Had one of those incredibly frustrating exchanges with David Frum today, about his incredibly wrong-headed column in the Atlantic: Suspending Alt-Right Twitter Accounts Doesn’t Fix Anything.

BULLSHIT. Yes, it does fix something.

This is a foolish way to look at the problem of white supremacism. Giving them a platform to spread hatred empowers them. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

People like Richard Spencer could not care less about “discussing ideas” and “debating.” They want to recruit other angry … @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

… people to their racist cause, and if you give them free rein on a service like Twitter, that’s exactly what they do. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

You cannot “debate” anything with neo-Nazis. There’s nothing to debate. They should be shunned and shut out. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

Will they scream “censorship?” Of course. But that’s FAR less harmful than allowing them to spread hateful ideology. @WillR0315 @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

We already see what happens when a site like Twitter DOESN’T take action to stop white supremacists. @WillR0315 @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

For years they did nothing. And today, these ugly racists are an absolute epidemic on Twitter. @WillR0315 @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

Just look at Twitter to see how wrong-headed David’s column is. White supremacists are arguably destroying Twitter. @WillR0315 @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

I don’t agree at all. There are some viewpoints that are beyond the pale, and should be. White supremacism is one. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

I saw bad behavior from some Bernie fans too. But to equate this with outright neo-Nazis is absurd. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

Why is it better? Has it worked on Twitter? Very obviously it hasn’t, and may have even aided in Trump’s election. @bwreed @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

Exactly right. They’re only yelling about “free speech” to manipulate people into letting them spread hatred. @Swift818 @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

And they hold state power because too many people treated them as if their opinions were as valid as any other. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

When you give white supremacists a platform to “debate” their ideology, you’re playing right into their hands. @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

I’ve been dealing with these people for longer than I like to think about, and it’s incredibly rare … @kennethsilber @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

… for a white supremacist to be convinced by rational argument. They didn’t become white supremacists… @kennethsilber @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

… because they’re rational people, and treating them like they are is simply setting yourself up for failure. @kennethsilber @davidfrum

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

@davidfrum There’s a reason why I’m suddenly getting deluged with comments from white supremacists who like your article, David.

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016

@davidfrum They love it when someone like you accepts their “free speech” propaganda because it helps them keep spreading the hatred.

— Charles Johnson 📎 (@Green_Footballs) November 16, 2016