What You Can't Say
http://paulgraham.com/say.html
"Suppose in the future there is a movement to ban the color yellow. Proposals to paint anything yellow are denounced as "yellowist", as is anyone suspected of liking the color.
People who like orange are tolerated but viewed with suspicion. Suppose you realize there is nothing wrong with yellow.
If you go around saying this, you'll be denounced as a yellowist too, and you'll find yourself having a lot of arguments with anti-yellowists.
If your aim in life is to rehabilitate the color yellow, that may be what you want.
But if you're mostly interested in other questions, being labelled as a yellowist will just be a distraction.
Argue with idiots, and you become an idiot."
Paul Graham wrote this excellent essay in 2004, it is as current as ever and essential for #Fediverse #FOSS #Decentralized #Tech.
"...And what, exactly, is "hate speech?" This sounds like a phrase out of 1984."
"...Always be questioning. That's the only defense. What can't you say? And why?"
Renan /
npub16r…taxrd
2023-12-27 02:03:45
Author Public Key
npub16r9fhlhqmyt2t5s8rcwgaw5eulhneeee322nst7dw5eyplx7rlksetaxrdPublished at
2023-12-27 02:03:45Event JSON
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"content": "What You Can't Say\nhttp://paulgraham.com/say.html\n\n\"Suppose in the future there is a movement to ban the color yellow. Proposals to paint anything yellow are denounced as \"yellowist\", as is anyone suspected of liking the color. \nPeople who like orange are tolerated but viewed with suspicion. Suppose you realize there is nothing wrong with yellow. \nIf you go around saying this, you'll be denounced as a yellowist too, and you'll find yourself having a lot of arguments with anti-yellowists. \nIf your aim in life is to rehabilitate the color yellow, that may be what you want. \nBut if you're mostly interested in other questions, being labelled as a yellowist will just be a distraction. \nArgue with idiots, and you become an idiot.\"\n\nPaul Graham wrote this excellent essay in 2004, it is as current as ever and essential for #Fediverse #FOSS #Decentralized #Tech.\n\n\"...And what, exactly, is \"hate speech?\" This sounds like a phrase out of 1984.\"\n\n\"...Always be questioning. That's the only defense. What can't you say? And why?\"",
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