3 ms·

> polarization started well before the personal computer showed up in the geological record. What do you mean?

by bruce343434 2y ago

HPsquared 2y ago
The Reformation is one famous example.
- jfengel 2y ago
  Reformation was itself really about long-standing conflicts between countries/nationalities. Few people really care whether they are saved through faith alone or not, just as East and West weren't really having wars over whether "filioque" belongs in the Nicene Creed. The Internet does give ordinary people the opportunity to be mean to each other on a daily basis rather than having wars. I'm genuinely not sure that's an improvement, since at least people would think twice before going into combat. The level of desiring to harass each other seems roughly constant.
  - philwelch 2y ago
    The reformation broke out in the middle of the hundreds of tiny German microstates that comprised the "Holy Roman Empire". In fact that's the only way it could have broken out; power was diffused among hundreds of princes and the mechanisms of central control weren't strong enough to stop it. That's why it happened when and where it did. Nationalism and politics didn't enter into it for the better part of a century.
ahartman00 2y ago
I think "well before the personal computer showed up in the geological record" is a bit of hyperbole, but it is not a new phenomenon: "We find that despite short-term fluctuations, partisanship or non-cooperation in the U.S. Congress has been increasing exponentially for over 60 years with no sign of abating or reversing" "Partisanship has been attributed to a number of causes, including the stratifying wealth distribution of Americans [2]; boundary redistricting [3]; activist activity at primary elections [4]; changes in Congressional procedural rules [5]; political realignment in the American South [6]; the shift from electing moderate members to electing partisan members [7] movement by existing members towards ideological poles [8]; and an increasing political, pervasive media [9]." https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0123507 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...
- intended 2y ago
  Oh thank god, this is the report I was looking for, and I couldn’t remember what it was. Thank you.

> polarization started well before the personal computer showed up in the geological record. What do you mean?

HPsquared 2y ago

The Reformation is one famous example.

jfengel 2y ago
Reformation was itself really about long-standing conflicts between countries/nationalities. Few people really care whether they are saved through faith alone or not, just as East and West weren't really having wars over whether "filioque" belongs in the Nicene Creed. The Internet does give ordinary people the opportunity to be mean to each other on a daily basis rather than having wars. I'm genuinely not sure that's an improvement, since at least people would think twice before going into combat. The level of desiring to harass each other seems roughly constant.
- philwelch 2y ago
  The reformation broke out in the middle of the hundreds of tiny German microstates that comprised the "Holy Roman Empire". In fact that's the only way it could have broken out; power was diffused among hundreds of princes and the mechanisms of central control weren't strong enough to stop it. That's why it happened when and where it did. Nationalism and politics didn't enter into it for the better part of a century.

ahartman00 2y ago

I think "well before the personal computer showed up in the geological record" is a bit of hyperbole, but it is not a new phenomenon: "We find that despite short-term fluctuations, partisanship or non-cooperation in the U.S. Congress has been increasing exponentially for over 60 years with no sign of abating or reversing" "Partisanship has been attributed to a number of causes, including the stratifying wealth distribution of Americans [2]; boundary redistricting [3]; activist activity at primary elections [4]; changes in Congressional procedural rules [5]; political realignment in the American South [6]; the shift from electing moderate members to electing partisan members [7] movement by existing members towards ideological poles [8]; and an increasing political, pervasive media [9]." https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0123507 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...

intended 2y ago
Oh thank god, this is the report I was looking for, and I couldn’t remember what it was. Thank you.