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> Politics have become an attack on intelligence, decency and research in favour of fairy tales of going back to “great values” of “the past when things were be
by jimbokun 1y ago
> Politics have become an attack on intelligence, decency and research in favour of fairy tales of going back to “great values” of “the past when things were better”.
This is a major blind spot for people with a progressive bent.
The possibility that anything could ever get worse is incomprehensible to them. Newer, by definition, is better.
Yet this very article is a critique of a new technology that, at the very least, is being used by many people in a way that makes the world a bit worse.
This is not to excuse politicians who proclaim they will make life great by retreating to some utopian past, in defense of cruel or foolish or ineffective policies. It's a call to examine ideas on their own merits, without reference to whether they appeal to the group with the "right" or "wrong" ideology.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- edent 1y agoFunny, isn't it, that it is never a return to high unionisation of workers and strong social safety nets - it's always a return to when "those people" knew their place.
- jimbokun 1y agoNo, plenty of people want those things to return.
- benzible 1y agoI'm confused. You're commenting on an article where a progressive writer critiques AI as "Dunning-Kruger as a service" and attacks techno-optimism, while claiming progressives can't critique new technology. The author's entire piece demonstrates progressive critique of both AI adoption and "great values of the past" nostalgia - the exact opposite of what you're describing.
- jimbokun 1y agoYes, it’s striking how the writer fails to acknowledge the contradiction.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- chipsrafferty 1y agoWhat? Progressives are the ones worried the world is going to end from climate change.
- tbossanova 1y agoNot end, but some quite shitty stuff could happen
- skywhopper 1y agoYou aren’t making any sense. Who are these progressives who… do what exactly? I honestly can’t tell what you are even accusing them of.
- jimbokun 1y agoDenying that something new could ever be worse than something old. That change is good by definition.