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I found this piece very unconvincing. Where is the articulate and data supported argument that our democracy is under threat? Are people no longer voting? No, t

I found this piece very unconvincing. Where is the articulate and data supported argument that our democracy is under threat? Are people no longer voting? No, they are voting in droves. People of all ages are more politically charged than ever before. I’m seeing 10 year olds engaging in our democracy. To me it is becoming increasingly apparent that the issue here is that people aren’t voting for the issues the NYT and Chris want people to vote on. That doesn’t qualify as a threat to democracy. They don’t understand these voters or their values and the assumption at NYT is that they are morons who are clicking on fake news links on Facebook. An entire case is being made without data to support it. I get that Trump got elected and nobody at the NYT is happy about it. Time to move on imo.

noarchy 7y ago
>To me it is becoming increasingly apparent that the issue here is that people aren’t voting for the issues the NYT and Chris want people to vote on. While you're getting downvoted, there is likely an element of truth to this. The "old" media has seen entities like Twitter and Facebook as a threat to their business model, as well as their ability to be influencers. There are legitimate gripes that we should all have with Facebook and their ilk, but I am sure the NYT is motivated by more than just concern for the public good.
- lefstathiou 7y ago
  I’ve spent 12 years on HN and have read countless threads from users I’ve followed for many years. This up/down voting mechanism is just another system of censorship and it has gotten worse on HN and you see the restraint exercised in comments. Anyone can spot articles that are “safe” to comment on and articles that are not (from the perspective of sharing views that do not jive with the HN majority and being downvoted into oblivion). I made a conscience decision not to let that bother or deter me. I try to balance that with my attempt to not troll and try to be constructive if a choose to post. The bias that NYT has here to destroy Facebook is evident to anyone who takes a moment to think about it. Their entire business model has been upended because they no longer control distribution, FB does. How can we form thoughtful / well balanced opinions based on these one-sided pieces? We can’t. Alas, who cares.
  - mrep 7y ago
    I couldn't have stated it better myself. It's especially ridiculous considering everyone claims they hate censorship so much and yet I see people abusing flags nowadays to auto-hide perfectly constructive comments just because they don't like what the other person said.
baby 7y ago
FWIW I agree with your comment. It is sad that it is getting downvoted. But this kind of thread is more of a crowd lynching rather than a place for discussions.

noarchy 7y ago

>To me it is becoming increasingly apparent that the issue here is that people aren’t voting for the issues the NYT and Chris want people to vote on. While you're getting downvoted, there is likely an element of truth to this. The "old" media has seen entities like Twitter and Facebook as a threat to their business model, as well as their ability to be influencers. There are legitimate gripes that we should all have with Facebook and their ilk, but I am sure the NYT is motivated by more than just concern for the public good.

lefstathiou 7y ago
I’ve spent 12 years on HN and have read countless threads from users I’ve followed for many years. This up/down voting mechanism is just another system of censorship and it has gotten worse on HN and you see the restraint exercised in comments. Anyone can spot articles that are “safe” to comment on and articles that are not (from the perspective of sharing views that do not jive with the HN majority and being downvoted into oblivion). I made a conscience decision not to let that bother or deter me. I try to balance that with my attempt to not troll and try to be constructive if a choose to post. The bias that NYT has here to destroy Facebook is evident to anyone who takes a moment to think about it. Their entire business model has been upended because they no longer control distribution, FB does. How can we form thoughtful / well balanced opinions based on these one-sided pieces? We can’t. Alas, who cares.
- mrep 7y ago
  I couldn't have stated it better myself. It's especially ridiculous considering everyone claims they hate censorship so much and yet I see people abusing flags nowadays to auto-hide perfectly constructive comments just because they don't like what the other person said.

baby 7y ago

FWIW I agree with your comment. It is sad that it is getting downvoted. But this kind of thread is more of a crowd lynching rather than a place for discussions.