I’ve joined 138 artists, journalists, and public intellectuals from around the world to warn of a shortsighted perspective on free speech and digital governance that’s mobilised social media companies, universities, governments, and NGOs to derange the free-flow of information.
1. To communicate the need to return to a standard that has existed and needs to exist for a reason.
2. Starting points like this. At least in democratic societies if enough of the “exhausted middle” voice their opinions things can change.
3. Rally round the family with a pocket full of shells. No, wait--not sure where that Rage Against The Machine lyric came from. Intrusive thought :-)
“Then what” is a good question--but if society at large and the MSM stop pandering to fringe elements I believe we can rid our day-to-day lives of the nonsense of mal/dis/misinformation as terms used regularly to squelch sincere questions. We can once again learn to disagree, please pass the potatoes instead of uninviting relatives to dinner or getting divorced. We can move towards living in unity, and avoid this push to live in uniformity.
I feel you (I think that’s what the kids say these days?) and your frustration. Hopefully you find some peace or contentment along the way today.
"“Then what” is a good question--but if society at large and the MSM stop pandering to fringe elements"
Sometimes I get it right. I came up with those shortly after Saddam fell. We (humans) are very good at question 1. Question 2, less so. Question 3 hardly ever. I mean seriously.
Have you ever considered the MSM is not pandering so much as they Are The Fringe. Or at least sympathetic to them.
Interesting idea re: the MSM. I don’t think I’ve ever considered that. I do think that they are amoral, for profit businesses who have struggled to be relevant since shortly after the advent of the web. As such, they are driven primarily by ad revenue, and whatever outrage they can generate to plump their numbers is what they will focus on, while hiding behind a thin veneer of claiming to be on the right side of history.
Just while writing that my brain was turning and I think you’re on to something--they kind of do represent the fringe views.
When The not just evil but Evil orange man won in 2016 The Corporate Media when absolutely Insane. thought they treated Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Both Bushs bad...No comparison with the Ultra Extreme Racist Orange man.
"I'm sure TTR's know of my love (obsession) of history. This is going to be an ongoing series of videos and articles purposing the idea that we are at one of these points. I would hope others here partake in this, or at a minimum allow this view to influence your views on politics and culture.
I would also add, not being a man of the written word, I have not (yet) been able to put this into so many words.
This gives me hope right as the Australian Govt is ramping up its championing of the Misinformation Bill in reaction to the appallingly timed referendum. Can you possibly make the Westminster Declaration open to public signing also - akin to the Great Barrington Declaration?
There's a portal at the bottom of this page where you can register interest - https://westminsterdeclaration.org/ - I think this one isn't being opened up but they might change that if enough people ask.
This Morning I Am Nobody's Sweetheart. I am in a FOUL mood. That said
"Such interference with the right to free speech suppresses valid discussion about matters of urgent public interest, and undermines the foundational principles of representative democracy.
Across the globe, government actors, social media companies, universities, and NGOs are increasingly working to monitor citizens and rob them of their voices. These large-scale coordinated efforts are sometimes referred to as the ‘Censorship-Industrial Complex.’
This complex often operates through direct government policies. Authorities in India1
and Turkey2
have seized the power to remove political content from social media. The legislature in Germany3
and the Supreme Court in Brazil4
are criminalising political speech. In other countries, measures such as Ireland’s ‘Hate Speech’ Bill5
, Scotland’s Hate Crime Act6
, the UK’s Online Safety Bill7
, and Australia’s ‘Misinformation’ Bill8
threaten to severely restrict expression and create a chilling effect."
Three points in no particular order
1. What makes you think Large parts of the world, accept the notions of liberal western society? ie free flow of information, free speech/thought.
2. "We write as journalists, artists, authors, activists, technologists, and academics to warn of increasing international censorship that threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms." As a young man (1950's) there was a saying "That And Twenty Five Cents Will Buy You A Cup Of Coffee."
