--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And then they started deleting the…" description: "\"“And then they started deleting the protest reviews. That was my line. When they started to stamp out dissent, actually to make it disappear with virtu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/g-r-reader-31875_censoring_and-then-they-started-deleting-the-prote_2337066.jpg" --- # And then they started deleting the protest reviews. That… ![“And then they started deleting the protest reviews. That was my line. When they started to stamp out dissent, actually to make it disappear with virtually no excuse for doing so...that’s not neglect. That’s not an overwhelmed person or people trying to figure it out. That’s an entity that has…” quote by G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/g-r-reader-31875_censoring_and-then-they-started-deleting-the-prote_2337066.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/g-r-reader-31875_censoring_and-then-they-started-deleting-the-prote_2337066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/g-r-reader-31875_censoring_and-then-they-started-deleting-the-prote_2337066.jpg) > ““And then they started deleting the protest reviews. That was my line. When they started to stamp out dissent, actually to make it disappear with virtually no excuse for doing so...that’s not neglect. That’s not an overwhelmed person or people trying to figure it out. That’s an entity that has decided that they do not care, that they have moved on from the issue, do not see it as an issue, and is trying to avoid bad press. Or they are too far down the line to backtrack on what they’ve been doing and save face. They’re content with their wildly inconsistent policy enough to no longer care what effect it is having on their user base. If you try to silence dissent, then something is very, very wrong.”” [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that a company suppressing critical feedback shows a disregard for user concerns and a willingness to hide problems rather than address them. **In simple terms:** Silencing criticism reveals neglect and bad press avoidance. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge attempts to mute dissent. Themes accountability media corporate ethics free speech transparency Mood critical concerned cautious Type advice observational cautionary When to use this quote - social media policy reviews - customer feedback analysis - public relations crisis management Key Concepts censorship public relations organizational inertia Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can ensure platforms remain open to criticism? - How can users hold companies accountable for suppressing dissent? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize motives without evidence of intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest/) ## Related quotes > [Silence - not dissent - is the one answer that leaders should refuse to accept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/silence-not-dissent-is-the-one-answer-that-leaders-should-refuse-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you reach a point where you have to kill the people opposing you, just know you've failed as a leader. True leadership inspires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-anekeya/if-you-reach-a-point-where-you-have-to-kill-the-people-opposing-you/) [Carson Anekeya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-anekeya/) > [The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-whitney-griswold/the-source-of-better-ideas-is-wisdom-the-surest-path-to-wisdom-is-a/) [Alfred Whitney Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-whitney-griswold/) > [Love your material. Nothing frightens the inner critic more than the writer who loves her work. The writer who is enamored of her material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/love-your-material-nothing-frightens-the-inner-critic-more-than-the/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [What comes with a job as a staff member of the BBC is a certain self-censoring that you get utterly used to. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/what-comes-with-a-job-as-a-staff-member-of-the-bbc-is-a-certain-self/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [There's more than one way to be a girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-faust/there-s-more-than-one-way-to-be-a-girl/) [Lauren Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-faust/) > [When a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-a-library-expels-a-book-of-mine-and-leaves-an-unexpurgated-bible/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [...The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-bill-of-rights-is-a-literal-and-absolute-document-the-first/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“Once we succumb to the temptations of censoring ideas with which we disagree, we step onto a slippery slope where everyone's freedom is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/once-we-succumb-to-the-temptations-of-censoring-ideas-with-which-we/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [We have the very best censoring devices in our own homes. If we don't like what we see on television, we can turn off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/we-have-the-very-best-censoring-devices-in-our-own-homes-if-we-don-t/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [I'm squandering invaluable gray matter by censoring myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/i-m-squandering-invaluable-gray-matter-by-censoring-myself/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [One thing is for sure-none of the arts flourishes on censorship and repression. And by this time it should be evident that the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-thing-is-for-sure-none-of-the-arts-flourishes-on-censorship-and/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. We seek out publications that mirror or support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thought-we-actually-spend-much-of/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by G.R. Reader > [“I am not Amish enough to emigrate when my way of life is threatened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/i-am-not-amish-enough-to-emigrate-when-my-way-of-life-is-threatened/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“. . . I can see how the issue of exercising corporate control over users content is truly enraging here, on a site significantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/i-can-see-how-the-issue-of-exercising-corporate-control-over-users/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“If people wrote their reviews on paper and put them into a real, physical library, I am sure that the Goodreads administrators would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/if-people-wrote-their-reviews-on-paper-and-put-them-into-a-real/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“There was something so unutterably ridiculous about the sight of a US company deleting posts accusing it of censorship that many other people began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/there-was-something-so-unutterably-ridiculous-about-the-sight-of-a-us/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“You won’t believe this. 99% of reviews on GoodBetterBestReads are written by less than one percent of the members. Did you hear that? 99%!