Political Discourse and Cycles of Antagonism on Twitch: Combatting Antisemitism in the Creator Economy
In this talk, Brandon Harris looks at how creator-led, audience fueled smear campaigns pressure Twitch and other platforms to censor and limit anti-Zionist speech under the pretense of fighting antisemitism.
When: Friday, June 27 at 12pm PST/3pm EDT
Register: Meeting Registration - Zoom
People who speak publicly about Palestinian lives, and against Zionist colonialism, are all too familiar with backlash in the form of smear and hate mail. Smears are public attacks, often spuriously charging antisemitism or “support for terrorism.” They often extend further, too. For instance, when preeminent scholars of ethnic studies identified Palestinian experiences as material for study, Zionist organizations impugned their expertise and called them “fringe activists.”
In the past, smear might have been understood as rhetorical attack, intended to elicit fear, damage reputations, and destabilize speech. In the present, it does different work. Smear has become a material weapon that leverages elements of fascism, from policing to the destabilization of factual knowledge. As Zionist organizations post lists of people they have smeared, and whom they want arrested and deported on the basis of those smears — and as the regime appears to adopt those lists as guides — smear can no longer be considered rhetorical. Zionist smear deliberately subjects its targets to state violence.
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