Comment Re:Slashdot wants us to pity 8chan (Score 2, Interesting) 627
I believe that any enlightened civilization has a duty to ensure that platforms exist for any speaker to reach any who want to hear. No one is forcing anyone to listen, after all, but it's important that the platform exist.
So if I have very little money, do you think I should be subsidized to spread whatever BS I want? Should I be subsidized to be in touch with my girlfriend and other people?
Yesterday the Cloudflare CEO said that 8chan would be able to get similar services from a Cloudflare competitor. If no Cloudflare competitor and no hardware provider wants to deal with 8chan then that would reflect that very few people want to hear what they have to say. It is important to protect vile speech but I don't think we should subsidize it like you seem to be suggesting. If there are people who want to hear the vile speech then let them pay for it. Don't force others to pay for it or support it.
All cultural progress must necessarily begin with ideas that are very unpopular.
This is probably true but that does not mean we should subvert the marketplace of ideas by subsidizing the most unpopular ones.