I think there are some indigenous tribes deep in the Borneo who haven’t been spammed by Mark yet. We should also sponsor him to go on an expedition.

Again. The real Tiso. As with your callous treatment of Thompson, which was evil, Giovanni..

It's not fair I sidetrack this anymore .. I'm out.

That quotation is talking to any campaign that involves "people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unison". Mob versus diversity and the individual voice.

I've only imposed myself in this because I was following up on a comment Deborah made: ie, it had relevance. Further, Tiso's mindset, the way he thinks, which I think is closed, and to close down what he doesn't like, is entirely relevant. I might have almost total agreement with him in 'this' campaign, but what of when this *does' move on to issues I don't agree with him on?

Usually when we talk about silencing someone permanently, we have horridly sinister intentions. I don’t think that Giovanni had any intent whatsoever like that.

Thanks all above for proving my statement about context dropping. Especially to James Dunne also.

I merely meant that Tiso definitely intended to have them taken off air permanently. That was the reason for writing to the advertisers.

Keep this linguistic puritanism up, and we end up with a very narrow, bullying society.

Case in point. Tiso refused to read my blog pieces simply because - note this Martin Lindberg - I have a liberatarian (more often anarcho-capitalist) viewpoint. I read Tiso's blog, and Deborah's for that matter. My contention would be that Tiso, arrogantly only interested in his own viewpoint, takes that narrow to closed mindedness to everything he does: it's the way he thinks. That includes regarding this campaign.

In fact even this thread seems to be making a blatant statement it is the modus operandi of the Left.

Perhaps we all grow up, then continue this debate?

One addendum to my post immediately above. The argument is raised that Willie & JT are not silenced.

That's irrelevant. Tiso's campaign in going to the advertisers, could only have had the one intention, being to silence them permanently.

No doubt that’s for all sorts of reasons, but one of them would have to be the systemic difficulty that confronts women when they try to get airtime.

That's a bugbear of mine, Deborah, against your argument.

If you think your opinion is repressed as a woman, try being given a voice to air libertarian views. Only 327 people looked at my post stating my discomfort with Tiso's campaign, quoting Kundera, and only 213 people looked at my post regarding how self-defeating it is, under the new linguistic puritanism, to silence people with their privilege. (Privilege as a censor, and as a wall to trap us all in our differences, such as what happened on Twitter with the Law Revue Girls, accused of racism due to their privilege, on Saturday night - per my blog.)

Nothing Tiso did breaches my principles, but I don't like seeing voices of those we don't agree with, even if they're spouting evil, silenced, and I especially don't like campaigns that set out to silence. I don't think it follows that it matters whether those voices have more prominence than yours or mine. Indeed Willie and JT have found that their very prominence is what has brought ruination on their heads - it has worked against them.

Plus, related but not, per my only other comment in here, if we are to silence those who speak as inappropriately as Willie and JT - neither of whom have probably said anything I agree with - then much of the comedy that gives my life value, including even 7 Days and Jono&Ben on tonight, will all have to be consigned to the void, given the context dropping this always entails.

I do struggle with this issue: rape culture is evil, but - even though there shouldn't be a but - a society is more healthy by having a diversity of voices, and not forcing ignorance or hate underground. That's why I'm also against hate speech laws.

In fact I'll repeat my Milan Kundera quotation, because it sums up, almost below the level of analysis, my discomfort with Tiso's campaign:

From The Unbearable Lightness of Being:

"When she told her French friends about [why she would not attend a street protest against the communists], they were amazed. "You mean you don't want to fight the occupation of your country?" She would have liked to tell them that behind Communism, Fascism, behind all occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil and that the image of that evil was a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unison. But she knew she would never be able to make them understand."

“Do I want less freedom of speech? Yes. For rape apologists.”

And for all other groups we rightfully loath: bigots, fascists, et al?

And risque comedians? Ricky Gervais, Jo Brand, Frankie Boyle … actually, every stand up comedian I can think of, plus shows like local 7 Days and Jono&Ben … not one of these would stand up to this linguistic puritanism currently sweeping New Zealand, where every word is to be sifted for privilege and thought crimes, and stuffed into the mouths of those ‘we’ disagree with, to gag and silence them.

Seeking to shut people down with their privilege is self defeating. It pulls people apart and shuts debate down.

(Note the above comments specifically directed to George Darroch. Not so much Tiso).