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Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

reuters.com

11–20 of 421 posts

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#12

This is not scientific research, it's chronic fatigue researchers getting hate mail. Also, it's not activists, it's random crackpots. Edit: look, read the article, and then downvote me if you must. I am sure that online activists in many areas are reducing public discussion. I'm not addressing the subject in general; just this article. Specifically, the article talks about a very particular narrow, topic (chronic fat…

If you've ever spent any time around "activists" you'd realize there's not much of a difference.

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#13
Obligatory link to Kialo: https://www.kialo.com/should-governments-ever-limit-free-spe...

Mostly because of my thinking it'd be great if there were a site where actual debates could be had, empowered by technology, and supported by facts. Essentially long form debating.

And then something hit the HN front page that week.

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#14
post #7
post #2

Why does a medical researcher need to be on Twitter?

Need vs want. I don't NEED a computer at home, nor a mobile phone. But I want one. And I am allowed to have one. And someone else's dislike of my having those things does not stop me from being allowed to have them

Possibly a bit need? I'm not sure if academia actually uses Twitter to network, but I wouldn't be surprised. Last exposure to university was in proto-FB days.

Per analogy, one could probably argue that you need a phone of some sort (per professional expectations).

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#15

Over the next 20 or so years, expect a lot of syndromes/conditions to be reclassified, as Michael Sharpe puts in the article, as "biological condition[s] that can be perpetuated by social and psychological factors.". I struggled with RSI for a couple of years until I read John Sarno's "The Mind-Body Connection" on the recommendation of someone from HN. Sarno's thesis is that many chronic pain conditions (those withou…

> the pain is real, it's just caused by processes in your brain,

I don't find this particular statement very revolutionary. We have known for a long time that physical pain is manufactured by the brain as an evolutionary tactic to help us prevent further harm to ourselves. If we didn't "feel pain" when we were on fire, we would burn to death.

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#16

This is not scientific research, it's chronic fatigue researchers getting hate mail. Also, it's not activists, it's random crackpots. Edit: look, read the article, and then downvote me if you must. I am sure that online activists in many areas are reducing public discussion. I'm not addressing the subject in general; just this article. Specifically, the article talks about a very particular narrow, topic (chronic fat…

You can be an activist and crackpot. These things are orthogonal.

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#18
post #5

This is sad. Unfortunately we have some people who put their beliefs and politics above science and will actively act against investigation only because a line of inquiry could result in evidence against their view. It comes from both the left and right depending on the topic. It’s not simply dissent it also is about pressuring institutions to not fund certain areas of investigation which is a very detrimental conseq…

I agree, it's a very sad state of affairs. I wish we could make decisions off of facts and what makes sense. I know many people that are very blind when it comes seeing how they react to news from one political side or the other. For instance, let's say they align with the right, there could be very logical legislation being put forward and if you said it was proposed by the right they would say it's a great idea, but if you told them it was proposed by the left then they'd this is what's wrong with the country, it's the stupidest idea, and go on and on.

There's too many blind activist on both sides that drown out the middle. This causes the people in the middle to start to separate and choose sides because they see the crazies on one side or they other and think that party is retarded, which increases the divide. We're in a heavy downward spiral at this point and I don't foresee it getting better unless we take radical action, such as not allowing people with no science background to make decisions on matters that should be based on fact. Unfortunately this will never happen because the (USA) political system is entrenched with paid actors.

Sorry for the rant and taking a veer from topic. Lots of built up frustration about all this stuff.

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#19

This is not scientific research, it's chronic fatigue researchers getting hate mail. Also, it's not activists, it's random crackpots. Edit: look, read the article, and then downvote me if you must. I am sure that online activists in many areas are reducing public discussion. I'm not addressing the subject in general; just this article. Specifically, the article talks about a very particular narrow, topic (chronic fat…

>Also, it's not activists, it's random crackpots.

The difference being?

Re: Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

#20
post #7
post #2

Why does a medical researcher need to be on Twitter?

Need vs want. I don't NEED a computer at home, nor a mobile phone. But I want one. And I am allowed to have one. And someone else's dislike of my having those things does not stop me from being allowed to have them

I don't dislike people having Twitter, but to be on Twitter you need to have a thick skin, and if you don't then you shouldn't be there.
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