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Yup.Interesting idea. I've also wondered if it's possible to maintain some kind of self-policing industry organization. I'm a financial advisor here, and we have FINRA doing that. I'd have to think about the negative implications, but I'm imagining it could enforce requirements and standards for sources calling themselves "news".Well, that's a great question. I'm a lifelong crazed advocate of freedom of expression, and I very much want everyone's opinion to be heard. That hasn't changed, but these people are certainly putting a strain on my advocacy.One of my brothers lives in London, and he says the same thing. He doesn't think that America's divisions in basic reality are as bad in Europe, but he does see signs of it.I've reached a point at which I just hope this madness shrinks over time, and gets small enough to fit back on the fringe. I don't know how to communicate with them any more. So I just ask questions, trying to understand their various opinions.Just to make sure I've got this right:Bullshit. That was staged to distract from the fraud. Another part of the cover up that has failed miserably.Your diselected President attempted a putsch by rallying up a mob storming the capital, and you blame anybody else than Trump and his supporters, who were just one tiny step away from erecting a tyranny in America? Seriously?
Jan 6th was staged by someone other than Trump supporters to distract from the rigged election?
Thanks in advance.
It's sad what this world has become.
When so many people cannot tell opinion from news anymore, and news from propaganda lies, we really need a whole lot of luck and good fortune, if we believe in freedom, democracy and constitution.
I mean, seriously. All you had to do was switching on the tv to see Trump himself rallying up the crowd who stormed the capitol. It is all there, life on tv for everybody to see. This guy doesn't even try to cover what he's doing, yet people buy his crap.
Have you seen interviews with the rank-and-file base, and what they believe? This is real. They really do believe this stuff, and they'll go along with anything that MTG or Gaetz or the pillow guy or any of the rest of them say. All you can do is watch.
Yes, all we can do is watch ... and maybe sometimes have a nice chat with someone who isn't down the rabbit hole.
It's a bit different over here, and fortunately not (yet) as bad as it seems to be in America, but I've spoken with people like that. Here it's less about Trump, but there are quite a few Covid deniers here, the Russian propaganda outlet RT News is what FOX News/Newsmax are for Americans, and they have their "alternative facts" all straight ...
Pretty soon we're going to need interpreters just to communicate with them.
I'm afraid this all won't end before we've found ways to deal with the opportunity of massive disinformation via "new media".
Maybe the rise of the internet and social media is a turning point, much like the invention of the printing press, or of radio and tv. The last times, massive unrests and wars started after these structural changes in the media.
Until a few years ago, tyrants attempted to suppress and censor free speech. Today, they use the information overabundance for massive disinformation campaigns.
When you believe in free speech, how do you deal with the enemies of freedom turning freedom of speech against itself?
It seems to me that for freedom of expression to function as intended, it does require at least an agreement on reality, and incredibly we're simply no longer there. It also essentially works on the honor system, and now there are too many people who have a vested professional interest in keeping Americans misinformed, angry, paranoid and separate.
These people have created a fully functioning, closed circuit alternate reality, one that is simply no longer tethered to the rest of the country. It's incredible. And I don't know how this is going to work within the context of freedom of expression. I do not want to lose that important liberal American value.
Yes, I feel similar... and I have no good ideas about what to do, either.
Maybe at least genuine fake news could be countered, by making social media platforms legally responsible for the stuff posted there. If someone who becomes target of lies or slander could successfully sue Facebook or Youtube, they'd finally take care what happens on their platforms. That could be a start.
But then, you'd still have all this stuff that isn't outright fake news, but just heavy bias and framing, "just asking questions" and so on, which oftentimes is just as bad.
As a long term measure, maybe competence in dealing with information should become a general topic in schools ... but considering how bad the situation is in education, maybe that's not realistic. And perhaps not quite effective, as pupils are eventually more influenced by their environment, rather than schools.
It would be nice if, like professional wrestling, these people would admit what they are. But that's not going to happen. Too much money and fame.
There are still people who think professional wrestling is real.
. . . and there are still folks that think American politics are real as well.