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/you-won-t-believe-this-99-of-reviews-on-goodbetterbestreads-are/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“And that's the most horrible thing about censorship: To avoid falling afoul of the censors, we question ourselves and censor ourselves and make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/and-that-s-the-most-horrible-thing-about-censorship-to-avoid-falling/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“This book is irrelevant to Goodreads because you can’t buy it on Amazon. Also it talks about oppression, censorship etc. and no one really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/this-book-is-irrelevant-to-goodreads-because-you-can-t-buy-it-on/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“The Internet is transient. Information can be removed with a couple of mouse-clicks; it is an Orwellian dream. We have been advised, by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/the-internet-is-transient-information-can-be-removed-with-a-couple-of/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“By deciding what is, and is not, allowed to be discussed in a review, by removing discussion of social context, and saying that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/by-deciding-what-is-and-is-not-allowed-to-be-discussed-in-a-review-by/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“At your next book club meeting, picture me sitting quietly in the corner, taking notes on your preferences. Imagine the next day you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/at-your-next-book-club-meeting-picture-me-sitting-quietly-in-the/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“No, I have never had a problem finding books to read. But I have had a problem finding people who understand what it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/no-i-have-never-had-a-problem-finding-books-to-read-but-i-have-had-a/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“The GR site has acquired its market value through the work of its community.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/the-gr-site-has-acquired-its-market-value-through-the-work-of-its/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“As the voices fall silent, the individuals who make up the amorphous and always changing community must decide for themselves, as they always have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/as-the-voices-fall-silent-the-individuals-who-make-up-the-amorphous/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“I urge you strongly not to give Stop the Goodreads Bullies traffic. Their initial postings were all doxings of reviewers. ... There are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/i-urge-you-strongly-not-to-give-stop-the-goodreads-bullies-traffic/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) > [“You may wish to spend a moment thinking about whether this person is an asset or a liability to your company”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-r-reader/you-may-wish-to-spend-a-moment-thinking-about-whether-this-person-is/) [G.R. Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) [Explore all 16 G.R. Reader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-r-reader/) ## More Censoring quotes > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [“However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. We seek out publications that mirror or support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thought-we-actually-spend-much-of/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [One thing is for sure-none of the arts flourishes on censorship and repression. And by this time it should be evident that the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-thing-is-for-sure-none-of-the-arts-flourishes-on-censorship-and/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I'm squandering invaluable gray matter by censoring myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/i-m-squandering-invaluable-gray-matter-by-censoring-myself/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [We have the very best censoring devices in our own homes. If we don't like what we see on television, we can turn off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/we-have-the-very-best-censoring-devices-in-our-own-homes-if-we-don-t/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [“Once we succumb to the temptations of censoring ideas with which we disagree, we step onto a slippery slope where everyone's freedom is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/once-we-succumb-to-the-temptations-of-censoring-ideas-with-which-we/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [...The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-bill-of-rights-is-a-literal-and-absolute-document-the-first/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [When a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-a-library-expels-a-book-of-mine-and-leaves-an-unexpurgated-bible/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There's more than one way to be a girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-faust/there-s-more-than-one-way-to-be-a-girl/) [Lauren Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-faust/) > [What comes with a job as a staff member of the BBC is a certain self-censoring that you get utterly used to. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/what-comes-with-a-job-as-a-staff-member-of-the-bbc-is-a-certain-self/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [Love your material. Nothing frightens the inner critic more than the writer who loves her work. The writer who is enamored of her material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/love-your-material-nothing-frightens-the-inner-critic-more-than-the/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-whitney-griswold/the-source-of-better-ideas-is-wisdom-the-surest-path-to-wisdom-is-a/) [Alfred Whitney Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-whitney-griswold/) > [“Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-a-edwards/too-many-adults-wish-to-protect-teenagers-when-they-should-be/) Margaret A. Edwards > [Yet the transgender lobby aggressively attacks any critical voice as transphobic and tries to censor us from speaking. There is a big difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-raymond/yet-the-transgender-lobby-aggressively-attacks-any-critical-voice-as/) [Janice Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-raymond/) Browse all 67 Censoring quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And then they started deleting the protest reviews. That was my line. When they started to stamp out dissent, actually to make it disappear with virtually no excuse for doing so...that’s not neglect. That’s not an overwhelmed person or people trying to figure it out. That’s an entity that has decided that they do not care, that they have moved on from the issue, do not see it as an issue, and is trying to avoid bad press. Or they are too far down the line to backtrack on what they’ve been doing and save face. They’re content with their wildly inconsistent policy enough to no longer care what effect it is having on their user base. 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