A voice for everyone
For a number of years now, Twitter has been an unmitigated force for evil – a barely-disguised attempt at mass social engineering on a scale unprecedented since the Propaganda Ministry of Joseph Goebbels, undertaken by an unelected, unaccountable global corporation (it doesn’t even have a published address in the UK, either physical or digital, something I can’t believe is legal).
Attempts have been made at creating an alternative, including Parler and various branches of a protocol called Mastodon, but they’ve all been terrible. The latest effort, Gettr, looks a lot more promising. Available on the web or as free iOS and Android apps, it works exactly like Twitter, except that you get 777 characters instead of 280 – the interfaces are so similar you could easily forget which you were using.
It has roots in the American right, so has immediately been attacked in apocalyptic terms by woke activists, but is open to anyone and many on the left who’ve been silenced by Twitter – mostly for defending women’s rights – have signed up. I made an account yesterday, and despite not mentioning it to anyone anywhere I had over 200 followers by this morning, most of them UK feminist and LGB campaigners.
(Because communications platforms are neutral by default, even if people you don’t agree with are allowed to use them too. Hitler loved trains, that doesn’t make you a Nazi if you get on one. We don’t boycott the seaside just because Stalin had a beach house and you don’t have to follow or listen to any of the right-wing people on Gettr just because they’re there.)
It plainly doesn’t yet have the breadth of Twitter – because most of those signing up so far have specific political agendas of various sorts, rather than being people who just like posting cute pictures of their cats and whatnot – but it’s hit 1.5m users in 11 days, something that took Twitter more than two years, so that could change quickly.
There’s also no guarantee that it won’t become just as evil as Twitter, of course, but for now it seems worth giving it the benefit of the doubt if you like the idea of social media but don’t want to get instantly banned and/or witch-hunted to death if any of your views diverge in the tiniest possible way from those of the hyper-intolerant Twitler Youth who have somehow captured most of Scottish and UK politics. Maybe see you there.
First round’s on you, Stu.
Signed up with the same handle as my twitter (abdinoz) just in case it takes off because twitter really is a toxic shitstorm now – in particular for women it has to be said.
The origins of gettr aren’t great but given their stated goals of being anti-cancel culture if that means no TRA style hurt feelings cancelling then… great. We’ll see.
Anyway, it costs nothing so why not.
Happy New Year!
Great idea and thanks for posting the Gettr link.
Without the cat photos, and with more political content, this looks like a distillation of twitter into an even more toxic brew.
Colour me unenthusiastic…
Have signed up.
Same name.
? my original account which got permabanned on twitter for believing in biology and maybe occasionally swearing is now mine on gettr. See you over there!
Signed up but every single one of the users it suggested I should follow are all US right-wing crazies… Not sure I’ll be dipping in that cesspool too often (I now rarely dip into the Twitter cesspool anyway), but maybe it’ll improve as more Twitter-banned left wingers join?
I have signed up as a wee experiment (Thorfinn1960)…early days of course, at the moment it’s a Rightist cesspool, but it may balance out a little in time. If not, I’m outta there. In my Bio I made my pro-Indy, anti-Rightist feelings clear. It’ll be interesting to see if that invites a shower of shit to land on my timeline.
Put your account onto favourites bar, like Wings will check it everyday now.
“Without the cat photos, and with more political content, this looks like a distillation of twitter into an even more toxic brew.
Colour me unenthusiastic…”
So sign up and post tons of cat pics. You could corner the market early doors. Social media is people.
I signed up. We’ll see.
Signed up but had to shorten my name.
@BrianDoontoon
Onnyhoo, a quote from the link below…
There’s a deep foolishness in what Ms Sturgeon is up to with her attacks on journalism. The media isn’t just here to hold people like her to account; newspapers and broadcasters also act as the means by which politicians communicate with the public. Much as many politicians may wish that they could propagandise unfiltered via their social media accounts, thankfully, that is not – yet – how the world works. Most of us still get our news from established media outlets.
link to 12ft.io
I read more than post – will be along shortly.
Please give frazreid a follow please.
Thanks Stu. I have signed up.
Cheers Stu
Peas ?
Thanks Stu. I’d never heard of it but have just signed up (as laisydaisy). Thanks for being an ever-reliable source of information.
Slippers Wishart hasn’t denounced it yet. When he does, I’ll know it’s truly vile and sign up.
