30 ms·

Good, it is a start. And much better would be for those EU politicians, journalists and other people to move to Mastodon, Pixelfed, and similar independent plat

Good, it is a start. And much better would be for those EU politicians, journalists and other people to move to Mastodon, Pixelfed, and similar independent platforms. That would make a much better example.

distracted_boy 2y ago
No one is truly independent when it comes to politics. Everyone belongs to a political tribe, and if you don't, you are against whatever tribe you are currently engaging with.
- microtonal 2y ago
  I am not sure how that is a reaction to the grandparent, but we also don't fall into the same us-versus-them trap that divides the US. I think most people in the EU agree on several basic principles regardless of their political preferences: - If you get sick, costs should be covered by universal health insurance. - If you lose your job, there should be a safety net. - When you retire, there should be a decent pension. - Everybody should have access to good education. - We don't want war. - We don't want to be powerless against megacorps. In other words, there is much more that is binding us than what is dividing us (in my country, pretty much every party from extreme left to populist right agrees on these things). For those things that we don't agree on, we should find compromises.
  - tempo3565 2y ago
    [dead]
  - arandomusername 2y ago
    Those aren't that universally agreed upon (except war/megacorps/education) in working class/middle class. It's just that EU has high amount of people depending on those safety nets/pensions that any politician not for it is committing political suicide.
  - luckylion 2y ago
    > most people in the EU agree on several basic principles regardless of their political preferences Most in the US will, too. The nuances are where is falls apart, both in the US and in Europe. - Should all costs be covered, for everything, no matter the cost? How would that work / How do we disband the laws of nature? - How long should that net carry you? Does it only break the fall, or does it replace your job for eternity? Who pays for it? Do you have any obligations when losing your job? - How high should that pension be? Who should pay for it? Should it (in part or in full) depend on you ever having worked? Can you choose when to retire? - What is "good education", and what is "access"? I'm not all that bright, do I have a right to be taught at university? For how long? Who pays for it? Is anything expected in return? - Are we pacifists who refuse to acknowledge that war might find us, even if we're not looking for it? Or are we preparing for war because we don't want it and believe that an aggressive imperial force will pounce unless it believe us to be capable of defending ourselves? I don't believe that everyone in your country, much less in Europe, agrees. Once you remove the vague language and put concrete things in, you'll see people disagreeing on each point. If it was that simple, we'll have peace on earth because everyone will be able to agree on those core things - as long as you promise them that it's their interpretation that counts.
pimeys 2y ago
I can't understand why government offices for many countries are still on Twitter. At least Germany has their own mastodon service, but my home country Finland still uses Twitter.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  Because most ordinary people are on Twitter and not Mastodon
  - JoshTriplett 2y ago
    That's circular, though: the more services become available elsewhere, the easier it is for people to switch.
    - jahewson 2y ago
      People don’t move to places without ordinary people for “services”. That’s not how social networks work.
      - jeltz 2y ago
        In my experience it is the other way round. The reason people are on Twitter is because politicians are there. If they move the journalists and politically interested will quickly follow.
        harvey9 2y ago
        Ordinary people follow politicians on social media?
        viraptor 2y ago
        Truth social pretty much proves that's the case.
  - lm28469 2y ago

distracted_boy 2y ago

No one is truly independent when it comes to politics. Everyone belongs to a political tribe, and if you don't, you are against whatever tribe you are currently engaging with.

microtonal 2y ago
I am not sure how that is a reaction to the grandparent, but we also don't fall into the same us-versus-them trap that divides the US. I think most people in the EU agree on several basic principles regardless of their political preferences: - If you get sick, costs should be covered by universal health insurance. - If you lose your job, there should be a safety net. - When you retire, there should be a decent pension. - Everybody should have access to good education. - We don't want war. - We don't want to be powerless against megacorps. In other words, there is much more that is binding us than what is dividing us (in my country, pretty much every party from extreme left to populist right agrees on these things). For those things that we don't agree on, we should find compromises.
- tempo3565 2y ago
  [dead]
- arandomusername 2y ago
  Those aren't that universally agreed upon (except war/megacorps/education) in working class/middle class. It's just that EU has high amount of people depending on those safety nets/pensions that any politician not for it is committing political suicide.
- luckylion 2y ago
  > most people in the EU agree on several basic principles regardless of their political preferences Most in the US will, too. The nuances are where is falls apart, both in the US and in Europe. - Should all costs be covered, for everything, no matter the cost? How would that work / How do we disband the laws of nature? - How long should that net carry you? Does it only break the fall, or does it replace your job for eternity? Who pays for it? Do you have any obligations when losing your job? - How high should that pension be? Who should pay for it? Should it (in part or in full) depend on you ever having worked? Can you choose when to retire? - What is "good education", and what is "access"? I'm not all that bright, do I have a right to be taught at university? For how long? Who pays for it? Is anything expected in return? - Are we pacifists who refuse to acknowledge that war might find us, even if we're not looking for it? Or are we preparing for war because we don't want it and believe that an aggressive imperial force will pounce unless it believe us to be capable of defending ourselves? I don't believe that everyone in your country, much less in Europe, agrees. Once you remove the vague language and put concrete things in, you'll see people disagreeing on each point. If it was that simple, we'll have peace on earth because everyone will be able to agree on those core things - as long as you promise them that it's their interpretation that counts.

pimeys 2y ago

I can't understand why government offices for many countries are still on Twitter. At least Germany has their own mastodon service, but my home country Finland still uses Twitter.

SoftTalker 2y ago
Because most ordinary people are on Twitter and not Mastodon
- JoshTriplett 2y ago
  That's circular, though: the more services become available elsewhere, the easier it is for people to switch.
  - jahewson 2y ago
    People don’t move to places without ordinary people for “services”. That’s not how social networks work.
    - jeltz 2y ago
      In my experience it is the other way round. The reason people are on Twitter is because politicians are there. If they move the journalists and politically interested will quickly follow.
      - harvey9 2y ago
        Ordinary people follow politicians on social media?
        viraptor 2y ago
        Truth social pretty much proves that's the case.
- lm28469 2y ago