
Hate Speech on Patreon - h-
https://patreonhq.com/hate-speech-on-patreon-a9026e52c2cf
======
aestetix
> Some people worry that we are reviewing content not posted on Patreon. As a
> funding platform, we don’t host much content, but we help fund creations
> across the internet. As a result, we review creations posted on other
> platforms that are funded through Patreon.

So if I want to get someone suspended, I dig through their history, find an
instance where they used a word ten years ago that has now become "hate
speech", create my own Patreon, and post their comments in my Patreon?

~~~
cm2187
Also in an interview a year ago [1], Patreon's CEO explicitely promised they
would not do what they just did.

But in this case they are characterising as hate speech the simple use of
slang, even when there is no hateful intention. This is just the political
correctness ayatollahs becoming over-zealous, which I find hard to justify and
certainly won't support with my money.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpbDgCj9rw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpbDgCj9rw)

------
GreaterFool
I think this is just the straw that broke the camel's back. This sort of thing
has been happening for a while. I recall a story where someone's account
somewhere was closed because Visa or MasterCard (credit card company!)
complained about what they said online.

Financial companies have too much power. They always had. But right now they
started exercising it in a way that is very worrisome.

Banks can close your account for no reason.

PayPal can close your account for no reason.

Visa or MasterCard can stop doing business with you for no reason.

And what are you going to do then? There's a global "war on cash". Anything
beyond few hundred $ is hard to get. Try to deposit it in a bank and they'll
ask you million questions about where it's from and what are you going to use
it for. Try to withdraw it and you'll raise some flags.

~~~
dtoc
Maybe cryptocurrencies will have some real-world value after all!

------
hashberry
I find I change my language depending on my audience. Sargon was addressing
the alt-right in an interview and using their own racist and sexist language
against them, to insult them. It doesn't seem like he was attacking the black
community or the gay community.

~~~
throsby
I agree. I found the livestream that Patreon transcribed in the article[1].
From what I can tell, the context is that he is responding to an alt-right
troll commenting in the chat.

He appears to be throwing the racially-charged language back at the troll and
criticising them for being so disrespectful. From his mocking tone, I did not
get the impression that he condoned their prejudice.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74llFWdeKNM&feature=youtu.be...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74llFWdeKNM&feature=youtu.be&t=4162)

~~~
zimpenfish
> He appears to be throwing the racially-charged language back at the troll

He seems to be using the N word specifically as a pejorative because they're
annoying him. (And then uses "faggot" also as a pejorative because why not?)

"White people are meant to be polite and respect each other", combined with
the use of the N word towards the commentators, is fairly racially charged,
no?

~~~
nugga
Sargon claims he is using the word in the way described in this stand up
comedy routine where Chris Rock (a black person) talks about the difference
between 'Black people and niggers'
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PJF0YE-x4)

Sargon said something like he was denigrating the 'alt right / nazi trolls'
for behaving the way the 'nazis' claim the people they hate behave in.

~~~
zimpenfish
> Sargon claims

Well, of course he does. He'd be stupid not to. But it's very easy to say
"ONLY JOKING" whenever you get called on your offensive bullshit that you
originally intended.

~~~
nugga
Yes didn't he say he meant to cause offense? Using that word (or any word) to
offend non blacks does not somehow cause it to grow tentacles and attack every
black person alive. Context and intent matters and I don't think you or anyone
else gets to make that call on "hidden motives" or effects beyond what is
stated on record.

~~~
zimpenfish
> I don't think you or anyone else gets to make that call on "hidden motives"
> or effects beyond what is stated on record.

Of course we do. Subtext, hidden meanings, coded language, dogwhistling, etc.
are all valid things that people can discern in others' speech.

------
anfilt
Man, I read some of the comments on that article it makes it seem like
patreaon made a mistake. Although, it's just internet comments, but the fact
patreaon has posted about it themselves makes me go hmm...

Not sure of the whole story, but when a company makes a response like that it
screams damage control to me. The comments the article did highlight do seem
pretty blunt, but for a company to respond openly like this makes it seem like
there is more to it than I understand.

------
chrisco255
I don't have any context for Patreon's move here. Does anyone know the back
story? What the guy said sounds douchey, dimwitted and racist...

But here's another case for decentralization of monetization. I don't care
whether someone says something offensive or not...if Bob wants to donate money
to Alice, that's their right. They shouldn't have to go through Patreon or
PayPal or any other centralized service. And Alice shouldn't have to fear
getting on some PC movement's bad side.

~~~
hashberry
He is an infamous provocateur. I'm pretty sure this is the real reason why he
was banned:

[https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/6/27/15880582/anita-
sa...](https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/6/27/15880582/anita-sarkeesian-
garbage-human-vidcon-interview)

~~~
qu4z-2
Attending a con doesn't strike me as that provocative, honestly. (I do agree
that he's kind of a dick, don't get me wrong. Just not in that particular
incident so much).

------
raarts
People are increasingly withdrawing from Patreon. Earlier Sexy Cyborg was
forced off by Vice [1] (they're now trying to push her off SubscribeStar[2]),
but very recently people like Jordan Peterson, Quillette, and others are
moving away and setting up their own crowdfunding platform [3].

And I fully agree that a crowdfunding platform should not be involved with
'de-platforming'.

[1] [https://www.patreon.com/posts/vice-vs-sexy-
how-18216256](https://www.patreon.com/posts/vice-vs-sexy-how-18216256)

[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETt5JzufY4&t=0s&list=LLcD8F...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETt5JzufY4&t=0s&list=LLcD8FIJuOWrIHdMKafy_K0Q)

[3] [https://www.businessinsider.com.au/jordan-peterson-says-
hell...](https://www.businessinsider.com.au/jordan-peterson-says-hell-launch-
patreon-alternative-before-christmas-2018-12)

