MenareJerks.com has never been about hate speech. The idea was largely tongue-in-cheek to start with and, aside from letting a few people share their (usually justified) rants, has mostly focused on pro respect for women and pro self-esteem building topics … and occasionally pointed out some jerky behavior. Facebook elected to delete a smallish (261 likes), four year old page connected with this site because of their “community standards”… I guess they failed to get that “jerk” really has a range of meanings. Other than calling Rick Perry a jerk … mild talk about Rick in Texas … it never got stronger than that. The Facebook page was somewhat more actively updated than this site and its posts referenced stories from the Washington Post, Hooking Up Smart, Time and other credible sources. The “rants” were never published on Facebook.

So, Facebook … please remember that free speech is nuanced and delicate … hate speech is not. You didn’t find the latter on that page. And keep in mind Ralph Waldo Emerson’s saying that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

Oh, yes … and on the largely free and open Web, we’re still here. Facebook can keep its “walled garden.” If anyone wants to see what was on the Facebook page, I’ve got some screen shots. Thanks.