Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

This week, both top spots on the insightful side were taken by similar comments from That One Guy. In first place, it’s a comment about the subject of free speech in the Vice Presidential debate:

Broken finger vs Severed arm

I mean, neither came out looking great with regards to the first amendment but whereas Walz botched what is and is not covered under the first amendment Vance was conflating platforms dealing with insurrectionists as ‘censorship’ and refusing to admit that convicted felon Trump lost the last election, so yeah, both bad, but bad in very different ways and levels.

In second place, it’s a comment making the same point in reply to another take on the distinction:

One of them repeated a long-debunked saying that is sadly still common among people ignorant or dishonest about the first amendment, the other refused to acknowledge an insurrection and the lie that caused it.

‘Only marginally better’ would not be the phrasing I’d use.

For editor’s choice on the insightful side, we start out with an anonymous comment about the idea that social media is biased against conservatives:

The most frustrating thing about this entire topic is how many moderates or even (actual, not pretend) liberals end up falling for it. I regularly see even actual liberals saying it as “common sense”, regardless of how much actual evidence you shove down their throats.

It’s a very strong lesson in how effective misinformation and working the refs can be, that it still works on people who should be, if anything, primed against it.

Next, it’s Toom1275 with a comment about the other pervasive belief about social media:

The “Social media is killing kids” cult operates in much the same way as the antivax cult does – centered around a handful of frauds peddling falsehoods for personal gain, and an army if sheep who swallow it down without a single critical thought.

Over on the funny side, our first place winner is an anonymous comment about the cop who got his gun stuck in an MRI machine:

I hope people call this idiot Magneto for the rest of his days.

In second place, it’s PB&J with a comment on our post about Musk’s claim that subsidizing Starlink would have saved Hurricane Helene victims:

Ummm, I’d just like to say that I also donated 1000 Starlink satellite access kits to the Carolinas! Sure I did! I guarantee it!

(hey, “The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check!”)

For editor’s choice on the funny side, we start out with a comment from Anomalous Cowherd about the incorrect free speech trope that Walz invoked at the debate:

Every time I find myself part of a group huddled around a campfire on the beach I get an uncontrollable urge to run around screaming “Theatre!,” which upsets some people. Have I been doing it wrong?

Finally, it’s Daydream with another comment about the aforementioned Magneto cop:

So what I’ve learned from this is you can disarm a cop via use of a giant cartoon magnet.

That’s all for this week, folks!