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> This feels like a major downgrade in intellectual, respectable discourse, and President Obama just lot a lot of points in my book. Same, I used to think of h
by cato_the_elder 5y ago
> This feels like a major downgrade in intellectual, respectable discourse, and President Obama just lot a lot of points in my book.
Same, I used to think of him as a measured and relatively competent person. Now the former "leader of the free world" is openly calling for internet censorship.
- rektide 5y agoI disagree but am sympathetic with creating new regime of allowed/probibited sharing. I wish he saw things differently but I dont dock him for his view, per se, at least not at this point. He doesnt seem to have a real ask, a concrete notion, so it feels premature to judge, although I have vast doubts. Phrasing anything so starkly as "get on my side" is, otoh, a jerk move. Not even trying to argue your position, using emotional leverage to radicalize & polarize the situation... it's so against the idea of hope & change, such a degrading & unnecessary push for clash, that steamrolls over anyone not totally onboard. And to make such a pick a side offer when it's so unclear ehat the sides are, when there's no proposals, no suggestions, nothing concrete,... no one should be eager to take up any side that comes at the world without terms, just demanding surrender. This is not how values are established, thus is bullying. There's definitely irony to the free world contracting & writhing, becoming so afraid of seeing itself, afraid of the din of humanity & seeking quiet & order. I personally think the way out is theough, is getting better at being good, is espousing speech & building more constructive forms & patterns of online speech, not dawdling in the muck of the gross sides & clamping down. It's brutal days seeing democracy loath itself like this.