You sound as optimistic as we were in the 90’s about the internet. We were naive about how it would play out.
Most people are not curious. That curiosity needs to be cultivated in school but it isn’t. I gave you the statistics which indicate that.
First Earthers are on the rise. 2% of my GenX and 4% of Millennials.
Switzerland is the only country with low tech direct democracy. I only see a dystopia coming and the only way I can think of to defend against it is to have better education in schools.
Half of US cannot read beyond 6th grade level.
About 40% don’t know it takes a year to orbit the sun (no they were not nitpicking about leap years).
A quarter don’t even know the Earth orbits the sun.
You don’t need neuromorphic hardware to get these facts right.
Thanks again, I appreciate the intricacies.
However I am no longer in favour of free speech. I used to adhere to the Voltairean principle: “I wholly disapprove of what you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it.”
However the shitshow of social media which has enabled MAGA and SovCits has me reluctantly accepting that free speech was a fantasy, an especially attractive one for its simplicity.
All of us computer geeks in the 90’s (and I do mean all) were evangelical about the internet ushering in a Renaissance in dissemination of truth. We were naive.
Of course the question of “Who should be the moderators?” arises but there is no simple answer. Am now worried Billionaires will convince the public that AI speaks only the truth.
Could have been better if Bernie forgot to turn his phone off and a Mario Brothers ring tone kicked in.
Read again: The US one is irrespective of citizenship.
TIL “US constitution guarantees the right to free speech to everyone in the US despite your citizen status” https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0415/1507664-j1-activism/
Not that the constitution matters to MAGA.
Does Germany have a similar section of their constitution?
Which international law is that?
Do you mean the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Article 20 says:
1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.
Long essay with many links but brilliant and worth reading in full. I must check out more on that website (never heard of it before) or at least that writer. Here are some choice passages…
In fact, Thompson’s innovative AI denial system is alleged to have had a 90 percent error rate (meaning that 9 out of 10 denials would be reversed upon appeal) and is the subject of a huge class-action lawsuit.
This crackdown is a prime example of why Reddit is kind of a terrible website for discussing controversial topics.
Reminds me of this scene from NewsRoom.
Protests by non-citizens is what I wrote.
Soft Paywall.
Is this protestors who are on tourist, student and temporary visas?
EDIT: They are not citizens. Paywall bypass..
I don’t think it is that simple. If we allow these people free speech then we risk setting a precedent for outsiders coming to Germany to support Far-Right rallies. Laws are double-edged.
When I travel to Asian countries I am warned in my Visa application to not participate in any political activity. I take risks anyhow but have been lucky.
It isn’t really a wealth tax. It is a tax on large incomes. A minimum of 20% on people who earn more than 250k Euro annually.
Don’t the working class pay more than 20% anyhow? Can any French people please clarify.
UK activists are proposing an actual wealth tax (not income tax like France).
Article says it increased biodiversity. But that is nearly 30 years after the initial dump.
I would have thought it would make the soil too acidic. Maybe it was at first and only certain plants pioneered.
I know there is a myth about not throwing citrus into compost for your garden but I hear it is fine in moderate amounts. So is meat. In fact any food waste. Certainly has worked for me.
And the wealth gap just keeps increasing. Even the centre-left are not reversing it.
But there is lobbying for remedy https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/
That may be true of the voters but not of the multi-millionaires. They will comfortably deal with 3⁰. And many middle class people might be desperately, delusionally, thinking they need to become multi-millionaires soon so that they too can shield themselves from 3⁰.
Isn’t that just peppering (or is it salting) the data?
I would be interested in your opinion after you check out some of the above links.
Yes, inequality of free speech due to billionaires owning the platforms. But how could we eliminate that?