The End of Democracy?

[Ahimsa]

Have free and fair elections come to an end? Consider developments such as big data analytics combined with personalised political ads, psychographics, "fake news" campaigns, hyperreality, post-truth politics, and so forth.

We've just watched the Netflix documentary about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, The Great Hack. While Cambridge Analytica itself is no more, they were only one company, and the company concept is not unique (see e.g. AggregateIQ). In fact, I would think we're likely to see more such companies in the future.

Companies such as Facebook, Google and others sit on treasure-troves of data which they sell to third-parties, and this is just waiting to be exploited by unscrupulous players that try to tilt the next election to the advantage of their clients.

Some people like to think they're immune to influence from commercial and political ads, but the success of clever ad campaigns to sway public opinion is, I think, undisputable.

So, in conclusion, are we doomed?

Easier question: Did anyone else watch the Cambridge Analytica documentary yet? Thoughts?

I don't really think so, as long as people have enough sense to take social media with a pinch of salt. Tabloid newspapers did pretty much the same job years ago, but then as now, intelligent people sought out the true news; not the fake.

 

[anarchist100]

I don't really think so, as long as people have enough sense to take social media with a pinch of salt. Tabloid newspapers did pretty much the same job years ago, but then as now, intelligent people sought out the true news; not the fake.

I wish people had the common sense to question the mainstream media,

 

[David3]

I wish people had the common sense to question the mainstream media,

.

How biased is your news source? You probably won’t agree with this chart

Are we even aware of our biases anymore? If you look at this chart and are convinced your “extreme” source belongs in the middle, you just might be part of...

www.marketwatch.com

View attachment 1611189101660.png

 

[anarchist100]

.

How biased is your news source? You probably won’t agree with this chart

Are we even aware of our biases anymore? If you look at this chart and are convinced your “extreme” source belongs in the middle, you just might be part of...

www.marketwatch.com

View attachment 23379

That's why I don't just have one news source.

 

[anarchist100]

This is a true threat to democracy, British baroness suggests 6 pm curfew for men to make ‘women a lot safer’

 

[Sax]

This is a true threat to democracy, British baroness suggests 6 pm curfew for men to make ‘women a lot safer’

It's not a serious proposal, it's a retort to social attitudes that say women should drastically curtail their lives to avoid violent men or else they're partly to blame.

But including that context wouldn't suit Fox's outrage inducing MO. Threat to democracy indeed.

 

[anarchist100]

It's not a serious proposal, it's a retort to social attitudes that say women should drastically curtail their lives to avoid violent men or else they're partly to blame.

But including that context wouldn't suit Fox's outrage inducing MO. Threat to democracy indeed.

It certainly sounds like she means it, "In the week that Sarah Everard was abducted and, we suppose, killed -- because remains have been found in a woodland in Kent -- I argue that, at the next opportunity for any bill that is appropriate, I might put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6 p.m.," she said during a debate on domestic violence. "I feel this would make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened."

 

[Sax]

Well then you'd better get really angry. Make sure to feel victimized too. And then buy catheters and reverse mortgages cause Fox says those are good.

 

[silva]

It certainly sounds like she means it, "In the week that Sarah Everard was abducted and, we suppose, killed -- because remains have been found in a woodland in Kent -- I argue that, at the next opportunity for any bill that is appropriate, I might put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6 p.m.," she said during a debate on domestic violence. "I feel this would make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened."

In order to 'believe what you can see with your own eyes' requires a pretty broad understanding of history, and how people everywhere are effected. If you don't understand the dark sarcasm in that request you should have no business even commenting.
"Believing what you see with your own eyes" can be a dangerous path to very narrow minded thinking, and what is truly threatening Americas freedoms right now

 

[Lou]

This is a true threat to democracy, British baroness suggests 6 pm curfew for men to make ‘women a lot safer’

I haven't been following this story but Trevor Noah is back and he sort of laid it out for me.

so after the UK woman was killed the British police went door to door warning women to stay home. The streets were not safe.
but why not tell men to stay home? After all they are the ones doing all the murdering.

 

[anarchist100]

I haven't been following this story but Trevor Noah is back and he sort of laid it out for me.

so after the UK woman was killed the British police went door to door warning women to stay home. The streets were not safe.
but why not tell men to stay home? After all they are the ones doing all the murdering.

I now know that she wasn't serious, but all the same having an ignorant view point and discriminating against people with the law are very different things.

 

[anarchist100]

In order to 'believe what you can see with your own eyes' requires a pretty broad understanding of history, and how people everywhere are effected. If you don't understand the dark sarcasm in that request you should have no business even commenting.
"Believing what you see with your own eyes" can be a dangerous path to very narrow minded thinking, and what is truly threatening Americas freedoms right now

A few years ago people might have been more likely to see the sarcasm, but sadly people saying authoritarian things like this is just commonplace in today's political culture.

 

[anarchist100]

Well then you'd better get really angry. Make sure to feel victimized too. And then buy catheters and reverse mortgages cause Fox says those are good.

I read the actual quote, and I didn't just get my information from FOX news, I had no way of knowing that she wasn't being serious until she made that follow up comment.

 

[silva]

A few years ago people might have been more likely to see the sarcasm, but sadly people saying authoritarian things like this is just commonplace in today's political culture.

I read the actual quote, and I didn't just get my information from FOX news, I had no way of knowing that she wasn't being serious until she made that follow up comment.

I now know that she wasn't serious, but all the same having an ignorant view point and discriminating against people with the law are very different things.

Kinda quick to jump to beliefs aren't you?
The article in question is in response to the victim shaming, and blaming, that has existed forever, and shows little progress of ending.
I find it concerning that anyone would toss that aside and instead jump on the idea of regulating the ones so often the abusers, rather than see the correlation of regulating the ones minding their own business and going about their own lives

 

[anarchist100]

Kinda quick to jump to beliefs aren't you?
The article in question is in response to the victim shaming, and blaming, that has existed forever, and shows little progress of ending.
I find it concerning that anyone would toss that aside and instead jump on the idea of regulating the ones so often the abusers, rather than see the correlation of regulating the ones minding their own business and going about their own lives

I don't think they should be regulating anyone.

 

[Second Summer]

I'm replying to this post from 2020, sorry!

We don't live in a Democracy, anyway. We live in a Republic.

Ehhhhhhhhh no.
I will let Sabine Hossenfelder explain it for me:

Spoiler: YouTube video explaining 'democracy' and 'republic'

I do not see myself voting for a candidate with traits of early Alzheimer's in my near future.

Very perceptive!

This will all be over in four years. Every 70+ candidate from the past two elections will be completely out of the running. I hope it's not too late.

Ah, the optimism of 2020!