43:30, You claim that federal intelligence agencies targeted the far right between 2020 and 2024, but this doesn't seem to match Elon's purchase of Twitter in 2022. You could label Elon as an anti-American foreign agent, but when you look at his connections with Thiel and Palantir, the picture looks more complicated.
I think the Athenian model of limiting citizenship and limiting free speech to citizens is a more stable model of pursuing truth than the universal free speech model. I don't mean that non-citizens should be shut up, but that the speech of citizens should be privileged. What this would mean in an age of social media is that our social media platforms (Facebook, youtube, Substack, twitter) would allow you to view from any account, but to post, you'd need to be verified as a citizen. Nikki Haley suggested something like this as an anti-anonymity measure and was shot down. I don't think anonymity needs to be removed, but some behind-the-scenes verification and limitation on posting would have a stabilizing effect.
Re the anonymity, I don’t think we discussed that but I wouldn’t be against what you’re saying provided legal protection for citizens is strong and that would include taking extreme forms of intimidation seriously like vigilantism. Regardless I just think truths will come out faster than ever before because of the technology. That’s why I’m not sure esoteric state ideology itself can survive (this has implications for deep leftism!)
Ok but it is a fact that the far right were targeted by the fbi. Elon is presumably part of a particular strategy, which is a separate thing involving Bill Ackman and Alex Karp. Just as the US gov targeted communists while promoting compatible radical leftists during Cold War, you can target some elements of right while a replacement ascends. So there’s no contradiction there.
That's an interesting point, "the alt-right today is like feminism in the 1960s." I've actually heard that argument made by alt-righters, that "the alt-right is the new counter-culture." But you seem to be seeing both phenomena as astroturfed. I agree that the government can promote and fight something at the same time, carrot and stick. My nuance would be that I don't think "the government" is a cohesive personality, and there are internal disputes about whether to assist Musk or persecute him.
Sean makes a good point, if Castro hasn't clamped down on free speech, then he wouldn't have been able to complete his constitutionally mandated 49 year term as leader of Cuba.
43:30, You claim that federal intelligence agencies targeted the far right between 2020 and 2024, but this doesn't seem to match Elon's purchase of Twitter in 2022. You could label Elon as an anti-American foreign agent, but when you look at his connections with Thiel and Palantir, the picture looks more complicated.
I think the Athenian model of limiting citizenship and limiting free speech to citizens is a more stable model of pursuing truth than the universal free speech model. I don't mean that non-citizens should be shut up, but that the speech of citizens should be privileged. What this would mean in an age of social media is that our social media platforms (Facebook, youtube, Substack, twitter) would allow you to view from any account, but to post, you'd need to be verified as a citizen. Nikki Haley suggested something like this as an anti-anonymity measure and was shot down. I don't think anonymity needs to be removed, but some behind-the-scenes verification and limitation on posting would have a stabilizing effect.
It’s just a statement of fact and a matter of public record https://www.newsweek.com/2022/12/23/fbi-ramps-spending-fight-maga-terrorism-1764498.html
Re the anonymity, I don’t think we discussed that but I wouldn’t be against what you’re saying provided legal protection for citizens is strong and that would include taking extreme forms of intimidation seriously like vigilantism. Regardless I just think truths will come out faster than ever before because of the technology. That’s why I’m not sure esoteric state ideology itself can survive (this has implications for deep leftism!)
I don't think that fighting MAGA terrorism negates what Elon did with Twitter. The ramp up didn't start in 2022, but in 2019:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/04/politics/fbi-director-wray-white-supremacy
Ok but it is a fact that the far right were targeted by the fbi. Elon is presumably part of a particular strategy, which is a separate thing involving Bill Ackman and Alex Karp. Just as the US gov targeted communists while promoting compatible radical leftists during Cold War, you can target some elements of right while a replacement ascends. So there’s no contradiction there.
That's an interesting point, "the alt-right today is like feminism in the 1960s." I've actually heard that argument made by alt-righters, that "the alt-right is the new counter-culture." But you seem to be seeing both phenomena as astroturfed. I agree that the government can promote and fight something at the same time, carrot and stick. My nuance would be that I don't think "the government" is a cohesive personality, and there are internal disputes about whether to assist Musk or persecute him.
Sean makes a good point, if Castro hasn't clamped down on free speech, then he wouldn't have been able to complete his constitutionally mandated 49 year term as leader of Cuba.
It's such a good point that cancel culture objectively reinforces the arbitrary power of bosses to fire for anything!