and "public dialog" social media isn't about those things and never has been. 

It's about profit. 

And I will say these platforms are a pretty good example why the free market cannot be trusted to manage itself. Facebook and Twitter, and their various technological vassals and satellites, don't give a good goddamn about you and why should they? 

If they actually did, they'd treat you like people instead of like an insurance company denying a claim.

It's as simple as that, really. 


But until that regulation happens, if it does, you're just shit out of luck. 


I can't work this way. 

It's just not possible. Literally. Even if I wanted to, Facebook won't let me. 

So here's what we're going to do: 

I'm going to move political commentary back to my own website, here. 

No. No. Stop screaming. This is a good thing for me and for you

Why me? I'm hoping that becomes self evident by and by. 

Why for you? Well, for starters, you keep telling me how much you miss long form. Okay. Here it is. Also, no comment limit. Comments are limited on my Facebook page. Not everyone can comment on my page, that's the most common complaint I get. But, over here, well, anyone can comment so long as they obey the rules. Blocking. I can block you from my Twitter and Facebook pages, or at least make it difficult for you to see my content. Here? Even if I don't let you comment, you can still see the posts.  Also vastly better formatting, higher resolution. Etc. Etc. Also, a bunch of other cool stuff that will eventually become apparent.

Now, does this mean I'm going to completely abandon Facebook? Or maybe Twitter? 

Nope. 

Not unless Zuckerberg and Dorsey kick me out of their worlds permanently, which is of course entirely possible at any random moment for totally arbitrary reasons. You pays your money and you takes your chances. 

What I'll do is post mostly non-political content on Facebook, hopefully things that won't get me afoul of the Faceborg Collective. And political commentary will be summarized every day on Stonekettle Station and a link posted on Twitter and Facebook and in the Facebook Stonekettle Station Group. 

Meaning you can comment here on Stonekettle Station directly, you can comment on Twitter, you can comment on Facebook as you always could, and if you're a member you can participate in the resulting comments in the Stonekettle Station Facebook Group. So, you get more options to post your voice and opinion, you get more content, and you get it more often and in more detail.

And if I do get suspended permanently, and my Facebook or Twitter pages taken down, or I go silent on those social media sites, well, you don't lose anything because it'll here on my website. If you don't hear from me on Facebook, come here and see what's going on.

This will also make sharing content easier -- as you can just post a link to the article on Stonekettle Station instead of trying to figure out how to share Facebook and Twitter posts to various platforms and forums.  

I've also updated Stonekettle Station to make every page a secure connection, which should fix access for those of you working through corporate connections. 

And I'm making other updates as I go. 


Anyway, that's how it is. 


First daily summary went up on September 15th

Second one yesterday on the 16th

I'm working on today. See you around. 




229 comments:

  1. Sorry it came to this. Followed you here before then, following you here now after then. Oddly,(or perhaps not so odd) Google still shows an ID that I haven't used in 11 or 12 years. I'm James Lucius, in case it's necessary.

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  2. I for one, enjoy you on a political and artist forefront. Thank you.

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    1. Me too! I'm hoping he can continue to share his art here, if necessary.

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  3. Welcome back and I'll follow you on any platform you are on!

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  4. Dorsey and Zuckerberg are both hopelessly broken capitalists. Reading you here is more thorough, and less noisy than reading it on the socials. It will be interesting to see how they respond when they finally get backed up.

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  5. I got suspended on Facebook for 30 days because I apparently incited violence when I commented on Heather Cox Richardson's post that they should "kill the filibuster"

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    1. JFC, Phil…. Assaulting the filibuster. No wonder you were suspended. It is interesting that it was on an HCR post. I get her dailys emailed to me. She is excellent as is her podcast with Joanne Freeman “Now & Then”.

      Jim and Heather help me keep things in perspective.

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    2. It's the word "kill" that did it. Certain words or phrases, I've learned, trigger the censorbots and the banhammer comes slamming down - I just came off a 3-day ban for telling a whiny-ass crybaby bellyaching about my "dictatorship" of a state (because we have a smart governor who listens to scientists and advocates for masks and vaccines) that if "you don't like it here you can just leave" - and boom, I got hit by the censorbots.

      Same thing with the word "idiot" or any variation thereof - FuckFaceBook considers that one of their no-no words, which is likely what got Jim's post targeted. (He's right, of course, but like he said, FuckFaceBook doesn't care.)

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    3. HCR is a national treasure!

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    4. She is indeed!!! She and Jim and Dan Rather are the three that I follow, haven't got time for more, yet. ����
      JustJanice

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    5. A friend of mine just got suspended from FB for 30 days for quoting the movie Dawn of the Dead IN A THREAD ABOUT THE MOVIE.

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    6. I don't normally endorse harassment as a tool, but, frankly, if you know who reported this supposed egregious post to Facebook I think people should start reporting that person's posts.

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    7. (sniffles mightily as he comments to Jim for the first time.)

      Keep up the good work.

      --Fellow inmate of Facebook this week, Dan Evans.

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    8. My next one will probably be for 30 days. I have taken to cr3@t!ve sp3ll!ng to try to avoid it, but !'m sure the bots will catch on ev3ntu@lly. It seems that they are much more tolerant of the tr@itor's comments, though.

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    9. I got TwitterJail™ for replying to a tweet about something stupid MAGAt Taylor Green said. All I tweeted was 'Why doesn't someone just slap her?'