3. Every couple of hundred years a new technology comes along (think Printing Press, Steam Engine) and everything is thrown into Chaos. It takes 50-100? years for people/society to adjust. We are Right In The Middle of one now (Bigger, more chaotic than the printing press). Its gonna be a bumpy ride for the next couple of decades.
I LIED!
4. In the last 300 years we in the West have come to expect free flow of information, free speech/thought/religion/conscience as The Norm. This is NOT for 6000 years of recorded history things have operated. The Norm is basically Do What You're Told or Die.
These are things called FACTS. OK you put out a Declaration. Now What?
As I said at the top Ya Caught Me A REAL BAD MOOD (why? Topic for another day). don't like it when I get this way, but it is what it is. "Are you being fatalistic," When I get in these moods...ABSOLUTELY!!
"It's just a way to get the thoughts of many reasonable people down and signal opposition"
Over the Decades I've seen and signed 100's of these. I've become A little cynical about them. That said I Want This to be one of the declarations, statements that succeed (Really Move The Needle In the Correct Direction) There are some Heavy Hitters on that list (Racist, Neo-Nazis everyone! :-)).
Point One "1. What makes you think Large parts of the world, accept the notions of liberal western society? ie free flow of information, free speech/thought."
Also Point 4. "4. In the last 300 years we in the West have come to expect free flow of information, free speech/thought/religion/conscience as The Norm. This is NOT for 6000 years of recorded history things have operated. The Norm is basically Do What You're Told or Die. "
I'm not fatalistic but I try to keep my agency estimates as realistic as possible. I don't think this will do much but getting these ideas together and putting signals out into the ether is how you plant seeds for movements. I'm most interested in cryptographic software and hardware to solve this problem. We'll need to throw sand in the gears of the western censorship machine to get that up and running though.
I’d sign that.
3 small simple questions
1. What Do You Want?
2. How Do You Get It?
3. THEN WHAT HAPPENS?
1. To communicate the need to return to a standard that has existed and needs to exist for a reason.
2. Starting points like this. At least in democratic societies if enough of the “exhausted middle” voice their opinions things can change.
3. Rally round the family with a pocket full of shells. No, wait--not sure where that Rage Against The Machine lyric came from. Intrusive thought :-)
“Then what” is a good question--but if society at large and the MSM stop pandering to fringe elements I believe we can rid our day-to-day lives of the nonsense of mal/dis/misinformation as terms used regularly to squelch sincere questions. We can once again learn to disagree, please pass the potatoes instead of uninviting relatives to dinner or getting divorced. We can move towards living in unity, and avoid this push to live in uniformity.
I feel you (I think that’s what the kids say these days?) and your frustration. Hopefully you find some peace or contentment along the way today.
"“Then what” is a good question--but if society at large and the MSM stop pandering to fringe elements"
Sometimes I get it right. I came up with those shortly after Saddam fell. We (humans) are very good at question 1. Question 2, less so. Question 3 hardly ever. I mean seriously.
Have you ever considered the MSM is not pandering so much as they Are The Fringe. Or at least sympathetic to them.
Interesting idea re: the MSM. I don’t think I’ve ever considered that. I do think that they are amoral, for profit businesses who have struggled to be relevant since shortly after the advent of the web. As such, they are driven primarily by ad revenue, and whatever outrage they can generate to plump their numbers is what they will focus on, while hiding behind a thin veneer of claiming to be on the right side of history.
Just while writing that my brain was turning and I think you’re on to something--they kind of do represent the fringe views.
When The not just evil but Evil orange man won in 2016 The Corporate Media when absolutely Insane. thought they treated Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Both Bushs bad...No comparison with the Ultra Extreme Racist Orange man.
History is an Obsession of mine. Starting in March 2012 I've done a series of threads
Are we living on the hinge of history?
https://www.therightreasons.net/topic/38143-are-we-living-on-the-hinge-of-history/
"I'm sure TTR's know of my love (obsession) of history. This is going to be an ongoing series of videos and articles purposing the idea that we are at one of these points. I would hope others here partake in this, or at a minimum allow this view to influence your views on politics and culture.
I would also add, not being a man of the written word, I have not (yet) been able to put this into so many words.