@ Rev: well done and thanks again for continuing to strive to get the Good Guys in and the bad guys out.
I ‘m signed up, cheers.
Neale Hanvey tweeted re last night, mentioning you were active on it, that was the recruiting drive I was convinced by.
Good to see you back, man.
So Sturgeon has sold Prestwick airport. Alex S was preparing Scotland for indy with everything he did. Prestwick would have been our international hub.
Shes also halted the duelling of the A9.
The woman is a dangerous liability.
I will say something on here that I would balk to say on twitter.
Trump was better than Biden for womens rights.
IMO the US establishment wanted shot of Trump because they had no control over him.
I won’t be using the platform,I have a Twitter account and don’t use it at all,I think I posted an intro and looked around and say “Not for Me” and that was years ago about 2010
Facebook much the same
@ Liz says 12:48 pm
I don’t disagree
I’m pursuing the cat idea already with my avi
From little acorns…
Liz @12.48pm.
Yip its to become a British spaceport, sealing it fate on becoming a international Scottish hub airport of which Westminster continually blocked. sturgeon is strengthening our ties in the union instead of weakening them and breaking free.
We have the usual SNP MPs such as Ivan McKee who I once respected, yell from the rooftops that its a great deal for the airport. One wonders how much damage Sturgeon and her spineless and gutless MSPS/MPs will do to Scotland before we get rid of them at the polling stations.
That is one brilliant poem by VinnyT100 – Professor Higgins eat your heart out!
I’ll sign up, I like the idea of infiltration. Also, it would be interesting – hell, downright entertaining – to see how long they stick to their professed ideals in the face of thousands of Scottish lefties, GC marxist-feminists, atheists and anti-imperialists expressing their free speech rights!
Looks interesting, and YES Stu you are right, on Twitter now the attempts to discredit GETTR have started.
I’ll give it a look. If I can use it, my “name” will by APLINAL.
See you there?
It’ll be interesting to see if it takes off and makes a difference? We could certainly do with a “real” alternative to Twitter that wasn’t totally infested with the woko haram or alternatives not dominated by Trumpists and other zoomers like Parler and Gab etc.
I have signed up to see how it develops…and in expectation that it might encourage a few exploding heads in the indy wokerati!
@DrNdLs
Right – If you’re struggling to follow on gettr, try disabling any pop-up or ad blocker. That’s held me back for a few minutes
On there as @awfypuggled with a cute wood pigeon avatar so if you want to try and follow me, that would be splendid and many thanks.
Just joined as Slippery_Pete. It’s a Seinfeld reference, any inference to Weak Pishart is purely coincidental. My first follow is infowars. Just kidding, it’s RevStu!
Have signed up to Gettr and am following. Be interesting to see how this platform grows
Liminal
Believing in self-determination for Scotland…
A country disfigured by poverty and inequality,
Needing reborn and to resume its natural stand;
Peacefully, and done and with absolute dignity.
Only independence can bring democracy; British
State’s irredeemable and structurally corrupt;
AWhen Scotland’s people can democratically wish
Our separate nations mean the UK will disrupt.
History’s actions do echo through many years,
What seemed right, now can’t remain unchanged;
Annually evolving… progressing without tears,
Failure to evolve? Then normality’s deranged.
© Ewen A. Morrison
I do hope it absolutely destroys twitter. As twitter has absolutely destroyed political debate among the under thirtys.
X_Stick on X_Sticks_Real as per twatter.
See how it goes. Will no doubt cause Pension Pete paroxysms. Will be even worse than Alex Salmond airing his program on RT!
“We have to remember it is a government that was elected virtually entirely by people who are in favour of independence and therefore almost entirely by people who are in favour of having a referendum.
“I think it’s probably going to be the case, assuming the pandemic has died down at all, that we will begin to see the first moves by Nicola Sturgeon.”
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldscotland.com%2Fpolitics%2F19823428.john-curtice-shares-2022-predictions—-including-sturgeons-first-steps-indyref2%2F
I can’t recall who predicted this, but ex-SNP Policy Chief Chris Hanlon is calling for Devomax to be an option in an indyref, this would suit Sturgeon, and Blackford to a tee I think.
link to 12ft.io
I joined yesterday and was so pleased to see you there. Yes, it started as a right wing tool but there’s been a huge influx of left wingers and gender criticals in the last 48 hours. We are setting up our niche and making it our own. Many are also indy and I’ve linked up with several Alba folk. People are sharing hashtags to find each other, and many names are the same as twitter. It’s easy to find kindred spirits by checking the follow lists of people you know.