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    10. i got put in jail for using the words stupid and americans next to each other. my second time in jail was for bullying - i posted the election results with trump losing. not sure how that was bullying. oh and i called her sweetie. that must have been the bullying.

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    11. Smackiepipe~ I did the same thing~ I said I wanted to smack that smirk of TFGs face! Took 30 seconds to get thrown in jail. Now I have to remember to watch what I Tweet.

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  6. Thanx, Jim. Your pragmatism is so refreshing. I look forward to your posts and your pics.

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  7. As a complete nobody, I approve of this message.

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  8. Thank you for the update. I enjoy your photography and will look forward to my daily updates here. Keep on keepin' on.

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  9. This makes perfect sense to me, Jim. Full speed ahead.

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  10. Thank you for the update. I enjoy your photography and will look forward to my daily updates here. Keep on keepin' on.

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  11. YAY! This is great news. Thank you! I love your longform commentaries. (I love your short, sharp jabs on FB and Twitter, too.)

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  12. Better here than on those other datamines, too. Lurked here for years before the Zuck got involved. Worth every minute.

    Sidenote: slimline pen I got last sale works like a champion.

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  13. Awww..good to see you..I was waiting with bated breath for a bit on texass...I'll just look for it here��

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  14. Hi Jim,
    Former Army Spec Ops CW3 who has been following you for quite some time. I sorted of figured that something like a Facebook had happened. It would be great if you could put some sort of email notification on this so that we know there is a new post. I subscribe to your Patreon site hoping that we'd get updates from there. If/when you get back on Facebook you put a link there too.

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  15. I wondered what happened. Glad you aren't deathly ill and it's "just" Facebook being awful. I have favorited your site and will try to remember to check in daily.

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  16. This target harrassment has been happening to especially POC creators on different platforms who speak out against the hate & violence from the right. It was noted that FB has many "farms" from Eastern European countries who sow division that use these tactics. Along with radical cult followers of the orange failed human. So they gang report/flag people who speak truth like you because they hate that. Kind of like you throwing hold water on the kid in the exorcist, they yell "It Burns"....

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  17. I agree with everything you said. I will be getting my Bindi AtThe Beach account back in about 10 minutes after a week for the same reason you got for yours. Twitter premenstrual permanently suspended me last year and I never got an answer. It's very disheartening. Welcome back!

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  18. I feel ya, as... same. FB gave me 30 days in the hole for... ? They won't tell me. I don't know who I "bullied" or how, as that info isn't available. Appeal ? Again, no option for such. So, for unknown reasons, I can't do a damn thing except look at other people's posts.
    Don't let the bastards get you down.
    BTW, I was permanently banned by Twitter long before it was cool. Peace...

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  19. I'm glad I happened across your Facebook post that brought me here.
    I've been following you for awhile on FB and have occasionally wanted to comment but couldn't.
    I'm so sorry that someone threatened your family and I am happy they were arrested.

    You often say what I would like to say but you do it so much better.

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  20. I think the time has come to decamp the FaceBorg arena. For myself, it has become too full of unwanted and misplaced adverts. Why would I be interested in IT managerial software or women's panty liners! Lots of other reasons to set sail outbound but that is just for starters.

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    1. Fla Catman:
      What you do with that managerial software and those pantyliners is YOUR business.

      Delete
  21. Hmm. I tried to comment and I think it was lost when it asked me to log in.

    Glad to see you are OK and it is "just" Facebook being awful. I have favorited your site and I will try to remember to check in daily.

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  22. Thank you. You and Heather Cox Richardson are keeping me sane. And I anm totally stealing Faceborg (snicker)!!

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  23. Hello! I love your blog, and I agree with your opinions on just about everything so far. If there is something that I don't agree with, I can't remember right now, but I will let you know for what it is worth. I am glad that you are moving away from FaceBorg.

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  24. The algorithm picks up the word *shoot* or *shooter.* I just was jailed for 30 days for the same verbiage.

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  25. Not for nothing but, you blocked me on Twitter and i still don't know what i did. I made a post about female lions being the hunters in a pride and was blocked shortly after ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    I still follow you on Facebook however because i feel like you are an important voice in these times and i love your photography.

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  26. Thank you. You and Heather Cox Richardson are keeping me sane. And I am totally stealing Faceborg (snicker)!!

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  27. We should all just abandon Facebook.

    All two-point-something billion humans need to leave Zuck alone with the bots--both his and the Russian ones.

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  28. Excellent. Sorry you're having to jump thru all their "hoops".

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  29. Probably it was the "idiot" part. Simple and easy for a bot to spot. I just got off of my first 24 hour suspension (second "offence") so I'm a rookie, haha. I got there by responding to someone who called Nancy P. a "pandering drunken old hag" by calling him an ignorant right wingnut. Horrific, no? That said - missed you!

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  30. Good enough for me. Just watch out that the "insect" rights are respected on FB.

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  31. Fine by me. Missed your longer form, but FB did make it easier one stop reading, before it turned into a stop reading.

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  32. Hey, I've been in FB prison 8 times now. I think it just cues on words and that's it. I was banned for 30 days for using the word "cow" on a post that was talking about cows. Seriously? Yeap...

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  33. I got my 4th!! 30 day ban for saying 'Scroll along little doggie', because he had a cowboy outfit on. That's it. Evidently, no one has seen a Western movie in FB land. FB has gotten to be fanatical gatekeepers. Crazy place. Stay safe and sane.

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  34. Sorry that it had to come to this, but hope this will make life a little easier for you. I suspect many of those "Dollar Store cowboys" couldn't even understand what you said, never mind actually be offended by your words. Keep up the good fight, Jim!

