I've been punished by Facebook's AI big brother bot for posting the above picture, as I've done for the last few years at Christmas without being blocked for 24hrs as has happened now. OK, it's not the cheeriest of seasonal images, but if you don't like it, if it bothers you, tough! Or would you rather the public realm was one big Safe Space in which you can bask, surrounded by candyfloss politics with which you totally agree? I mean, even an image which, despite it's intention, might make you cry?
AI, Artificial Intelligence, seems a totally appropriate name for the tool that unjustly punished me. If a classic piece of anti-Nazi art is 'wrong', you have to wonder how 'intelligent' the technology really is. It obviously beeps loudly (with a red flashing light) at any sign of a swastika. Duh. That the artist, John Heartfield, was fiercely relentless in his brilliant visual attacks on the Nazi regime is neither here nor there, eh? Lawd help us.
Digital art depicting cute little girls with big eyes offends me greatly. Would I have it banned? No. Would I report an FB friend for continually posting pictures of their cat? No. If you think those are trivial matters, I disagree. Possessing a finely-tuned aesthetic sensibility you're prone to more offensive material than anyone else in the world. From art to aural assault via supermarket music (this time of year, Xmas songs - lovely!). Just as I accept that others have no taste, so I believe in allowing free expression.
To deny people free speech is to deny the reality of the world; yes, even the ugly reality. Give 'em enough rope! How else will we know what people really think? It's Political Cleansing which has contributed towards the rise of the Right and Far-Right. "Oh, dear, look at those nasty people! I didn't think there were so many! Ban them! Stop them speaking!" Result: Brexit, Trump and an increase in Right-wing power worldwide. The Left/soft-liberal attitude is akin to someone ignoring persistent pains before finally going to the doctor to discover they have a serious illness. Guess what, beliefs that don't tally with yours won't go away if you try to either deny their existence or silence them.
It's ironic that an image made against an oppressive regime that crushed free speech should be deemed a 'crime' against the FB community.
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