I was kicked off twitter for believing in biology, but I’m going back with a new account. We can’t abandon it totally as that’s where a lot of our audience is. I doubt unionists will go to GETTR to debate us so twitter remains a necessary evil.
As a socialist GC YESser I see GETTR as a place where we can share information without erasure. We can support each other with the facts and then use that strength in twitter against TRAs and the Sturgeon Stonewall party etc. We can also have fun there!
One warning about GETTR, check before you follow back. As it was a right wing forum there are certainly some lunatics there.
Yes, there are toxic people on GETTR, that’s no different from twitter, but if we share enough cat memes and saltires we can minimise their effect ?
I joined yesterday and was so pleased to see you there. Yes, it started as a right wing tool but there’s been a huge influx of left wingers and gender criticals in the last 48 hours. We are setting up our niche and making it our own. Many are also indy and I’ve linked up with several Alba folk. People are sharing hashtags to find each other, and many names are the same as twitter. It’s easy to find kindred spirits by checking the follow lists of people you know.
I was kicked off twitter for believing in biology, but I’m going back with a new account. We can’t abandon it totally as that’s where a lot of our audience is. I doubt unionists will go to GETTR to debate us so twitter remains a necessary evil.
As a socialist GC YESser I see GETTR as a place where we can share information without erasure. We can support each other with the facts and then use that strength in twitter against TRAs and the Sturgeon Stonewall party etc. We can also have fun there!
One warning about GETTR, check before you follow back. As it was a right wing forum there are certainly some lunatics there.
Yes, there are toxic people on GETTR, that’s no different from twitter, but if we share enough cat memes and saltires we can minimise their effect.
Twitter has been shit lately. The whole atmosphere of Scottish politics has been shit lately.
It’s difficult to enjoy freedom of expression with the thought-police breathing down your neck.
I have no concerns about mixing with people on the right.
Item on Womens Hour this morning 10am Radio 4:
How widely is the Scottish Government consulting on its plans to allow people to legally change sex without a medical diagnosis? Emma Barnett speaks to Lisa Mackenzie from MurrayBlackburnMackenzie, an Edinburgh-based policy analysis collective who say the SNP is breaking a manifesto promise, by only meeting with groups representing trans rights since last May’s Holyrood election.
Hmmm, ok, signed up. Same id: @faolie. See you all there
@faolie (12.02) –
You have to post something so that you can then be followed.
@ Republic of Sctland re “SNP Policy Chief”.
That is an odd turn of phrase by the National. Chris Hanlon was elected last year to the Policy Committee of the NEC.
Chris himself said that the committee does NOT MAKE policy – it merely assists members with developing their ideas on policy.
In other words this “Policy Chief” has no influence nor power in setting SNP policies. The NEC no longer has any power – it is manipulated by the leadership and party HQ in every way.
Looks great. Thanks for sharing
Hmm.
I’m not very impressed with it.
I put in a search for the #indyref2 tag and it produced 8 (eight) “Top” results which were practically all negative takes and the other media category results for the same tag didn’t seem to have any relevance whatsoever.
1,253 + me now. I think my 300ish followers on twitter after 7 years has run you pretty close.
@Neil 6.12pn
I think that’s a bit unfair TBH: virtually all the references to #indyref2 are months old and negative because they’re from yoons and britnats. I suspect cybernats, people “of the left” and Scots are all pretty new to GETTR? Hopefully that’ll change in the coming weeks and months?
I quite like the thought of a determined somewhat bolshie group of progressive, left of centre, gender critical, Scottish nationalists parking their tanks on the front lawn of a hitherto alt-right dominated site.
Surely, if we build it they will come?
One of the things about “platforms” that people overlook is that they are not just for one-way communication of ideas; they are places where those with charisma can rally those of the same desires. Movements need platforms for leaders, and they need groups of people generating energy, as well as knowledge. Twitter, and those who influence twitter, know that it’s not just a platform for information. Rev Stu does what many on twitter and bloggers can’t do, which is rally and motivate. Get yersels over there, but of course keep you twitter too.