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  35. I think the "top stories" algorithm will bury posts with links to off-site content for those who use it. I see a lot of folks putting their links in comments on their posts in an attempt to work around the algorithm, but that's really not ideal.

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  36. Most excellent decision, I look forward to a civil and unmoderated (by software) discourse on your long form posts.

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  37. Most excellent decision, I look forward to a civil and unmoderated (by software) discourse on your long form posts.

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  38. I usually take the week before and after 9/11 off too because I can't stand all the BS posts from people who have never worn the uniform (or have never been close to anyone who has, because I know they matter a lot). Didn't notice you were gone but understand what you're saying as far as fb and twitter methods.

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  39. It certainly is frustrating. I enjoy all your posts. I hope to continue to do so, as long as FB allows.

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  40. Dang. What a pain.
    Thanks for doing what you're doing.

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  41. Any way to get notified when you post something new?

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  42. Understand your chagrin. I got 30 days for saying "Kill the Filibuster" and had no option to appeal. Wish Liker would get back up after the malicious hack. So I've been practicing being quiet..
    so much for free speech or cancel culture. The real snowflakes cannot take being called snowflakes, Karens, or white trash either even though I've been called actual obscene terms. You have a great solution!

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  43. Well Jim, I've used much worse language than what you got suspended for, but mine was not as descriptive as your infraction. Seems some computer server somewhere has you on a hit list and got confused and figured it had to be a violation. Oh well, free speech right?

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  44. I hate that this keeps happening to you. Seems like there should be a tech savvy person out there somewhere who could create a social media platform that works for decent people like you. Your words are inspiring and I’ve learned a great deal from you. You are very much appreciated!

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    1. It's not just the creation of the platform. There are plenty out there. The biggest problems are adoption (to get people off Facebook and onto the new platform) and then monitoring and moderating the new platform.

      There is a reason why Facebook is a monopoly. They grew the fastest and everybody in the world is on it now. THAT's what makes it valuable to people. They can find the folks they want to talk to. It's easier on a platform that has a billion people on it than on one that has, say a couple of thousand.

      Delete
  45. "Idiotic", you said that. No-no, in any context it seems.

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  46. What? You mean Facebook doesn't have you on their whitelist? :D I truly do wish I could make comments on your FB page.

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  47. Thank you Jim for your insightful and thought provoking writings. I appreciate you and all you do.

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  48. Just being anonymous for the moment. I had put a shortcut to here on my tablet months ago when you were having problems on Facebook and gave us all a head's up. Guess it's time to get it bookmarked on the computer as well. Take care, Jim.

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  49. Thank you for the breadcrumbs. I appreciate our new home. Will there be photographs? My only housewarming present is my virtual attendance commitment, as always.

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  50. Voice recognition changed "people skills" to "people's kill" and I'm suspended for 30 days. With no appeal.

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  51. I'm in FB jail for telling an anti-vaxxer to "continue taking ivermectin and drinking bleach"

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  52. Faceborg Collective, my new favorite phrase. Thanks Jim!

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  53. Thank you! Your posts are what kept me sane during the horrors of the trump years... and the aftermath. I will be checking your blog site daily for my 'Voice of Reason' and awesome humor! :-D Love your photography!

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  54. You pissed off J R Ewing et al again !
    Keep sticking it to them Jim xx

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  55. I'd post "I'd follow you anywhere" but that sounds kinda stalkerish and creepy, so I won't.

    But I would.

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  56. I'll read you where ever you post. I enjoy your writing (and appreciate the effort you put into it) and love your photography posts too.

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  57. I’ve been in FB Jail 4 times for 4 weeks each since Halloween. I appealed 3 of them and the appeal was not acted on until after my sentence. Apparently, calling someone a “Trumpian cocksucker” is a felony. Who knew???

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  58. "You could write an entire scifi subgenre of horror stories about all the things that could go wrong with this idea." The first example of this genre that I remember was a story told in memos and clippings of the person who was overdue returning their copy of "Kidnapped" but Robert Louis Stevenson. Eventually they were tried and executed for kidnapping and murdering poor, innocent Bobby Stevens (or something similar).
    Even in the early days of electronic media that taught me to CYA.

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    Replies
    1. Gordon R. Dickson's classic response to book club "problems".

      Delete
  59. I'm becoming less and less active on FB because of too many friends who've gotten the ban hammer for even more ridiculous reasons. My own writing is now going on my blog with a link posted on FB, and I'm spending more and more of my "social" social media time on Discord servers.

    I think your site may just go into my list of websites I check daily because screw Zuck.

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  60. I've given up on the borg. I check my garden group but the last straw was someone posting a photo of 4 unfortunate men who have obvious physical and neurological challenges and the request was for folks to 'name a music group they could form'. And people were actually doing it! I asked what kind of people make fun of 4 dudes who look very ill and sad. That was my last straw. I look for you and my garden group, but I'm done scrolling and adding another notch on their ad count.

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  61. Thanks for another great read. Stay safe.

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  62. Thanks for another good read. Stay safe.

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  63. Same, same. FB jails me every now and then for "reasons". I set up a backup account, since I manage so many pages for clients. I've moved all my relevant commentary BACK to my blog where it belongs. I applaud you for doing the same. Fuck FB and Twitter, and fuck putting your awesome content on their platforms. If you ever want to leave blogger, I'll donate my time to build you a website. :)

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  64. I'm looking forward to reading your posts here. Thanks!

