Dmitri wrote:everything wrote:what's disturbing is humans always seem to be getting dumber. are we just a continuance of rec.martial-arts stupidity here? or part of the broader trend?
Here's a brilliant article on this very topic:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CkYmqr ... p=drivesdk
The author makes many accurate points. The Tower of Babel analogy is interesting, but I think the USA example is the opposite in two senses. First, our motto is "E Pluribus Unum." However, we were never socially or politically "unum." That was a "dream" that was always denied. In 2008, that motivated the majority of Americans to elect a President who illustrated that idea. Of course, almost immediately there arose a minority of people who claimed the new president was illegitimate -because he wasn't American. This claim continued throughout his presidency, led by the person who'd become his successor.
Yep, social media (even RSF) definitely contributed. The problem isn't that anyone can say anything, it's that someone will say anything. There is always a choice. People know that, and use it to create outrage. The outrage can have a political outlet, but most often it's a way to get clicks. Say something outrageous, or say that say someone said something outrageous, and outraged people will flock to your site to express themselves. And, then there's the "like" function. It's definitely an endorphin rush to have 1ks of people agree, or disagree.
I totally agree with the author about children playing outside. I also think that he didn't bring up the reality of violence and threats of violence. Parents in my day did not worry about putting their kids on the subway by themselves and telling them where to get off. There may not actually be more child molesters today, but more people know about them, and they can't un-ring that bell. On that note, we rarely worried about politicians being shot. Nowadays, it's common to hear politicians talk about shooting other politicians.
Anyway, I don't think people are any stupider, or even more divided. It's only social media that tells us that, and it can be manipulated to do so. X millions of people watched someone on X. So, the fcuk what? Somebody said they heard something about someone from someone. Or, those people want to do such and such to us. Or, how about the media types who make their living telling people how messed up their lives are? Worse, then they're told who they can blame for their situation. And, someone will inevitably say that there's no other solution than violence.
It's not new at all. It's the same. The framers of the US tried to create a system that was different, based on principles expressed in the DoI. They have been translated into many languages, even Vietnamese, but American people argue about the meaning in English. You could say two parties separated by a common principle.
Global solutions are impossible where the idea of regulations is opposed. Take any issue; a meme or acronym will be developed that links it to everything evil. Then, there will be people willing to destroy it. The only question is how far they'll go. And, the author is right that not joining to participate is just as dangerous.