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It is a poor reflection on tech's echochamber when Tor has to re-explain the principles of free speech for the millionth time. We've already had this debate abo

It is a poor reflection on tech's echochamber when Tor has to re-explain the principles of free speech for the millionth time. We've already had this debate about Monarchists, witches, real Nazis, Commies, Satanists, Anarchists, blacks, gays, Muslims, and every other group at the center of a moral panic. And EVERY time afterward, when the hysteria ceases, we look back and think how absurd people were for thinking we need to undermine basic liberties in order to prevent the atheists from turning our kids gay or whatever. Yet every few years there is a new absurd moral panic that opportunists jump on to grant themselves authoritarian powers and there is a new set of gullible idiots that are eager to cede their rights to them. The world will be able to function fine with a few racist wingnuts writing on their loser blog. The world will not function when we start arbitrarily silencing people and granting fringe groups the greatest recruiting propaganda they could ask for.

dcow 9y ago
I never understood the restriction on presidents being born US citizens until recently. What we've observed of late is a perversion of the basic liberties and freedoms that America was founded on. My hypothesis is that in part this is due to an influx of individuals who were not raised to value those freedoms and liberties within quite the same cultural context. (I'm trying to be very careful here please don't pervert my words.) This is by no means bad but my point is that it certainly is at odds with our own American cultural values. It is also supprising how many Americans I've met so easily prefer personal safety or cater to anecdotal passion and empathy. What's so ironic is ther it's these very values that have allowed us to become what we are today. Why are we so eager to throw those out the minute we realize just how powerful they are? But that's not the point. My point is that it's fine to entertain and exchange all cultures and ideas, but we've built a system of geverning people that depends to some degree on our own cultural identity. The key to true diversity is tolerance--the ability to firmly retain your own identity whilst co-existing with all the other ones. We cannot value freedom of expression if we are not willing to tolerate ideas that are different from our own. There's a word for a shared political/social worldview: uniformity.

dcow 9y ago

I never understood the restriction on presidents being born US citizens until recently. What we've observed of late is a perversion of the basic liberties and freedoms that America was founded on. My hypothesis is that in part this is due to an influx of individuals who were not raised to value those freedoms and liberties within quite the same cultural context. (I'm trying to be very careful here please don't pervert my words.) This is by no means bad but my point is that it certainly is at odds with our own American cultural values. It is also supprising how many Americans I've met so easily prefer personal safety or cater to anecdotal passion and empathy. What's so ironic is ther it's these very values that have allowed us to become what we are today. Why are we so eager to throw those out the minute we realize just how powerful they are? But that's not the point. My point is that it's fine to entertain and exchange all cultures and ideas, but we've built a system of geverning people that depends to some degree on our own cultural identity. The key to true diversity is tolerance--the ability to firmly retain your own identity whilst co-existing with all the other ones. We cannot value freedom of expression if we are not willing to tolerate ideas that are different from our own. There's a word for a shared political/social worldview: uniformity.