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  65. I’ll be glad to read you here, Jim. Your candor is always appreciated.

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  66. Cannot tell you how much I appreciate your commentary. Although I did know Stonekettle existed, I never took the time to check it out. Going forward, I’ll follow you here. Keep up the good work, and PLEASE, do not be discouraged.

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  67. I got a first warning for bullying from FB because of a response I made to one of your posts. It was clearly indicated that my reply was sarcasm and not meant literally. But they wouldn't listen and said it stays. If I get warned again, I'm going to be in FB jail. I've been on FB a long time and never got in trouble. Now I'm a bully? Fuck Zuckerberg.

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  68. I've been in 6 months this year. I am done with Facebook. My last suspension was for bullying a dead guy, a holocaust denying antivaxxer who died of rona. The one before was just for posting a Keith Olbermann YouTube video with the caption 'he's not wrong.' It is time to abandon Facebook. The Facebook top ten is constantly republican scumbags.Check them out on twitter.

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  69. Thanks Jim. Sorry Facebook is being such a butthead. I followed you here before gravitating to the Facebook group. So I'll make a note to check here for political commentary and Facebook for your photography. I appreciate all you do.

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  70. A few months ago I shared a weather site post that said the La Nina pattern was starting to break up and die. This was great news as my part of the country is undergoing catastrophic drought and we needed the blessed relief of rain brought on by El Nino conditions. My post stated "DIE, LA NINA, DIE!" and was removed for "violating community standards". Last week.

    So I was busted for bullying a weather pattern.

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  71. I will be here with you all the way....
    Lots of animal rescuers getting booted off FB too.
    I guess they think we're cannibalists, which is surprising, given how many freaky groups they allow.

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  72. Well, back to using the rest reader. FB made it a bit easier because I have login to comment here, but fb does seem to have a severe bias against not right wing.

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  73. Thanks for the update on your Social Media woes and the link to your page. Bookmarked and set reminders to check in regularly. Be well.

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  74. Hello Jim; Maybe someone in Dollar Store's head office lodged a complaint? But seriously, go your own way. That's why I read your posts and essays. I'm from Canada, and between your insights and Heather Cox Richardson's posts, my understanding of the country where my son now makes a life has grown exponentially. Thank you. - Christine Whidden

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    Replies
    1. That was the only thing really specific in the entire paragraph and it might have got their corporate shorts in a bunch. Probably should have said "drugstore cowboys". But, I agree with Jim's larger complaint, the Facebook algorithm is bad news for all of us.

      Delete
  75. Love your content. I was once banned on FB for using vulgar language to tell a blatant racist to shove it. I went to jail yet his content remained.

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    Replies
    1. This is what kills me. The violent right-wing racists, which I'm certain include anti-Semites who would LOVE to see Jewish people like Zuckerberg *dead*, are allowed to spew their drivel endlessly, but don't we DARE call these racists out on their shit, lest we get sent to the Facebook slammer.

      Apologies for the hyperbole, but as a MOT myself, I lump Zuckerberg in with the Sonderkommando and Kapo who willfully sold out their own when the worst of humanity came for them. Sorry, Zuck, your fucking money isn't going to save you from the monstrous menace you've birthed upon yourself.

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  76. I just got off of 30 days for pointing out to someone that they were quoting & supporting a known racist homophobe. That's bullying... I hate FB with a passion but am trapped there as I run a rare breeds dog rescue and there is no other way to reach supporters effectively. It takes money I don't have to feed and vet this crew and other platforms just don't have the reach. I keep hoping each new try will be the death of FB but so far all failures.

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    1. My cousin, who is whiter than the sheets at a KKK convention, gets routinely suspended for dissing white people. I report homophobes and racist posts, "that doesn't violate our community standards"

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  77. Wherever you land, I'll still be following you. Your political and social commentary are excellent. Keep up the great work. Oh and thanks for the longform!! (And thanks for all the fishes)

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  78. I flag posts that have the "n" word in them as a violation of hate speech but they all result in me being told it doesn't violate Facebook's TOA. A few weeks ago, a friend jokingly posted that if you serve him a hot dog with ketchup on it, he will kill you. He was thrown in FB jail for making violent threats. It makes no fucking sense. I am happy to read your work wherever you post it, but it bugs me that FB forces you to deal with bullshit rules and robots who don't wish to discuss enforcing them.

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  79. My Irish poet/writer friend of 50 plus years started having the same problems when she posted about animals of more than one color. With pictures of horses. The word is "pied". She is also an expert on the Celtic language. Who knows what was found offensive about those posts.

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  80. Hey Chief, if you need moderators to help with the workload let me know. Approving every single comment is hell for one person. Let moderators do the work for you!

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  81. There was only one thing wrong with the model where every had their own blog, and their own comments, and used an RSS reader to aggregate all the people they follow: it was hard to monetise. So Google killed Reader and the rest is history.

    I'm v. happy to read your blog on Inoreader and leave Twitter to the outrage storms and Facebook to the pictures of people's lunch and children.

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  82. well, I at least called a racist a pig to get a week time out on FB. Makes me feel better I actually coommitted the crime.
    Yeah, they don't let you even send a reason why you think the ruling was shyte.

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  83. Yeah, I got the ban hammer for quoting Martin Luther King about willful ignorance and conscientious stupidity on an anti-vaxxer's post. Bullies - can dish it out, apparently, but melt the first time it comes back at them. Glad you're back to long form. It's where I first fell in love with your writing.