___________________
Up to thread 5
The Right Reasons Search Hinge Of History
https://www.therightreasons.net/search/?q=Hinge%20Of%20History&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=30&updated_after=any&sortby=newest&search_and_or=and
___________________________
Note they have gotten Darker as time has gone on.
This gives me hope right as the Australian Govt is ramping up its championing of the Misinformation Bill in reaction to the appallingly timed referendum. Can you possibly make the Westminster Declaration open to public signing also - akin to the Great Barrington Declaration?
There's a portal at the bottom of this page where you can register interest - https://westminsterdeclaration.org/ - I think this one isn't being opened up but they might change that if enough people ask.
This Morning I Am Nobody's Sweetheart. I am in a FOUL mood. That said
"Such interference with the right to free speech suppresses valid discussion about matters of urgent public interest, and undermines the foundational principles of representative democracy.
Across the globe, government actors, social media companies, universities, and NGOs are increasingly working to monitor citizens and rob them of their voices. These large-scale coordinated efforts are sometimes referred to as the ‘Censorship-Industrial Complex.’
This complex often operates through direct government policies. Authorities in India1
and Turkey2
have seized the power to remove political content from social media. The legislature in Germany3
and the Supreme Court in Brazil4
are criminalising political speech. In other countries, measures such as Ireland’s ‘Hate Speech’ Bill5
, Scotland’s Hate Crime Act6
, the UK’s Online Safety Bill7
, and Australia’s ‘Misinformation’ Bill8
threaten to severely restrict expression and create a chilling effect."
Three points in no particular order
1. What makes you think Large parts of the world, accept the notions of liberal western society? ie free flow of information, free speech/thought.
2. "We write as journalists, artists, authors, activists, technologists, and academics to warn of increasing international censorship that threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms." As a young man (1950's) there was a saying "That And Twenty Five Cents Will Buy You A Cup Of Coffee."
3. Every couple of hundred years a new technology comes along (think Printing Press, Steam Engine) and everything is thrown into Chaos. It takes 50-100? years for people/society to adjust. We are Right In The Middle of one now (Bigger, more chaotic than the printing press). Its gonna be a bumpy ride for the next couple of decades.
I LIED!
4. In the last 300 years we in the West have come to expect free flow of information, free speech/thought/religion/conscience as The Norm. This is NOT for 6000 years of recorded history things have operated. The Norm is basically Do What You're Told or Die.
These are things called FACTS. OK you put out a Declaration. Now What?
(As I said I am in a REAL FOUL MOOD.
I don't really understand the thrust of this. Are you being fatalistic, or suggesting we naively believe this will change the course of history? It's just a way to get the thoughts of many reasonable people down and signal opposition. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/17/rishi-sunak-protect-free-speech-social-media-disinformation/
As I said at the top Ya Caught Me A REAL BAD MOOD (why? Topic for another day). don't like it when I get this way, but it is what it is. "Are you being fatalistic," When I get in these moods...ABSOLUTELY!!
"It's just a way to get the thoughts of many reasonable people down and signal opposition"
Over the Decades I've seen and signed 100's of these. I've become A little cynical about them. That said I Want This to be one of the declarations, statements that succeed (Really Move The Needle In the Correct Direction) There are some Heavy Hitters on that list (Racist, Neo-Nazis everyone! :-)).
Point One "1. What makes you think Large parts of the world, accept the notions of liberal western society? ie free flow of information, free speech/thought."
Also Point 4. "4. In the last 300 years we in the West have come to expect free flow of information, free speech/thought/religion/conscience as The Norm. This is NOT for 6000 years of recorded history things have operated. The Norm is basically Do What You're Told or Die. "
Remains Valid.
I'm not fatalistic but I try to keep my agency estimates as realistic as possible. I don't think this will do much but getting these ideas together and putting signals out into the ether is how you plant seeds for movements. I'm most interested in cryptographic software and hardware to solve this problem. We'll need to throw sand in the gears of the western censorship machine to get that up and running though.
Thank you.