4 ms·

You guys remember when liberals/progressives used to stand up for free speech and flipping a middle finger to 3 letter agencies? It was beautiful. The current

You guys remember when liberals/progressives used to stand up for free speech and flipping a middle finger to 3 letter agencies? It was beautiful. The current liberatarian = cultural-left ~10 years ago.

wincy 4y ago
I really miss that internet. I thought everyone else did too. I feel like I’ve stood in the same place as people have started to just decide they don’t believe in free speech when it’s not convenient?
- systemvoltage 4y ago
  Silicon Valley used to have such a great sense of optimism and principled approach towards individualism. Highly inspiring and optimistic. Today, I can’t even say I like Steve Jobs without getting labeled something.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  Not defending any form of censorship, but I will say that before 2016, many of us didn't understand just how programmable people were. Or we suspected it, but just didn't want to admit it to ourselves.
  - systemvoltage 4y ago
    This is the problem. Blaming it on people being programmable instead of looking at real issues of rust belt dwindling into starvation, shipping manufacturing overseas and letting our cities crumble into infrastructure rot. But, yeah, still blame it on the programmability of the people. I guess, this is the testament to programmability of people to not look at real politik and sweep things under the rug. We went from individual rights to mushy paper straws in less than 10 years. That's how far we've stooped.
    - Cederfjard 4y ago
      > This is the problem. Blaming it on people being programmable instead of looking at real issues of rust belt dwindling into starvation, shipping manufacturing overseas and letting our cities crumble into infrastructure rot. > But, yeah, still blame it on the programmability of the people. Yes indeed, because the people affected by those problems tend to vote for the side that, to a much more severe degree than its counterpart, doesn’t have any real vision for solving them, but instead makes its base feel good with populistic propaganda. You’re basically just saying there are real issues that people care about. Yeah, absolutely. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t also being manipulated and that it’s not something worth trying to solve.
    - CamperBob2 4y ago
      We went from individual rights to mushy paper straws in less than 10 years. That's how far we've stooped. No, the Republicans went from a party that believed in free trade, free minds, freedom of conscience, and individual rights to a captive personality cult beholden to a New York real estate hustler who failed at selling steaks, booze, and gambling to Americans but who was strangely successful at selling real estate to Russians, and who promised to stack the courts with unqualified theocrats. That's how far you've stooped.
      - systemvoltage 4y ago
        This has nothing to do with Republicans or Democrats.
        CamperBob2 4y ago
        Well, it's not as if there are any libertarians left.
        systemvoltage 4y ago
        Damn, you’re right. Just shows how bad things have gotten. SV used to be quite libertarian. John Carmack and John Romero wouldn’t fit in today’s SV culture. Surprising because I assume intellectuals wouldn’t fall for woke culture and they’d reject it out right. Instead, SV intellectuals have embraced it hard and fast; and chief proponents of it.

wincy 4y ago

I really miss that internet. I thought everyone else did too. I feel like I’ve stood in the same place as people have started to just decide they don’t believe in free speech when it’s not convenient?

systemvoltage 4y ago
Silicon Valley used to have such a great sense of optimism and principled approach towards individualism. Highly inspiring and optimistic. Today, I can’t even say I like Steve Jobs without getting labeled something.
CamperBob2 4y ago
Not defending any form of censorship, but I will say that before 2016, many of us didn't understand just how programmable people were. Or we suspected it, but just didn't want to admit it to ourselves.
- systemvoltage 4y ago
  This is the problem. Blaming it on people being programmable instead of looking at real issues of rust belt dwindling into starvation, shipping manufacturing overseas and letting our cities crumble into infrastructure rot. But, yeah, still blame it on the programmability of the people. I guess, this is the testament to programmability of people to not look at real politik and sweep things under the rug. We went from individual rights to mushy paper straws in less than 10 years. That's how far we've stooped.
  - Cederfjard 4y ago
    > This is the problem. Blaming it on people being programmable instead of looking at real issues of rust belt dwindling into starvation, shipping manufacturing overseas and letting our cities crumble into infrastructure rot. > But, yeah, still blame it on the programmability of the people. Yes indeed, because the people affected by those problems tend to vote for the side that, to a much more severe degree than its counterpart, doesn’t have any real vision for solving them, but instead makes its base feel good with populistic propaganda. You’re basically just saying there are real issues that people care about. Yeah, absolutely. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t also being manipulated and that it’s not something worth trying to solve.
  - CamperBob2 4y ago
    We went from individual rights to mushy paper straws in less than 10 years. That's how far we've stooped. No, the Republicans went from a party that believed in free trade, free minds, freedom of conscience, and individual rights to a captive personality cult beholden to a New York real estate hustler who failed at selling steaks, booze, and gambling to Americans but who was strangely successful at selling real estate to Russians, and who promised to stack the courts with unqualified theocrats. That's how far you've stooped.
    - systemvoltage 4y ago
      This has nothing to do with Republicans or Democrats.
      - CamperBob2 4y ago
        Well, it's not as if there are any libertarians left.
        systemvoltage 4y ago
        Damn, you’re right. Just shows how bad things have gotten. SV used to be quite libertarian. John Carmack and John Romero wouldn’t fit in today’s SV culture. Surprising because I assume intellectuals wouldn’t fall for woke culture and they’d reject it out right. Instead, SV intellectuals have embraced it hard and fast; and chief proponents of it.