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  84. The same thing is happening to me. Glad to see you back on the blog, I preferred it anyway.

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  85. Faceboook drools, Stonekettle rules.

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  86. I did notice the silence, and am glad you have a workaround for it. Silly robots.

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  87. The more creators that move back to the real web, the better. Looking forward to future posts!

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  88. Thank you for publicly battling the trolls. Whatever you need to do to allow us to see your work with less nonsense directed at you . Please keep the rss live on this site to allow those of us who use it to be notified about new pieces in a timely manner.

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  89. Hey, us Vermonters have way better kicking boots than Texas. They're heavy, frozen hard, and covered in cow shit. When we kick you, you stay kicked.

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  90. as a recent victim of "FB Jail" I absolutely understand... arbitrary, AI driven word policing ... w/o any recourse ... you have made the correct choice ... keep up the honest commentary

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  91. Still here, Darlin’. Appreciate you.

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  92. i can not tell you the number of times i have been in fb jail. i am in it right now. 30 days. this is probably my 3rd 30 day one. first a few hours, then a day, then 3 days, a week, then the monthly ones. there use to be appeals. no more, covid you know. oh, wait, i mean bullshit. they just do not want to here what their drones (or whatever it is) are doing. and fuck you if you don't like it. my last one that got me here now was about the terrorists that blew up our 13 marines. i said we just need to blow the assholes off of the face of the earth, period. they obviously need the fear of god put into them. one said men are assholes, talking about a guy that cheated on his fiancé, another said white men are pigs, using numbers and symbols for some of the letters. didn't fool the bot!!

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  93. Yeah, facebook has been getting weirder and weirder.
    I keep getting "suggested for you" content that are right wing whack sites, as if they never banned me for my flaming progressive posts.
    Glad to see you have taken the initiative and moved your stuff here.
    Facebook is only good for hummingbird photos anymore anyway ;D

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  94. This is the place that I, long ago, entered into my RSS feed. My RSS feed is the only place I ever see any of your posts. I got off Facebook and Twitter about a month after I signed up for them; a very long time ago indeed. So, I for one am happy to start reading your stuff again.

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  95. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your comments & photos!

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  96. Thanks for the update. I will continue to follow whatever platform you use.

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  97. For completely selfish reasons, I'm glad to have you back at stonekettle.com - rarely Facebook, never have Twittered. Thank you for your thoughtful and thought-provoking stuff.

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  98. The only advantage FB has is there's a built in audience. Other than that I think posting here is the best bet. I post my yammering on FB because nobody gives a shit about what I say, but if I had your audience I'd stick to your blog for the (I hate to use the word) freedom it affords. Fuck a bunch of FB.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Does Stonekettle have an RSS feed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Check out the sidebar on the right. Half way down on your way to donating!

      Delete
    2. Okay. I'm in Stonekettle FB group but never commented on this site before - mostly because I'm old and don't know how to add an RSS to the bottom of Reply as, as my Google name is different than my FB name, so I don't know how this will be published. On the other hand, I think it's great that you're moving to another site. I would never go to FB at all if it weren't for you and a few others and my relatives living in other states. Do you know if we are the same people who have been already approved for the FB group?

      It will be great now when we're wondering if you're okay only to find out you've been FB jail again put their either by the evil trolls or by the incompetence of FB robot monitors (also evil).

      Delete
  100. Count me in- I got suspended yesterday for striking back at someone that managed to reach into their brain pocket and pull out "it's also their fault" when talking about abused gymnast MINORS. So, I asked her to find a cliff, and jump. Is that bullying? Yeah, probably. But...nothing happened to her (confirmed by others). So, here we are- algorithms mixing up context. Because they can. I'm fine with abiding by terms of service- but what ARE THEY?

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  101. This is EXACTLY my experience. My last ban was for 30 days for something completely innocuous that was clearly not looked at by a person or reviewed at all. I figure it's only a matter of time.

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  102. I got suspended yesterday as well. It was quite odd- a commenter dug this out of their brainpocket: "It's their fault too for not being aggressive and telling someone" with regards to abused MINOR gymnasts. I asked her to find a nearby cliff and jump. Bullying and harassment? Yeah, probably. But did anything happen to her? Nope (confirmed by others). I guess...the algorithm can do whatever it wants. This is the third time I've been banned, and each time, I wonder how the gander gets it, but the goose doesn't. I wonder how the veiled or direct threats of violent civil war from the fucknuts never get banned. It's clearly not working. I've been using social media less and less, because I honestly have no idea what the terms of service even mean anymore. Needless to say, I'll continue following you here.

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  103. I got suspended yesterday as well. It was quite odd- a commenter dug this out of their brainpocket: "It's their fault too for not being aggressive and telling someone" with regards to abused MINOR gymnasts. I asked her to find a nearby cliff and jump. Bullying and harassment? Yeah, probably. But did anything happen to her? Nope (confirmed by others). I guess...the algorithm can do whatever it wants. This is the third time I've been banned, and each time, I wonder how the gander gets it, but the goose doesn't. I wonder how the veiled or direct threats of violent civil war from the fucknuts never get banned. It's clearly not working. I've been using social media less and less, because I honestly have no idea what the terms of service even mean anymore. Needless to say, I'll continue following you here.

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  104. Before there was Facebook and Twitter, there were blogs and this quaint thing called "RSS feeds". You could subscribe to a blog's RSS feed and get a notification anytime new content was published. It was kinda like getting a notification on Facebook or Twitter, except that you got a notification EVERY TIME new content was published rather than randomly and intermittently.

