Mike Masnick ✅
It's so nice to have @Popehat blogging about free speech again: https://popehat.substack.com/p/can-a-tarot-card-reading-be-defamatory
Can A Tarot Card Reading Be Defamatory?

Crazed Tik-Toker's Tirade Against University Professor Raises Fact v. Opinion Issue

The Popehat Report
Dec 29, 2022 at 10:24pmWeb
Show threadplinthDec 29, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat I know that this wasn't the point of the article, but from the deep dark archives of the internet, was this you, Ken? https://youtu.be/5zF9kt7KOVU #squirrel #importunity #IKidIKid #OrDoI
squirrell

YouTube
Show threadRhett DerrickDec 29, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat I’m glad he gave up hill climbing to get back to his roots.
Show threadDoctor LURKDec 29, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat Agreed. And in the case of the post you linked, I'm particularly happy, because "laws != ethics != morals" is always a welcome refresher. Somehow it's news to *somebody* in every group, no matter how many times it's been said before.
Show threadAT HayesDec 30, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat Wonder if it will it be possible for Make no Law to step back onto the field in 2023 with the extra legal shenanigans going on.
Show threadAnathema DeviceDec 30, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat agreed. And that last post is funny as well as informative, so it's Ken at his best.
Show threaderrgDec 30, 2022

@mmasnick @Popehat

But if Guillard's audience believes (which they presumably do), that tarot readings are a valid source of information, why isn't that defamation to them?

Show threadKen WhiteDec 30, 2022

@errg @mmasnick

Because the standard is a reasonable person, not an idiot or dupe.

Show threadBernie Luckily Does ItDec 30, 2022
@Popehat @errg @mmasnick At this point there's pretty strong empirical evidence that a lot of "reasonable people" are dupes.
Show threadKonrad RudolphDec 30, 2022
@BernieDoesIt @Popehat @errg @mmasnick If the standard is a reasonable person, shouldn't tarot reading be recognised as fabricating evidence?
Show threadBernie Luckily Does ItDec 30, 2022
@mmasnick @Popehat What about product liability? If the tarot cards are stating incorrect things they must clearly be defective.
Show threadEirliani A RahmanDec 30, 2022

@mmasnick @Popehat Loved reading this, Popehat! And thank you, Mike, for highlighting the piece.

@Popehat So in terms of what happened to the 3 of us who resigned from #Twitter's Council (see pic below), can what #Musk wrote be understood as defamatory? Note that he didn't care to explain what he meant by the pronoun "they"...

Show threadKen WhiteDec 30, 2022
@eirliani @mmasnick If you’re interested in a “what are my rights and remedies” way, don’t ask on social media. If you’re just curious, happy to answer.
Show threadEirliani A RahmanDec 30, 2022
@Popehat @mmasnick Yes, let me email you properly.