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A thought experiment: Would US independence have been achieved if the internet existed and the British crown had the ability to use that money to influence Ame
by BeefWellington 2y ago
A thought experiment:
Would US independence have been achieved if the internet existed and the British crown had the ability to use that money to influence Americans?
IMO it's at least contrary to the spirit of the constitution, which was about giving the People the power.
- logicchains 2y agoIf the internet existed at the time the power to censor it would have belonged to the British crown, much as they had the power to read/censor mail (one of the original motivations for the first amendment).
- lupusreal 2y agoWealthy propagandists wielding mass media was in fact a key part of the American Revolution. The likes of Benjamin Franklin held no punches, and certainly would not have abided by sort of regulations overturned by Citizens United. Imagine telling the man that he's not allowed to publish a newspaper supporting his position because an election is imminent. He'd laugh in your face and do it anyway. His influence is a large part of the reason we have the First Amendment.