    Social media thoroughly hobbled RSS. But it didn't kill it.

    In fact, Google appears to be taking steps to bring it back. That's the same Google who killed their excellent Google Reader product while trying to prop up their unsuccessful Google+ social network back in the Web 2.0 days.

    https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/19/undead-again-google-brings-back-rss/

    If you look in the right-hand column on this page, or any blog page, you'll see a section called "Subscribe To" -- you can add the Stonekettle Station blog or the blog comments to your feed reader with those links. You'll get a heads-up whenever something new is posted.

    For now, there are several good, free browser extensions that make decent feed readers. Other services like Feedly and the grand-daddy of them all, NetNewsWire, provide premium features on top of simple publish notifications.

    Grab one of those and subscribe to Stonekettle, other blogs you like, any news site that offers an RSS feed (and many do), and any other site you check daily and give RSS a day in court. You might be getting in on the leading edge of A Thing™.

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  105. I can't blame you one iota for moving your political content off of Facebook. It just sticks in my craw that their policy of malignant abdication of any responsibility for their platform has effectively permitted a bunch of thin-skinned Nazi crybabies to get away with deplatforming you, while they habitually spew rivers of toxic filth that are apparently completely acceptable under the so-called community standards.

    By the way I'm feeling self-conscious about my user handle here. It was created a long time ago when I had brief fantasies of blogging, but now it looks something you'd call a QAnon dupe seeking redemption. The blog was going to be called XQ Says. Get it? Excuses! Yuk yuk!

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  106. I understand. I just got out of a 30 day jail sentence that I managed to get around by creating a fake name account. The arbitrary nature and no real appeal mechanism are so undemocratic .

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  107. Glad to hear this! I left Facebook a few years ago, not liking my FB self there very much. Never quite got the hang of Twitter. The only social media site I regularly contribute to is Reddit (and I quit the circlejerk political groups for the most part), mostly to try and help others find their way around the world of computer science and software engineering. Anywho, I used to belong to the Stone Kettle FB group and miss the dailys. So glad they found a home here!

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  108. I teased my brother in a comment once and it was flagged for bullying. So I rewrote it exactly like before and added "I love you" and it was accepted. :) haha
    I appreciate your posts. Thank you for continuing to write.

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  109. There was a time where we came to the conclusion that we had to start regulating and restricting industry, because of the damage they were doing to the environment.

    IMO we have reached a point where we need to seriously start talking about regulating and restricting technology, especially that which falls in the hands of everyday people... because of the damage it is doing TO US.

    Social media has become one of the most dangerous and destructive things humans have ever invented, and I mean that in all seriousness, not just being hyperbolic.

    Keep up the great work... and please know that while I check this site frequently for new content, I have never once seen anything you post on Facebook or Twitter because I simply will not go there; I have no account, and I won't even browse as a guest.

    And I know I am not alone in this.

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  110. Happy to follow here since I wasn't much on Facebook except to read your postings and those of Dan Rather and Heather Cox Richardson.
    Thank you for writing!

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  111. Just out of Facebook jail myself for - get this - calling out a bully. What I said was exponentially less incendiary than the original comment I was responding to, but I was the bully �� Anyway, thanks for the link. I truly enjoy your commentary and perspective. Keep up the good fight Jim. I'll continue to follow you on Facebook (for as long as they let you stay) because I also love your photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. First time I was jailed was for calling someone an idiot. It was in response to her calling me the c-word. Hers was fine but mine was not.

      Delete
  112. I’ve been suspended for thirty days three times on FB. Permanently t suspended from Twitter.
    I keep getting reported by micro rains in red hats.

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  113. I was suspended once for bullying Canada.

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  114. I hope those two pieces of garbage get taken for EVERY GODDAMN PENNY.....maybe they'll start acting like HUMAN BEINGS again.

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  115. Yep, I'm suspended for 30 days for using the word "bury". I was given the option to disagree and then an option to take it to a board of some sort. Screw FB.

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  116. Glad to see more long form from you, and thanks for the heads up that I'll need to check in here regularly rather than fb telling me there's a new piece.
    I've come to the conclusion that FB for anything other than keeping in touch with friends at just beyond the level of Christmas card updates is pretty useless. Here's hoping that *links* to your work don't get you booted.

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  117. At this point, yeah social media is going to have to be regulated. It's gotten to the point that they're helping start insurrection and getting people killed.

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  118. Thanks Jim. Always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your pictures. FB really sucks at times. I was off it for almost a year during the pandemic but missed my peeps so I hopped back on last month. And in the first two weeks I got warned because I commented on someone's post about how classy Melania Trump is. I called her (Melania) a ho. Hey, I wasn't lying.

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  119. Zuckerborg's algorithms are such bullshit. I tried to list some of my old eyeglass frames for sale and somehow that violated their terms. Really? As for Jack's site, I got perma-banned for calling out a certain Republican Congresswoman from Colorado. Glad I can still find you here when the inevitable happens. Cheers.

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  120. Not a face book user, So happy to have Stone Kettle every day. Thank you, keep up the good work.

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  121. Actually this is great news for me. I've been a fan and reader for ages and I've never been able to comment on your FB.
    Although nothing I woukd contribute can be described as necessary, it makes me happy to chime in and show my agreement with your opinions and delightful wording.

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  122. Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. Rumi. You are making a difference.

