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I Quit Social Media for a Year

joshcsimmons.com

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Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#201

Post by hyperdunc »

c0nducktr wrote: post #200
hyperdunc wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see how such sweeping statements about the nature of a country are useful. Slave labor was only one component of practically all great countries/empires. The West was the first to outlaw it. The US in particular was built upon the hard-earned lessons of the past, including the moral worth of individual liberty.

How is the US in particular built upon the hard-earned lessons of the past. Because it is younger? This just sounds like more American exceptionalism that most of the world is tired of, and that includes many Americans.

The counterpoint to your second sentence is that most of the world would sacrifice much to migrate to the US.

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#205

Post by taneq »

pkamb wrote: post #150
agotterer wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I like social media and I’m capable of controlling my usage. I’ve developed some ground rules to ensure a good healthy experience. To start, I have an iOS rule that prevents more than 7 minutes of each social media app per day. I pretty much only use Facebook. After the timer is up that’s it for the day. I honestly enjoy seeing picture of my friends, their kids, their vacations, and the…

> To start, I have an iOS rule that prevents more than 7 minutes of each social media app per day. But when you open the app at minute 8, there's a prominent "Ignore Limit" button right there. Are you relying on mere self control? Or do you have some way to actually prevent app usage?

Sometimes all you need in order to gain that self control is to have your nose rubbed in it.

Much as we hate them, this is one way that detailed timesheets help. The very fact that you're writing down what you were doing for each half-hour or whatever is enough to keep you focused because even if there are no further repercussions, you really don't want to write "hacker news 3.5 hours".

Speaking of which... closes tab

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#206

Post by hackermang »

danans wrote: post #191
hackermang wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should we change the constitution for you?

I'm curious where in the US Constitution you think it states that discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ identity is legal. The question is about changing federal law to make LGBTQ identity a protected class, under the same principle that race, gender, religion, etc are currently protected.

The first amendment.

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#207

Post by Mirioron »

FussyZeus wrote: post #42
young_unixer wrote: post #27

I used to use Twitter. My country's political news and related commentary usually got me into a mental state of frustration and misanthropy. I deleted Twitter. Political news still frustrate me but I rarely see them anymore. Ignorance is bliss. I've effectively created a safe space where political idiocy can't cognitively harass me. Is it wrong to be so uninformed? I don't know. I think a lot about it and I haven't c…

> Is it wrong to be so uninformed? I wouldn't say it's wrong, but I would say it is an expression of privilege. People who don't find their race, gender or identity regularly being touted as either some up and coming new social fad or the boogeyman to a given group that oppose them and the source of everything evil in the world or what have you can pretty safely disconnect from the discourse with no real ramification…

I wouldn't call it privilege. I think it's more about accepting that there's nothing they can do to change the course of events. Whether they add their voice or not to Twitter discussions, it won't change people's opinions.

There are many rights under attack. They are rights all of us share and with them being stripped or changed we all lose. The GP is avoiding discussions about those rights as well.

I've also done what the GP has done. It's not because the decisions that are made don't affect me, but that past experience has shown me that what I think is irrelevant to the outcome. Yet paying such attention to these topics just weighs on me and negatively impacts my life.

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#208

Post by c0nducktr »

hyperdunc wrote: post #201
c0nducktr wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is the US in particular built upon the hard-earned lessons of the past. Because it is younger? This just sounds like more American exceptionalism that most of the world is tired of, and that includes many Americans.

The counterpoint to your second sentence is that most of the world would sacrifice much to migrate to the US.

Fine: USA, #1 when compared to developing nations.

Got an answer to my first sentence?

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#209

Post by hyperdunc »

dabbledash wrote: post #174
hyperdunc wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no realistic scenario where one civilization does not dominate others. Macro-history is fundamentally about the rise and fall of civilizations - the undesirable elements of this are consistent, but Western tradition and enlightenment has also given us democracy and science, and put us in a collective position where we are so relatively prosperous that we can look at the past with an inflated sense of shame.

Failing to see how this is responsive to parent’s observation that white privilege is a thing. Maybe you’re arguing that if the enlightenment never happened we wouldn’t have the set of egalitarian political values that cause us to give a shit about that. But even if that argument were true: the enlightenment did happen and we do care. And you’re not really articulating any reason we shouldn’t.

I was just giving their observation some context.

To address the idea of white privilege directly: - It's increasing racial awareness and conflict. - It's a blunt instrument that doesn't take into account the myriad of circumstances each individual faces (such as financial wealth, mental health and physical height).

To provide a counter example to parent's, I'd rather be a rich ethnic minority unfairly stopped by a cop, than an ethnic majority person living in a trailer park and addicted to meth. The ethnic bigotry in this example isn't excused, but it's not the main concern.

Perhaps, all else being equal, one could argue that 'white privilege' matters.

But all else will never be equal. And the one place where equality really matters, it already exists - the law.

Notions of privilege could at least attempt a full accounting at the individual level, rather than dictating in broad strokes.

Re: I Quit Social Media for a Year

#210

Post by eitland »

knzhou wrote: post #139
agotterer wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I like social media and I’m capable of controlling my usage. I’ve developed some ground rules to ensure a good healthy experience. To start, I have an iOS rule that prevents more than 7 minutes of each social media app per day. I pretty much only use Facebook. After the timer is up that’s it for the day. I honestly enjoy seeing picture of my friends, their kids, their vacations, and the…

I don't know if we're in the minority, but I'm completely with you. I use social media for about 15 minutes a day and it only improves my life. I'm happy when I see my friends being happy. I think people who blame their life problems on social media have deeper underlying issues. Mark Zuckerberg didn't invent envy in 2004.

I'm trying to get myself to read Facebook and Instagram once in a while.

I (edit: think I) should because it seems like a good way to stay updated.

For some reason Facebook never clicked with me.

I waste some time on the rest of the Internet though.

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