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Four fears for authoritarians

paulbernal.wordpress.com

11–20 of 129 posts

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#11

If anyone knew the most effective way for us UK citizens to stop our government from making irreversible constitutional mistakes I would be highly grateful for the information.

Go with pitchforks to the city council to start with.

With other words, stop being afraid and take the risk to be attacked by security forces.

That is the only way.

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#12
post #3
post #2

Don't forget... Facebook CEO Admits To Calling Users 'Dumb Fucks' http://www.businessinsider.com/well-these-new-zuckerberg-ims...

People say a lot of dumb stuff when they're 19.

some people said a lot of dumb stuff (like that) when they're 19.

other people can be trusted to lead a corporation that globally has access to individuals most private data and relationships.

I really don't think it's unreasonable that I prefer those two sets to be distinct. unrealistic, maybe. unreasonable, no.

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#13
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a good enough excuse. I'm frustrated that you trivialize intentions to hand over people's e-mails, addresses, pictures like it's nothing, "oh, but he was just 19!". I was 19 once too, did a lot of stupid stuff, but even then I was never willing to hand over pictures/private details about thousands of people to my friends (I could have -- I was the owner of a fairly popular forum when I was 16 which had rou…

Again: people do a lot of dumb stuff when they're 19. I'm assuming you've never met Mark Zuckerberg. All you have to go on are his portrayals in the media. Have you ever said anything racist? Sexist? Discriminatory, widely insulting? Have you ever joked about things you would do to take advantage of other people? How would you feel if any one of those things were held against you by everyone years later? I've persona…

I haven't met Mark but I know people who knew Mark in his Harvard days. None of them have very nice things to say about him.

The age argument is not good enough. You're still trivializing his willingness to release private information about thousands of students at his university without their permission.

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#14
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They also say a lot of things they truly mean before they develop a "shut up filter" later on in life.

I think you're being too harsh. I've personally said much worse things, and it would deeply shame me to have a trivial statement (not action, statement) follow me in the media for the rest of my life. Especially if it were in a private conversation. He was careless. Most teenagers are. He was probably not even seriously thinking when he said it. He's almost 30 now. Let's judge the man on what he says today.

3 minutes between two posts defending pretty much the same thing. you must've said some pretty terrible stuff if you're that afraid :)

don't worry though, you can still cast the second stone :-P

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#15
post #7

Yep, see what happened in the Arabic countries (and some other countries outside of the Islam-sphere). People organised to protest using the Internet. People get educated using the Internet. In Cuba they exchange information using thumb drives. And every bullshitter (= our governments) should be afraid of it. They are, of course. And surveillance is their reaction. What will help is if everyone finally realises that…

What if everyone already realised that it's not about terrorism but doesn't know how to act and therefore falls into cynicism?

If anyone knows what to do please step up and lead I am happy to follow.

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#16
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a good enough excuse. I'm frustrated that you trivialize intentions to hand over people's e-mails, addresses, pictures like it's nothing, "oh, but he was just 19!". I was 19 once too, did a lot of stupid stuff, but even then I was never willing to hand over pictures/private details about thousands of people to my friends (I could have -- I was the owner of a fairly popular forum when I was 16 which had rou…

Again: people do a lot of dumb stuff when they're 19. I'm assuming you've never met Mark Zuckerberg. All you have to go on are his portrayals in the media. Have you ever said anything racist? Sexist? Discriminatory, widely insulting? Have you ever joked about things you would do to take advantage of other people? How would you feel if any one of those things were held against you by everyone years later? I've persona…

Again: people do a lot of dumb stuff when they're 19.

Like Vote? or Like Make Porn?

How would you feel if any one of those things were held against you by everyone years later?

You're really missing the Irony here, eh?

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#17

If anyone knew the most effective way for us UK citizens to stop our government from making irreversible constitutional mistakes I would be highly grateful for the information.

Well I suppose we could start by having a written constitution rather than a uncodified constitution, otherwise, it seems to me, once they bring in legal measures as acts and statutes and then the public gets used to an idea, it is not long before it gets baked into case law and then we're as good as fucked once it is accepted as common law.

Other than that, I suppose we could cross our fingers and hope for the best, like we did in the days before we had a constitutional monarchy, we would cross our fingers and hope we wouldn't get a shitty king. Well we don't need protection from our monarchs (as far as I can tell), we now are in dire need of protection from our government (and other "friendly" governments by extension).

Our customs and traditions have done well for us, its amazing to me we got this far, but maybe its time to get a bit more serious about our protections of rights and have them baked into common law.

I suppose there is a bit of irony that the protections we now seek from those who govern us are actually baked into the EU, but our country seems to be half in and half out (I'm a little angered I have to have cookie warnings on my web properties because of EU directives and yet my basic little right to privacy my grandparents generation helped put into the UN is not even taken seriously, never mind the EU equivalents).

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#18
post #7

Yep, see what happened in the Arabic countries (and some other countries outside of the Islam-sphere). People organised to protest using the Internet. People get educated using the Internet. In Cuba they exchange information using thumb drives. And every bullshitter (= our governments) should be afraid of it. They are, of course. And surveillance is their reaction. What will help is if everyone finally realises that…

What if everyone already realised that it's not about terrorism but doesn't know how to act and therefore falls into cynicism? If anyone knows what to do please step up and lead I am happy to follow.

Act by raising your awareness. Act by not standing silent. Act by being the change you want to see. There is nothing else but this.

Re: Four fears for authoritarians

#19
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They also say a lot of things they truly mean before they develop a "shut up filter" later on in life.

I think you're being too harsh. I've personally said much worse things, and it would deeply shame me to have a trivial statement (not action, statement) follow me in the media for the rest of my life. Especially if it were in a private conversation. He was careless. Most teenagers are. He was probably not even seriously thinking when he said it. He's almost 30 now. Let's judge the man on what he says today.

Fair enough, I was being snarky. But throw yourself back to your younger days. You've said worse, but how much of it did you really mean?

Now back to today, how much of what you say do you mean?

Read and listen to his words on how he feels about privacy in the digital age. Especially with regard to "expectation" of privacy in a sharing site (silly concept, this privacy business there, isn't it?). If he's grown as much as you believe he has, and if how much Zuckerberg means of what he says is any way comparable to you today in terms of how much he means it, I'd still worry.

Does that still sound like someone you want guarding your basket while you put all your eggs in it?

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