I’ll be giving that hate site a miss Rev. I get your intentions, but left leaning folk will be an extreme minority and likely get banned given enough time. All that place is for is the right to pat each other on the back and tell each other how great they are. Nah, can’t believe you’ve fell for it tbh.
Although, I’ll be happy to be proved wrong. All the best for 2022.
I’m not a fan of J.K Rowling as she’s anti-Scottish independence, however I do agree with her views on gender, only women are women and such.
It looks now like the wokerati are accusing her of anti-Semitism in an attempt to further smear her.
link to 12ft.io
I see Sturgeons witchfinder generals office aka the COPFS are going all out to prosecute Margaret Ferrier, while England’s equivalent took no action against Ferrier.
Interesting piece in the Guardian about the moaning Baroness Mone who appears to have her fingers caught in PPE procurement.
re: J.K. Rowling anti-Semitism smear
In the Star Trek TV franchise, there is an alien species called the Ferengi whose society is based on the accumulation of wealth and whose features are straight out of Nazi Anti-Semitic propaganda imagery.
The actor Armin Shimerman, who is Jewish and played one of these Ferengi characters made the below comment about this:
You can read anything into what appears on any TV program and movie. From what I’ve read Rowling took the stereotypical image of goblins from the likes of Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons in her books.
The films have been out for years and the books longer but as she is no longer the darling of the liberal left, she is Anti-Semitic for having small creatures with big noses who are bankers in her books.
Is this the birth of a new pandemic, to replace Covid-19 and retain control?
link to medscape.co.uk
@RepublicofScotland
Appears to have echos of the Murray trial in which the prosecution should be (but will not have been) obliged to define the risk part of the charge (wilfully exposing people to risk of infection, illness and death) – something which medics and government cannot currently do despite repeated request.
ie setting aside the likelihood of that risk being so low as to render the charge ludicrous, particularly when not accompanied by incontrovertible evidence of someone actually catching the illness from her (she felt better after having booked the test, which may or may not have resulted in a false positive) there can be no case to answer and the charge appears to be another that could be malicious in nature, over and above whatever political advantage has been attributed* to it, in what must otherwise be a waste of time for the Court and witnesses.
*Given the victimless nature of the alleged crime, a possible reason to bring the trial might be to discredit the jury who shall be, if France is anything to go by, vaccinated and boosted to the hilt by the time the trial is held and, almost by definition, more likely to be unsympathetic to the defence – despite the case being even more obnoxious than the one v Salmond.
If you have watched ‘Dopesick’, or intend to do so, you may find this interesting.
A very long read, but well worth it:
link to newyorker.com
Hunterston B nuclear power plant in North Ayrshire to shut down at Lunchtime today for the last time. It has been producing power since 1967, but it has developed cracks in its graphic bricks which surround the core.
link to 12ft.io
Well, I tried two different email addresses, and asked them to resend both times, but I never received an authorisation email. So much for that.
Not just the Twitter youth you have to worry about, the real evil is with the company itself, they’re the ones running this experiment.
I’m in, supposed to be a big rally with Trump in Arizona the morran
The acid test would be – Do they censor comments regarding the pandemic?
Twitter must getting worried. Never had an account but enjoyed reading the feeds, being able to switch between twitteristas and pick up interesting comments and follow threads. Then it became you could only read the immediate post and were blocked from following the additional comments. Recently it’s now if you ain’t a member you can only read a couple of post before a big notice comes up… Join or no see. Pity that, ain’t joining.
@ dramfineday
FYI I had noticed the same with regard to Twitter pages being evermore hard to access, but found that if I cleared all history such as cache and cookies from my device I was then able to access them without issue.
For the less IT savvy and depending what browser you use, just make sure you have any favourite pages bookmarked, and also login details and passwords saved before clearing, as if not you’ll need to find and input them again.
Thanks Dan
Thank you Dan. I am definitely amongst the less IT savvy. I find the less I do online the better I sleep at night! Maybe I will work at it. (I have just bought my first Smart Phone at age 74 and am working my way through a You Tube tutorial. Maybe I will carry on learning.)
Heaver says:
5 January, 2022 at 6:49 am
Item on Womens Hour this morning 10am Radio 4:
Was that the one where they were talking about self-ID meaning that people weren’t being checked for birth-gender things because, once it had been changed, the paperwork didn’t include that? The result was that self-ID-ers weren’t on checklists for cervical/prostate cancers, amongst others.