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  123. Jim, there IS an appeals process...it isn't easy, but I pulled it off a couple weeks ago, when I was suspended for using the word "fatty" in describing a cut of meat....yup, fatty meat got me suspended for a week...but I put in a challenge and it was reversed in about 2 hours

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  124. I got dinged for posting a picture of pickle grape beer and saying I was ready to burn everything down. Legit excuse for choosing violence but it wasn't directed at anyone

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  125. I'm pretty sure your pictures of hummingbird tongues will be found to violate some sort of policy sometime soon. I'm happy to come here and read your posts.

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  126. Pretty sure your pictures of hummingbird tongues will violate some sort of policy pretty soon. I'm happy to come here and read your posts.

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  127. Glad to be able to connect here. I enjoy your stuff. Look forward to being able to comment occasionally.

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  128. I like this, though, because I feel like my Patreon donation really makes a difference instead of being another click for Zuck.

    ReplyDelete
  129. I read the recaps and I think I'm going to like reading you here better than Facebook and Twitter. One spot to catch up on everything. Much easier for me to follow than on Twitter, and especially Facebook since I can never go back and find what I was just looking at. Plus no irrelevant ads for gambling sites.

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  130. One of the places where I haven't been banished is twitter. Not that I am trying, but it's facebook and instagram who seem to get their collective panties in a wad when I post old photos which (GASP) happen to show the tiniest hint of a ass-crack or areola of a model. Goddamn, you'd think they were channeling the dipshittery of the folks who used to picket 7-11 because the SI Swimsuit issue was being sold openly on the shelves. It's why I have pretty much ignored Instagram for the past 4 months.

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  131. It's all good wherever you decide to post from!

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  132. The only thing I'll miss is the response button that has several options and is called "Like". By the time I read a post and skimmed some of the written responses, I usually have nothing new to add, and yet I want you to know of my agreement and/or support. Ah well, life is messy, innit?

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  133. I hate this. And you're right about there being no way to argue against it. Dystopia, we are here.

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  134. Well I get 30 like kids fall when they walk. But when it cones to me, I'm special, I get them for things I've posted 5 to 9 years ago. Someone please, explain that to me....lol Fu Zuck, & Fu fb.

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  135. Just Texas, eh? I bullied the whole of the US the other day by saying that our tax policies were not something to be emulated. (I used the word "shitty".)

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  136. Yup. I am one week in to a 30-day suspension. For telling someone to “expand their knowledge of the topic before” they said “something else st*pid.” Literally, I put the asterisk in so I WOULDN’T be “calling” them stupid. But I was “bullying” the guy, I guess? FB punishment is cumulative, and never fall off the list.
    As much as I am enjoying the birds, and trying to avoid the things with too many legs, I am glad to know you are still in business.

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  137. This is where I found you Jim many years ago and this is where I'll stay with you. Keep on doing all the good you do.

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  138. I appreciate the update, Jim. As always, do what you feel is best, and will work for you and your situation. I'm here for the long haul, regardless of where that happens to be. Raising a glass to you and your wife. Thank you for your posts.

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  139. I made a simple, stand-alone HTML "Facebook Favs" document for pages I like to follow like yourself, HCR, David Gerrold, a bunch of others using direct links rather than depending on Facebook "allowing" me to see only a portion of any page's posts. Save my Timeline for pretty picture and inspirational quotes pages I follow. Do the same for my FB friends. Have another HTML doc for my other frequently visited sites. No need for a slew of apps. Makes my social media more manageable and keeps me under the radar.

    ReplyDelete
  140. I’m currently in FB jails for telling someone to go fuck themselves in Russian. Written with the Russian alphabet. Just days before, I reported a guy for sharing the same sentiment but he wrote it in English. FB didn’t do a thing about his post. I never got a response to my report and his post is still up. I, however, got 30 days for my post written in Russian. Nine days left.

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  141. I’m currently in FB jails for telling someone to go fuck themselves in Russian. Written with the Russian alphabet. Just days before, I reported a guy for sharing the same sentiment but he wrote it in English. FB didn’t do a thing about his post. I never got a response to my report and his post is still up. I, however, got 30 days for my post written in Russian. Nine days left.

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  142. Been waiting for this.... The whole FB realm is out of control.

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  143. Having been jailed once for responding to one of your posts with "A-Fucking-Men!!" - abuse towards males... - I dig the frustration and anger at the Borg. Although the commenting process here is slightly less convenient for us, you do end up with more quality responses, I think. I will be setting up the RSS feed as I do with HCR, as both of you are the best sources around.

    And the best photos too!

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  144. You have my empathy and sympathy. I was recently banned for 30 days for saying something factually accurate about white men. Using the phrase "white men" is hate speech on FB.

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  145. I am so mfucking sick of Facebook's Bollocks.

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  146. Yup, I have also had to deal with Facebooks absolutely ridiculous moderating a couple times this past year. The last time I got banned for a week and it was for the stupidest thing ever that only PROVES that Facebooks moderation system is a joke.

    A guy on Facebook replied to another users comment with "You are brainwashed"

    Since the guys feed was full of right-wing propaganda I replied simply with "Says the brainwashed guy"

    I got banned for that comment, but the kicker is that I reported his comment as well and what was the result? That's right, Facebook did not find any problem with their post. I even clicked for the second opinion but the result was the same.

    So yeah, I got banned for literally saying the exact same thing as he said and I got banned for a week and his comment was declared okay. Obviously the system doesn't work when the same content from two different people can have completely opposite results.

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  147. On a facebook lost pets group, the group moderator got put in facebook jail for talking about a white dog.

