Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
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Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#2These played a role during the Enlightment, American and European revolutions. A person of strong political views and middle class means could write, publish and distribute an anonymous political pamphlet. Establishment governments often didnt like this and hunt down and destroyed them.
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#3These played a role during the Enlightment, American and European revolutions. A person of strong political views and middle class means could write, publish and distribute an anonymous political pamphlet. Establishment governments often didnt like this and hunt down and destroyed them.
[deleted]
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#4These played a role during the Enlightment, American and European revolutions. A person of strong political views and middle class means could write, publish and distribute an anonymous political pamphlet. Establishment governments often didnt like this and hunt down and destroyed them.
This is, in part, why the USA constitution calls out freedom of the press (right after freedom of speech).
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#5The book referenced, Swedish title "Livläkarens besök", is one of the best I have read. Reviews do not seem to agree entirely through. On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Physicians-Visit-Olov-Enquist/d...
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#6The printing press was subsidized by the Catholic Church as a way of reducing costs and increasing spread of their primary asset: the Bible.
They didn't realize this would drive down startup costs of presses by creating more press techniques and technicians looking to acquire new customers. With Church backing, the bar-to-entry for spreading information dropped until anyone could spread information, including anti-Church factions such as the Protestants. This did not end up well for the Church.
The same is true for America, their obsession with spreading democracy, and the transistor AKA the American Printing Press.
Once information propagation becomes cheap, noise floods everything, and trolling is the only effective way to create lasting context.
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#7The piece is interesting, but author's conclusions left very strange aftertaste. So there was a king with psychiatric problems, and his doctor who, abusing influence over his patient, usurped powers, and made a kid with the queen. And when aforementioned doctor decreed freedom of press, people of Denmark immediately started to express their dissatisfaction with the weird political situation. And the author calls it depressing, not constructive, and them proto-internet-trolls. Seriously?
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#8The piece is interesting, but author's conclusions left very strange aftertaste. So there was a king with psychiatric problems, and his doctor who, abusing influence over his patient, usurped powers, and made a kid with the queen. And when aforementioned doctor decreed freedom of press, people of Denmark immediately started to express their dissatisfaction with the weird political situation. And the author calls it d…
I believe the subtle point is that Struensee did these actions for the good of the people, only for the people to then use these new tools against him.
I'm not sure we know of Struensee's motivations, but we can see that he advocated for and temporarily obtained some outcomes that can be seen as almost universally good for the people.
Regardless, maybe one takeaway can be, just because you have given your life towards something good for others, don't expect to be thanked.
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#9The piece is interesting, but author's conclusions left very strange aftertaste. So there was a king with psychiatric problems, and his doctor who, abusing influence over his patient, usurped powers, and made a kid with the queen. And when aforementioned doctor decreed freedom of press, people of Denmark immediately started to express their dissatisfaction with the weird political situation. And the author calls it d…
I believe the subtle point is that Struensee did these actions for the good of the people, only for the people to then use these new tools against him. I'm not sure we know of Struensee's motivations, but we can see that he advocated for and temporarily obtained some outcomes that can be seen as almost universally good for the people. Regardless, maybe one takeaway can be, just because you have given your life toward…
Giving the people freedom of the press was good for the people? Probably. Having a kid with the queen was good for the people? Probably not.
So, was the criticism for giving them freedom of the press? Or for having the kid with the queen? Or was it for using his position as a doctor to put himself in political power in the first place?
Re: Proto-internet trolls: Struensee and press freedom in 18th century Denmark
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe the subtle point is that Struensee did these actions for the good of the people, only for the people to then use these new tools against him. I'm not sure we know of Struensee's motivations, but we can see that he advocated for and temporarily obtained some outcomes that can be seen as almost universally good for the people. Regardless, maybe one takeaway can be, just because you have given your life toward…
Giving the people freedom of the press was good for the people? Probably. Having a kid with the queen was good for the people? Probably not. So, was the criticism for giving them freedom of the press? Or for having the kid with the queen? Or was it for using his position as a doctor to put himself in political power in the first place?
Having a kid with the queen seems neutral, especially if the alternative is for a severely mentally ill man to be the father.