5 ms·

Democracy doesn't mean "accept what the current administration does with no criticism, because they were democratically elected"

dmix 2y ago
It does make ones eyes glaze over when American politics is everywhere you look. In every thread, about every topic. And each comment thread has 50 highly emotional comments that you have to scroll through to find the 5 few thoughtful comments near the bottom discussing the article, without going off the rails.
- Trasmatta 2y ago
  Why wouldn't American politics be discussed in a thread about tuberculosis in an American state?
  - dmix 2y ago
    Look at the top thread with 50 comments and count how many are discussing tuberculosis in America. It's just another starting off point for everyone to go in a hundred directions ranting about US politics and ignore the topic
    - Dalewyn 2y ago
      The thread is about a tuberculosis outbreak in the US. Subsequent comments include conversations about a US federal government department agency publishing (or not) data on that outbreak. This is all taking place on an online forum hosted in the US and managed by US entities. And you (and like minded individuals) expect to not see US politics? I appreciate that the US has an outsized presence on the intertubez, but you also need to realize you're first of all talking in the midst of Americans.
      - gonzobonzo 2y ago
        You can read the MMWR reports, the OP linked to them: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html The ones that were published in the weeks prior to the current administration weren't talking about the Kansas tuberculosis outbreak either. So we're not really discussing the "US federal government department agency publishing (or not) data on that outbreak." Someone's implying that's what happened, and then people are spinning off into political discussions without even looking into the link they provided to see if that was actually the case. It's not just going off topic to discuss politics. People are actively spreading misinformation to justify going off topic to discuss politics, and lots of other people are joining in without bothering to check if what was claimed is actually true. Two-thirds of the comments now are using the claims about the MMWR to discuss politics, and it doesn't look like anyone actually looked at the MMWR to see what it actually is.
        Dalewyn 2y ago
        I at least didn't read any of the links because I couldn't care less beyond seeing what everyone was talking about in a thread about tuberculosis in the US. My point still stands that if someone doesn't want to see conversations regarding the US, politics or otherwise, maybe he should stay out of threads regarding the US and maybe also find other forums not hosted in America and managed by Americans where the vast majority of participants will be Americans. It's like taking a trip to Mars and complaining that all the dirt is red, y'know?
        dmix 2y ago
        That’s a wholly unambitious worldview Online communities need constant self checking and introspection to not go off the deepend. This isn’t like Reddit where you can unsubscribe from the crazy big politics subreddits or unfollow people on Twitter. I still think the old ideal of HN where we have some higher goal than yet another US political rant forum is still worth fighting for. > I couldn't care less beyond seeing what everyone was talking about in a thread about tuberculosis in the US. I was interested in the issue in Kansas because I read the article. 66 people almost entirely in 2 counties isn’t exactly a national statistics collection issue
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  This is about medicine. How many people are claiming to separate medicine from politics? And how is this off the rails?
Waterluvian 2y ago
Oh, no that’s not my point. It’s that the administration is often used as a proxy when people should be angry at the diseased state of the population.

dmix 2y ago

It does make ones eyes glaze over when American politics is everywhere you look. In every thread, about every topic. And each comment thread has 50 highly emotional comments that you have to scroll through to find the 5 few thoughtful comments near the bottom discussing the article, without going off the rails.

Trasmatta 2y ago
Why wouldn't American politics be discussed in a thread about tuberculosis in an American state?
- dmix 2y ago
  Look at the top thread with 50 comments and count how many are discussing tuberculosis in America. It's just another starting off point for everyone to go in a hundred directions ranting about US politics and ignore the topic
  - Dalewyn 2y ago
    The thread is about a tuberculosis outbreak in the US. Subsequent comments include conversations about a US federal government department agency publishing (or not) data on that outbreak. This is all taking place on an online forum hosted in the US and managed by US entities. And you (and like minded individuals) expect to not see US politics? I appreciate that the US has an outsized presence on the intertubez, but you also need to realize you're first of all talking in the midst of Americans.
    - gonzobonzo 2y ago
      You can read the MMWR reports, the OP linked to them: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html The ones that were published in the weeks prior to the current administration weren't talking about the Kansas tuberculosis outbreak either. So we're not really discussing the "US federal government department agency publishing (or not) data on that outbreak." Someone's implying that's what happened, and then people are spinning off into political discussions without even looking into the link they provided to see if that was actually the case. It's not just going off topic to discuss politics. People are actively spreading misinformation to justify going off topic to discuss politics, and lots of other people are joining in without bothering to check if what was claimed is actually true. Two-thirds of the comments now are using the claims about the MMWR to discuss politics, and it doesn't look like anyone actually looked at the MMWR to see what it actually is.
      - Dalewyn 2y ago
        I at least didn't read any of the links because I couldn't care less beyond seeing what everyone was talking about in a thread about tuberculosis in the US. My point still stands that if someone doesn't want to see conversations regarding the US, politics or otherwise, maybe he should stay out of threads regarding the US and maybe also find other forums not hosted in America and managed by Americans where the vast majority of participants will be Americans. It's like taking a trip to Mars and complaining that all the dirt is red, y'know?
        dmix 2y ago
        That’s a wholly unambitious worldview Online communities need constant self checking and introspection to not go off the deepend. This isn’t like Reddit where you can unsubscribe from the crazy big politics subreddits or unfollow people on Twitter. I still think the old ideal of HN where we have some higher goal than yet another US political rant forum is still worth fighting for. > I couldn't care less beyond seeing what everyone was talking about in a thread about tuberculosis in the US. I was interested in the issue in Kansas because I read the article. 66 people almost entirely in 2 counties isn’t exactly a national statistics collection issue
johnnyanmac 2y ago
This is about medicine. How many people are claiming to separate medicine from politics? And how is this off the rails?

Waterluvian 2y ago

Oh, no that’s not my point. It’s that the administration is often used as a proxy when people should be angry at the diseased state of the population.