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I think they meant, "why the notion that it's one-sided is wrong". I.e. they are explaining their reasoning for the assertion that it's both sides - not explain

I think they meant, "why the notion that it's one-sided is wrong". I.e. they are explaining their reasoning for the assertion that it's both sides - not explaining why each side is doing it. Emphasis in the title is on the word "and", not on the phrase "free speech is under attack".

PaulHoule 5y ago
I think it's also wrongheaded to look at online communications in 2021 through the lens of "rights", see https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Rights-Talk/Mary-Ann-Glendon/9780029118238 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Rights-Talk/Mary-Ann-... Today people are overwhelmed with spam, disingenuous and wasteful communication. On my floor there is a bullpen full of graduate students with a sign that warns about the danger of a "Halon 1301 Fire Control System", but talking to the building manager they never got around to installing Halon in that room. In the kitchen there is a sign advertising NSF grants for graduate students that was there when I was a graduate student (20+ years ago!), when I called the phone number it was disconnected so I took it down. Exposed to thoughtless and irrelevant messages people learn to tune out real dangers and opportunity. On Hacker News every day I see people who seem to be fascinated with the idea of taking pet medicines to cure deadly diseases and they valorize anything "controversial". I wonder if, like the some cults, the point is not for the followers to convert anybody, but instead to face ridicule, rejection and marginalization, convince them that the world is hopelessly corrupt, and radicalize them so they'll attempt more violent attacks. Then there was the article that got posted about "How to pick the right handheld GPS... For You" that rambles on but never mentions specific models, that there is one Garmin model that is at least 10db more sensitive than all the others. It looks like legitimate communication but it's empty and meaningless. Those GDPR cookie popups train people to click "yes" to anything and someday somebody will click on something they shouldn't have and the power will go down to the US East Coast for two weeks. Gangs of people with the MO "we have to have the last word" stalk hacker news and try to draw people out and provoke them to anger. The first ones I noticed were "gender activists" (e.g. the kind of people who will get in the way of police when they are doing their work and get arrested after an hour of arguing and claim they can't understand why they got arrested) but soon the tactic was adopted by "alt right" people. I remember feeling so helpless when a certain rotter from a broken home would do this in person to my (then) six year old son who didn't understand that he couldn't win by arguing with this person at a "content" level. Criminals like the latter will talk about their "rights" but it's like saying that acid rain has rights or that leaded gas has rights.
- bawolff 5y ago
  This is one of the least coherent things i've read on the internet in a while, which is a pretty hard competition.
- happytoexplain 5y ago
  Your remarks hint at insight into deeply relevant, if broad, topics - but each merely glances and the topics are many. I think I see the unifying thesis and how it relates, though through a glass, darkly.

PaulHoule 5y ago

I think it's also wrongheaded to look at online communications in 2021 through the lens of "rights", see https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Rights-Talk/Mary-Ann-Glendon/9780029118238 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Rights-Talk/Mary-Ann-... Today people are overwhelmed with spam, disingenuous and wasteful communication. On my floor there is a bullpen full of graduate students with a sign that warns about the danger of a "Halon 1301 Fire Control System", but talking to the building manager they never got around to installing Halon in that room. In the kitchen there is a sign advertising NSF grants for graduate students that was there when I was a graduate student (20+ years ago!), when I called the phone number it was disconnected so I took it down. Exposed to thoughtless and irrelevant messages people learn to tune out real dangers and opportunity. On Hacker News every day I see people who seem to be fascinated with the idea of taking pet medicines to cure deadly diseases and they valorize anything "controversial". I wonder if, like the some cults, the point is not for the followers to convert anybody, but instead to face ridicule, rejection and marginalization, convince them that the world is hopelessly corrupt, and radicalize them so they'll attempt more violent attacks. Then there was the article that got posted about "How to pick the right handheld GPS... For You" that rambles on but never mentions specific models, that there is one Garmin model that is at least 10db more sensitive than all the others. It looks like legitimate communication but it's empty and meaningless. Those GDPR cookie popups train people to click "yes" to anything and someday somebody will click on something they shouldn't have and the power will go down to the US East Coast for two weeks. Gangs of people with the MO "we have to have the last word" stalk hacker news and try to draw people out and provoke them to anger. The first ones I noticed were "gender activists" (e.g. the kind of people who will get in the way of police when they are doing their work and get arrested after an hour of arguing and claim they can't understand why they got arrested) but soon the tactic was adopted by "alt right" people. I remember feeling so helpless when a certain rotter from a broken home would do this in person to my (then) six year old son who didn't understand that he couldn't win by arguing with this person at a "content" level. Criminals like the latter will talk about their "rights" but it's like saying that acid rain has rights or that leaded gas has rights.

bawolff 5y ago
This is one of the least coherent things i've read on the internet in a while, which is a pretty hard competition.
happytoexplain 5y ago
Your remarks hint at insight into deeply relevant, if broad, topics - but each merely glances and the topics are many. I think I see the unifying thesis and how it relates, though through a glass, darkly.