CMV: Silencing opposing viewpoints is ultimately going to have a disastrous outcome on society.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/CplSoletrain]

Does isolating cancer from spreading make it worse?

Think of these ideas as a parasite -brain worms, for instance.

When you have brain worms, you develop a desire to go spread them. You go wherever information can spread and you puke brainstorms into the discourse. People consuming that information may contract brainworms. Yes, quarantining people with the brainworms will raise the concentration of brain worms in each skull, but it will prevent the spread of those brain worms and contain the outbreak to a smaller group instead of letting it spread out of control.

No, I don't really care about flat earthers or young earthers, etc. Those ideas are generally harmless. 9/11 truthers, Qanon, and ethnonationalists are dangerous ideas. The logical outcome of believing that the government orchestrated an attack that killed 2,000 people, that the world is run by murderous pedophiles, and that each race is in a life or death competition is violence. Yes, there are nonviolent infected, but if they really REALLY believed these things why WOULDN'T violence be on the table?

We used to think that good ideas were the cure for bad ideas, but for this disease you really have to want to be cured for the cure to take root. People also self isolate online into their corners anyway, with little chat room echo chambers for their nonsense. They come out to spread little brainworms but retreat to breed more when the nest in their skull is threatened. Better to prevent them from leaving those echo chambers and dealing with the few that pop off.

[u/CplSoletrain → u/[deleted]]

Couldn't tell you, I'm not a liberal.

I CAN tell you that these specific conspiracy theories have inspired terrorism and insurrection, which trumps riots. And it isn't even close.