Curation of Guests' Political Views

[Kurt239]

Did I read the news right?  Is Aribnb now vetting our guests for us based their political views and using  information from the Southern Poverty Law Center to do it?  

[Helen3]

I can't image that this is correct @Kurt239  Why would Airbnb do this? And why use a local US legal resource to vet guests globally?

Why not link to the article from Airbnb that says this, or where it has been reported on an credible news source.

[Anonymous]

@Kurt239   If you want to discuss a news item that you read, it might help to link to the source.

I guess you're talking about Airbnb's recent ban of a famous white nationalist, which is consistent with their long-standing policy of removing accounts of members who are publicly affiliated with white supremacist, and similar extremist groups. They also claim to remove some profiles that are flagged in their background checks, such as registered sex offenders. 

As a private platform and not a public utility, Airbnb has the right to ban users at will. But if hosts wants to make extra sure that neo-Nazis and rapists can access their homes without any interference, they're certainly free to invite them on social media and make their own arrangements.

[Barri45]

White supremacy. Oh brother! 

[Sarah977]

@Kurt239  Racism isn't a "political view", despite the fact that some  political parties seem to attract and defend racism. It's an abhorent belief system that promotes the view that some races are inferior to others. It's pure hatred and Airbnb has done the right thing here.

 https://www.rawstory.com/malkin-airbnb

[Fred13]

This is the person in question: https://viewfromthewing.com/conservative-michelle-malkin-banned-from-airbnb-for-speech-to-white-nati...

This is a slippery slope for Airbnb and for those companies that also enthusiastically jump into any political movement (aka social 'reign of terror'); they always start with labels, but sooner or later they will  run out of obvious victims and have to start 'inventing' new ones. In time, no one is safe, why not even Robespierre was of all people. 

[Sarah977]

@Fred13  Slippery slope? Advocating racial profiling, defending the internment of American born Japanese, and Holocaust denial isn't a "political movement"- it is blatant racial hatred.

[Fred13]

So she presumably stands for all this, or are these guilts by association?

We can find a million 'valid' reason to start choosing who is allowed to be a host or guest, but is that really were we want to go or we were suppose to go? I don't think so. 

I am keeping my association with my guests strictly within the parameters of a host-guest temporary relationship, everything else is none of our business including what we really think about subjects that have no bearing. The less I know the better. 🙂

/back to my happy little world. 🙂 

[Sarah977]

@Fred13  Did you actually read the link I posted? This woman has personally advocated racist beliefs, not just belonged to some organization which holds them.

[Beverly100]

@Sarah977 

The link you posted was a left leaning liberal news.  They like to twist the truth to fit their agenda.  Please read MM words directly and not what others have said about her.  You can not believe everything that the news says.  

Signed:

Your loving neighbor to the north 🙂

[Dimitar27]

This is something for US only.

[Sarah977]

@Dimitar27  What, racism doesn't exist outside the US? 

[Gillian166]

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@Sarah977 wrote:

@Dimitar27  What, racism doesn't exist outside the US? 

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I think the point is that in the USA racism is so tightly wound up into their political rhetoric, in a way that doesn't exist in other nations, although it's certainly influencing the politics of other nations, and not always for the best.  

I don't care for this woman's politics either (i'm mildly curious how a filipina is a white supremecist but i'll have forgotten about her in 5mins), but I don't support banning people from society for having opinions.  I can see the argument for doing it, but i'm very uncomfortable personally with authoritarianism.  My own country is still locking up the unvaxxed in "wellness camps" when they arrive here (and charging them for the pleasure), which is a disgrace. Once you accept the idea of curtailing people's rights, where do you stop?  

[Beverly100]

Watching and praying for your country.  It's a scary time.

[Dimitar27]

Something similar exists...but it's a "Chauvinism". It's not so skin-color based.