Minecraft creator Notch also wants to shut down publishers with opposing views

Whenever I think about the recent Gawker Media bankruptcy news I try to think about how I would feel about a publisher I dislike being burned to the ground by people who also dislike it.

With that in mind, I’m pretty sure that even if, say, easy target Fox News was being sued out of existence, while many people would react in the same way as they have to Gawker’s bankruptcy, I don’t know if I would.

After all, some of the best episodes of shows that I like, like The Daily Show or Australia’s The Chaser’s War on Everything, have come from people criticising said publisher. Some of the best political debates also come from two opposing sides fighting with words or humour, not money and lawsuits. Breitbart, who dislike Gawker, often do the same. They criticise, and they laugh, but they don’t try to shut Gawker down.

Minecraft creator Notch, who is by all means entitled to an opinion on the matter, disagrees though. Reacting to the news of Gawker Media filing for Chapter 11, Persson tweeted:

Apparently Gawker publication Kotaku, which in my opinion offers a cynical, but important view on games and gaming culture, as well as sexism and inequality, is only critical because, according to Notch, they “can’t play games”. Just like Polygon.

But is that enough for Notch to want to shut down these opposing views. Very yes! Apparently disagreeing isn’t enough anymore, so Notch tweeted that he’d be inspired to do the same as Thiel:

Say what you will about Gawker. I think they’ve made some crucial mistakes while also providing readers with some really smart, snappy journalism.

But even if I didn’t see their output as important, I can’t say that I’d want to shut the whole publication down.

And look, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds when talking about subjects such as this. It’s easy to be hyperbolic. But as Thiel has shown, money can now well and truly shut down opposing views and thought. And apparently his case won’t be the last.