3 ms·

It’s because we have really been in the midst of a stupidity epidemic for at least the last 5 years and our debt has finally come due.

Enginerrrd 7y ago
For only the last 5 years?! We started approaching our current level of polarization and infighting over wedge issues during the 90's, and have steadily gotten worse. Both sides are hopelessly deadlocked and so convinced they're right as to completely disparage and dehumanize half of the population. They're more interested in fighting the other side than they are moving forward in any way if it involves giving the other side a victory, no matter how small. If that's not the stupidity that got us into this mess, I don't know what is.
- throwaway894345 7y ago
  By my estimation, most elite media, academia, and other epistemological institutions retained a strong sense of professional integrity prior to ~2012. They certainly had their biases, but they took some care to veil them. This change felt pretty distinct and abrupt to me; before the sort of overt partisanship was widespread among the general population, but these elite institutions were generally seen as above the fray. Afterward, we saw a steep trend toward tabloidism that climaxed early last year with the Covington Catholic affair (for the unfamiliar, the media doctored a video of some students to make them appear to be frothing racists to the effect that they were mobbed online and received threats of death and violence even from celebrities) but which has remained in a lesser but still heightened state ever since.
chapium 7y ago
Much longer than that.
mcrad 7y ago
This is exactly right. The evidence is not an any academic journal but in the way power and money led to the demise of major political parties and other institutions. The trend led to a shoddy papering over of the last financial crisis, which led to even more "creative" ways to blow bubbles, and further deteriorating checks and balances in both public and private sectors. Does the scientific community know about this? More importantly do they care? Granted, the virus is a serious matter. However the response is basically a different problem. Those in power know the financial system is strained beyond repair, and have a very strong incentive to use HC Healthcare Crisis to avert the blame and prepare new world order. Something like that.

Enginerrrd 7y ago

For only the last 5 years?! We started approaching our current level of polarization and infighting over wedge issues during the 90's, and have steadily gotten worse. Both sides are hopelessly deadlocked and so convinced they're right as to completely disparage and dehumanize half of the population. They're more interested in fighting the other side than they are moving forward in any way if it involves giving the other side a victory, no matter how small. If that's not the stupidity that got us into this mess, I don't know what is.

throwaway894345 7y ago
By my estimation, most elite media, academia, and other epistemological institutions retained a strong sense of professional integrity prior to ~2012. They certainly had their biases, but they took some care to veil them. This change felt pretty distinct and abrupt to me; before the sort of overt partisanship was widespread among the general population, but these elite institutions were generally seen as above the fray. Afterward, we saw a steep trend toward tabloidism that climaxed early last year with the Covington Catholic affair (for the unfamiliar, the media doctored a video of some students to make them appear to be frothing racists to the effect that they were mobbed online and received threats of death and violence even from celebrities) but which has remained in a lesser but still heightened state ever since.

chapium 7y ago

Much longer than that.

mcrad 7y ago

This is exactly right. The evidence is not an any academic journal but in the way power and money led to the demise of major political parties and other institutions. The trend led to a shoddy papering over of the last financial crisis, which led to even more "creative" ways to blow bubbles, and further deteriorating checks and balances in both public and private sectors. Does the scientific community know about this? More importantly do they care? Granted, the virus is a serious matter. However the response is basically a different problem. Those in power know the financial system is strained beyond repair, and have a very strong incentive to use HC Healthcare Crisis to avert the blame and prepare new world order. Something like that.