Zuckerberg recently wrote a long post denouncing racism and said Facebook would donate $10 million to racial justice organizations.
This has been compared to MacDonalds announcing that it would give money to vegan groups, but would not change its menu.
Facebook is one of the leading platforms for racists and bigots to spread their hatred. A monologue by the black right-wing activist Candace Owens, who said the idea of racially biased policing was a “fake narrative,” had 100 million views on the same day Zuckerberg spoke favorably about Black Lives Matter. It doesn’t matter what Zuckerberg says; it is what Facebook does.
At this point you are expecting me to smugly point out that I am not on Facebook. So ok, I’m not on Facebook. I don’t understand why anyone is. In life we often have to compromise with evil. I get that. What I don’t get is why compromise with it when it isn’t necessary.
I learned about Candace Owens in an article by Kevin Roose, “Platforms Denounce Racism That Thrives There,” New York Times, (June 20, 2020), pp. B1, B5.
Being on facebook about 10 years, I like it mainly for the social aspects and keeping up with family and some friends. It is important with seeing some of the political things to witness how low and false things they are using. Unfortunately many of the uneducated cannot see the lies for what they are.
ReplyDeleteI understand that facebook will be releasing a way for one to block all political ads. That will be a blessing.