Social Media
A Eulogy for Kiwi Farms
Rest in pieces!
Kiwi Farms, the worst place on the internet, is no more. The website where angry transphobes, racists, ableists, and misogynists, would gather to participate in circle-jerks of hate went the way of the dodo Saturday evening.
The air is a little sweeter now, the chirping of the birds seems chirpier, and the excellent kiwi fruit is no longer associated with the absolute dregs of humanity. ’Tis a joyful day!
Cloudflare blocked Kiwi Farms Saturday, citing “imminent personal threats.” Kiwi Farms went to a Russian server for a few minutes, but even Russia said “Oh my God, what the hell is THIS” and booted them as well. And while the creator of Kiwi Farms pouts somewhere next to Andrew Anglin, the rest of us are dancing in the streets. For those who might not know, Andrew Anglin is the founder of The Daily Stormer, a vile neo-Nazi website. Cloudflare blocked TDS a few years ago after Anglin organized a campaign of terror against a Montana real estate agent. It’s important to note that Cloudflare made sure to tell everyone they blocked both these sites “reluctantly.”
Kiwi Farms was an all-you-can-eat buffet of literal shit, sort of a one-stop shopping experience for the worst human beings online. For now, all those cretins will have to post their hateful, poorly-spelled screeds in more than one place, bouncing around between incel sub-Reddits, transphobic Twitter, and wherever The Daily Stormer lives.
Oh. For folks who are typing all in caps about “FREEDOM OF SPEECH,” let me tell you something. This is the first time I have felt safe enough to write about Kiwi Farms. Other writers, journalists, and activists have had their freedom of speech stifled by Kiwi Farms for too long. The end of Kiwi Farms means that we can write and comment without fear of being doxxed, or threatened with violence.
Goodbye, Kiwi Farms. Sadly, the space you leave behind will most likely be filled quickly, but for now, the sun shines a bit brighter thanks to your demise.
