context

  This day I find myself in Facebook jail. I have been informed by the powers that be that I must remain silent for three days. A computer logarithm decided I was a bully. Yes, almost instantly after posting a comment I was flagged. An amazing thing really if you think about it. There has to be literally millions of posting every minute and that one was flagged? I'm hearing about a big issue with voter ID, Facebook ID'd me in mere seconds. They also prevent me from posting any comments, effectively saying, you have already cast your ballot. I did file an appeal with the oversight board. Still I remain guilty until proven innocent. So even if I win on appeal I lose. You can't give me back three days. 

  I am a little miffed for a simple reason, I don't feel like I violated any of their policies. I have read the policy, the terms of use and all of that. When filing an appeal they provide you with a copy of the policy for you to review and sign. I did that and continued to fill out the paperwork for the appeal. I have to say the process is a long and cumbersome process. My impression was, they sure don't like being questioned. But I stuck with it. At the end it does say, they may look at your appeal, or not. Well that certainly seems fair enough doesn't it? They create a process for you to appeal and then inform you they may or may not look at that appeal. Well, to be fair it is their platform, I can use it free of charge so I have no inherent right to post a thing. I can always use a different network. 

  This whole thing is just a mix up. The problem is the computer doesn't understand context. Their program only identifies certain words or phrases and flags them. Now understanding context is always a problem. I understand that completely, happens all the time. Context is the ground lawyers stand on when arguing their cases. Context is now being used to decide whether your speech is "hateful" or not. Hate can be a criminal offense you know. Yes, if it is determined, not by a preponderance of the evidence but by whether your feelings were hurt or not, you can be charged with hating someone. Prosecuting on assumption of guilt. Well. that's is what happened to me this time. Here is the comment that got me labeled a bully and put in jail for three days. And I quote " I had a hat that said, I may be drunk but you're ugly, and tomorrow I'll be sober." Now understand that comment was said conversationally, just as a story, a simple statement of a fact. I did have a hat that had that printed in it. It wasn't in response to any comment directed at me or at anyone else. 

 As I said, I'm aggravated because a computer has judged my words. The comment itself meant nothing, was directed at no one, and as they asked, has no social relevance, in this country or anywhere in the world. Yes, that was a question the computer program asked me, explain the relevance this comment has in world affairs. Hey, I'm just a 67 year old man who lives in Greensboro that likes to talk to people on Facebook. Yes I have been warned twice before this and both times I did in fact break their rules. I also didn't appeal and simply checked the I agree block. I know when I am "being a bully" and when I am not. Yeah, I learned that in grade school. Too bad you can't teach a computer program to recognize that. And that is what my final response to the "oversight committee" was. Context, the program doesn't context.