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  148. I'm proud to be in good company. I apparently do not have the right to have a Facebook account, I'm banned permanently for violating the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Section 3.1. I do not violate a single one of those, but as you say no ability to appeal. I was targeted by an anti-vaxx troll who accused me of "bullying" too. My crime? Advising others to report her nonsense and block her. You have a faithful reader in me, I will continue to follow on Twitter as long as we both still have Twitter accounts at least. I'd send whiskey if I had the budget for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm -- I picked Reply a Google Account and for some reason it says Unknown? This is Bev Sutton

      Delete
  149. I'm sorry (but not surprised) to hear about how you're being targeted by people who don't like what you have to say. All my life I've heard confident assurances that "The answer to speech you don't like is more speech". Bromides about the "marketplace of ideas" and how if you don't like someone's argument, the response is to come up with a better one.

    But now we've got a substantial portion of society instead following the motto "If you don't like someone's argument, lie about what they said, sabotage their access to the marketplace of ideas, and threaten their families."

    I guess the answer is that EVERYONE needs to stand up and be counted and prove to the fascism-curious and the full-fledged Nazis leading them that, regardless how they might manipulate the levers of government to access power, they are forever in the minority.
    - Signed, Anne T. Geyer

    ReplyDelete
  150. I'm currently midway through my second 30-day zucking - all for paraphrasing a misogynistic rant in a tl;dr that got me banned. I'll gladly follow you here, Chief, and hopefully be able to throw a little filthy lucre your way, as well.

    ReplyDelete
  151. Couldn't be more delighted to see this. Looking forward to your LF updates here, Jim!!!

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  152. So thank you for "coming home"
    This is where I discovered you,and the only place I can comment.
    I could never see your F***book stuff.
    ( Not a member) Ustacould read you on Twitter, they made that harder, I can no longer follow threads there, for the same reason.
    Anyway Thank you for moving!

    ReplyDelete
  153. I can relate! I'm on a 90 day go-live suspension for a couple Trump posts, which were re-posted from elsewhere. "Violation of their Community Standards!" They were not bad, I guess Suckerberg supports Trump so I got suspended. I've seen a LOT worse posts that were not taken down. I even posted SATIRE! I guess that's too much for them to understand. Their algorithm needs updating. Actually, FB is leading to the destruction of democracy. Check you on the other side!

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  154. Got suspended on FB for a week (this week) for "inciting violence." I told one of my friends, "I hope yo Mama beat yo ass for that." When I got the suspension notice, the "bot" showed me six other times I "violated standards." I'm just a hardened criminal I guess... Oh well, "haters gon hate."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same. I said killing. You know, there's other applications for words but these bots are just coming through data

      Delete
  155. I reported a person yesterday for calling a gay person "an abomination" and FB said it didnt go against community standards which of course it does. Same for the guy posting pictures of blackface with confederate flags and comments than Jan 6 was just a warning. And the guy saying white equals power and black equals crime. Also the woman who made a fake profile with the name Chynnah Vyrus from Wuhan. On the other hand, I was FB jailed for a week for jokingly saying I would cut someone if they touched my pen. On a friend's post about pens. With the hashtag never touch a nurses pen. I was also FB jailed for saying "Bish, you mad?" on the post of a friend who was jokingly ranting. I wish their was a viable alternative to fb that wasnt filled with assholes, bigots and pedophiles.

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  156. I'm in for 30 right now. Number 18. I said repubs are killing all the repubs in Florida then they can't vote. It is true. Straight up true, but the K word tripped something and, well .. here I am

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  157. Wherever, whenever, whatever your platform, Jim - we will be here with you. For your intelligence, your wit, your photography, your dogs, and your pens and other creations. (I still wish you would make some pocket knives to offer for sale.) It is in the spirit of your commitment to honoring your ideals and integrity - and also, in the general and fun spirit of irreverence, and journalism without fear - that I offer this. The "money shot," the reason I'm sharing this here (no, this is not porn) - is about five minutes in. I think it speaks for itself, and I hope it's accepted in the spirit intended.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh82R0k2gHY

    ReplyDelete
  158. I've been suspended by FB *seven* times now. The last three for a month each, and at no time used foul or harrassing language. At most, I was sarcastic. I even had a meme I posted four years ago taken down with a warning. It was a meme quoting Goebbels advice to fascists, "Accuse the other side of that which you are guilty".

    Guess they don't like people reminding the right of where their methods come from.

    The last time I got a message from FB that I would be suspended for a month was just a week ago. That was for calling a racist a racist for being racist. Of course, the racist remained untouched.

    Funny thing, though. I was able to report him and within minutes of that, his posts all disappeard, my reply never came back, but I was not prevented from posting.

    Still, like you, Jim, I know it's just a matter of time before I get the boot for good. I've backed up all my FB data and resigned myself. Lay down with dogs, after all...

    ReplyDelete
  159. Same here Jim. I’m now doing 30 days at a time. I now self censor, just like you do in China. I also run my FB page as a political blog. I’ve decided to do like you did here, and put links to my comments that are on my personal website.

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  160. I followed you here before Facebook, I'll follow you here after!

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  161. Excellent. I did/do that with my writing. I have very few friends so when I post something they know what it's going to be about. Conservative friends know better than to go there because they'll just be upset. For some reason I've never been able to allow comments even though I checked all the right boxes. I really don't miss not having comments. People just have to hate me in silence. Good for you Mr. Wright.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Illegitimi non carborundum. Good job sir.

    ReplyDelete

Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rules before you start typing. Really.