Freedom of Speech is a funny thing.
That is, I can show you the photo above of a naked left foot. And although it may trigger some prurient thoughts for those given to feet, it is by and large an innocent image that would run me into zero trouble with today's right wing book burners and delusional Trumpophiles.
If, however, I were to show you the remainder of the photo, including the right foot, sporting a toe tag, lovingly attached by an honorable member of the funeral services industry or a coroner, that could land me in some serious hot water.
So hot, that I could be removed from the Facebook platform with no recourse or opportunity to plead my case. Or, in this instance even know what the case is. They have provided no details. Only that I've been banned. And unless the Review Board, responsible for upholding the strict Community Standards of Facebook, reverses the case, permanently banned.
That's exactly what happened to me several days ago.
Given my outsized sense of justice, a trait I share with Ms. Muse, I have decided not to remain silent on this. Mostly because this puts us all on a slippery slope to authoritarianism that seems to be getting more slippery by the hour.
You see, I know for a fact the folks at Meta don't take issue with toe tags or even grisly photos taken in the morgue. How do I know that? Because a simple search on Instagram (a Meta company) revealed the following:
(I have removed the photo showing the many photos that are similar, if not identical to mine, for fear of troubling the LI Thought Patrol)
If my Toe Tag cadaver violates Community Standards, why then are these photos, which are very visible and more upsetting, still posted on their platform?
In my mind I've just executed a perfect Perry Mason Gotcha moment. If I were a lawyer I'd rest my case with a declarative slamming shut of my expensive briefcase.
One can only deduce that my photo -- again posted with no caption, commentary or clues -- was not offending the Community Standards. It was the commentary that followed. Many of which were of a raw nature. Many were political. And many were similar to the sentiment expressed here, in a meme which had been widely floated on the interwebs...
Keep in mind, I just posted a photo of a tagged foot.
I didn't say who it belonged to. Or even suggest who I might have hoped it belonged to. And yet, I am being held responsible for the statements and sentiments of others, by the Corporate Thought Police who now find themselves in bed with the most disastrous President/Traitor in American History.
The implications are frightening.
Imagine if everything you posted and all the comments it generated were subject to the apparent whims of state-appointed political hacks. Especially fascist ones sporting Red Hats.
That said, the only conclusion I can draw is that I wasn't being banned for that individual photo but for the totality of my fervent anti-Trump stance. IOW, Zuck is bending the knee to FFOTUS, Felonious Fascist Of The United States of America.
Not to get all grandiose, this would be my second Perry Mason moment. Damn, I should have been a lawyer.
With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemoller:
First they came for the smart ass ex-copywriters,
And I did not speak out
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