Zille groet TwitterHelen Zille. (Foto: Tracey Adams/ANA) Helen Zille, voorsitter van die DA se federale raad, het Maandag aangekondig dat sy haar Twitter-rekening sluit. In ŉ rits twiets op die sosialemediaplatform sê Zille sy het die besluit geneem ná die “groteske behandeling” van haar kleindogter Sondag. Zille het die afgelope naweek ŉ foto van haar kleindogter gedeel waar dié haar tydens beurtkrag help kook. In kommentaar daarop het sommige Twitter-gebruikers onder meer gevra of sy die meisietjie as ŉ huishulp probeer oplei en of die kind haar slaaf is. “Twitter het ontaard in ŉ platform vir irrasionaliteit en ŉ plek waar skares jou sonder ŉ geregtelike verhoor hang. Alles wat verdraai en verander kan word vir ŉ haatgevulde agenda word gebruik om woede te vervaardig en die maksimum skade te berokken,” het Zille getwiet. “Vir baie lank het ek Twitter probeer bevorder as ŉ platform vir rasionele en beskaafde debat, maar dit is duidelik onmoontlik.” Zille se Twitter-plasing het weereens groot reaksie ontlok. (Skermskoot: Twitter) Zille sê die platform is nou ŉ plek vir verdraaiing, ŉ plek waar konteks verwyder word; waar mense gedemoniseer word en waar dubbel standaarde hoogty vier. “Pleks daarvan dat dit debat gedemokratiseer het, het dit vryheid van spraak en besprekings ingeperk. Dit maak jou vyande dapper en jou vriende stil.” Zille sê die enigste ding wat sy gaan mis, is die plasings van die rasionele en interessante mense wat sy gevolg het. Sy het intussen ŉ nuwe, private rekening, @ZilleTweets, geopen, maar sê dit is slegs vir diegene wat belangstel in beredeneerde debat. “Ek gaan natuurlik net weet of iemand belangstel in rasionele debat as ek hulle óf persoonlik, óf deur vorige Twitter-interaksie ken. Dit beteken ek kan diegene wat belangstel in sulke debat verwerp omdat ek hulle nie ken nie. “Ek vra om verskoning daarvoor, maar dié bose platform – wat geen doeltreffende manier kan vind om vals rekeninge op te spoor en op te tree teen diegene wat haatspraak pleeg (soos in die Grondwet gedefinieer) nie, bied geen alternatief nie. Mooi loop as jy dit goed bedoel. Ek is weg.” A thread 1) After the grotesque treatment of my grand-daughter on Twitter ydy, I am closing this account. I say goodbye to some of my followers, and good riddance to the haters, bots and sock-puppets that constitute such a large percentage of my 1,4-million plus followers. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 2) Twitter has degenerated into a platform for irrationality and mob-lynching. Everything that can be distorted and twisted for a hate-filled agenda, is used for the purpose of manufacturing outrage and inflicting maximum damage. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 3) For a long time I have sought to promote Twitter as a platform for rational and civil debate, but it clearly is not possible. It has degenerated into a space of distortion, de-contextualisation, demonization, de-legitimation and double standards. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 4) Instead of democratising debate, it has severely curtailed freedom of speech and discussion. It emboldens your enemies and silences your friends. It is a space where the best lack all conviction and the worst are full of passionate intensity, as Yeats so aptly put it. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 5) The only thing I would miss if I went off the platform entirely, are the posts of the rational and interesting people I follow. So I am opening a new, private account called @ZilleTweets. That will be for people interested in rational debate only. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 6) Of course, I would only know if someone is interested in rational debate if I know them either personally, or through past Twitter interactions. This means I may reject many who are interested in rational debate, but who I do not know. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020 7) I apologise for that. But this evil platform, that can find no effective way of filtering out fake accounts, and dealing with hate speech (as constitutionally defined) offers no alternative. Go well if you mean well. I'm out of here. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 17, 2020