Comment by systemvoltage | Hacker News Reader

Comment by systemvoltage | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

We're seeing some pushback both, politically as well as in the corporate/business world. Some companies are starting to detach from social justice issues and politics in general from taking over internal discussions. American society is recognizing the dangers of this and starting to swing the pendulum back to the center politically. More democrats that I know (atleast in SV) are aware of the compliance culture (see Wuhan virus lab origin issues where it was impossible to discuss this in 2020 without being silenced). Here in SV, many are bewildered about: https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-leftists-try-to-canc...

I'd like to see America that takes a solemn look at social justice issues and provides appropriate remediation for them, but at the same time I don't want the entire media sphere taking over the discourse with their wokeness (see NASA's PR channel, Github master branch naming debacle, etc.). Twitter and Instagram are a cesspool of social justice issues without any nuanced and objective discussion. If this continues, 2024 elections are going to see a huge backlash. This is coming from a liberal who voted for the democratic party for all elections so far.

Aside from political power, the thing that worries me the most is the Academia. Universities have become so deeply entrenched in issues that professors and academic professionals are afraid of speaking out, conducting research that could offend someone and constantly in fear of being cancelled, losing their jobs and reputation. This bothers me deeply.

I am curious how this is viewed internationally, especially in Europe. Most countries in Europe were in lock-step with US during the BLM protests.

>We're seeing some pushback both, politically as well as in the corporate/business world. Some companies are starting to detach from social justice issues and politics in general from taking over internal discussion

I pray that you're right, and that this accelerates. The penetration of extremist sj ideology into all spaces has been some of the most corrosive behaviour I've ever seen.

Social Media signaling and amplification might produce some momentary storm area 51 or storm the capital madness but it hasnt produced any Mandela or Gandhi or Lenin type pressure on govts that is going to cause collapse. Lots of fools will get thrown in jail or thrown of the networks.

Its more of a nuissance than a danger imho. The herd has the attention span and power of fruit flies and the powers that be on all sides know it.

> it hasnt produced any Mandela or Gandhi or Lenin type pressure on govts that is going to cause collapse.

Yeah, right. Except that Trump, Johnson, Modi, Bolsonaro, Duterte etc. etc. are increasingly looking like they just might be the new Mandela, Gandhi and Lenin. Isn't democracy great?

It's certainly not a threat to governments but it can be a threat to individuals. Some of the looting/mob attacks were coordinated on social media and the mobbing phenomenon is real and can have real world consequences. Of course governments aren't going to fall because the world isn't 1789 anymore. Just burning down a building isn't going to change the government because authority is not tied to buildings. Neither can you break into a bank, burn records of debts, and have your debts wiped clean. But that doesn't mean that you can't organize a mob to attack a courthouse in Portland or harass a judge; while this isn't going to overturn any verdicts, it will cause real damage to people and property.

> (see Wuhan virus lab origin issues where it was impossible to discuss this in 2020 without being silenced

Funny

The reason it cannot be discussed is because the us president decided to politicize the issue front and center. That inevitably forces the heavy hand censorship. Because any rational people see the danger of fueling the political crusade that was used purposefully by the most powerful individual on earth, at the crucial juncture when the unified national movement is critical to prevent large scale casualty.

That's exactly the right use of silencing certain topics.

As for what's happening now. I am all for root causing, as a person feeling positive to China's handling of covid 19.

But boy, once the first bad guy started this political drama. No one can proceed objectively any more. China will resit all the steps for carrying out investigation in China. Not because they know something bad would be found. But because they are feared that someone is going to manufacture the evidence one way or another regardless any findings.

In the old Chinese saying: one drop of rat dropping ruined the whole pot of porridge. (一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅粥)

It's legitimately hilarious, as a liberal, that the liberal half of the US whiplashed from "even discussing this is racist" to "we're actually positive of it on very little evidence" without any new information to speak of.

The reason it cannot be discussed is because the us president decided to politicize the issue front and center. That inevitably forces the heavy hand censorship

Flip that around: hundreds of thousands died because it was more important for the media to attack Trump than to report truthfully. We weren’t even supposed to discuss HCQ for example, because Trump suggested it, despite all the mountains of scientific evidence about its effectiveness.

It's been investigated repeatedly and not found effective. Now he's gone, nobody is still pushing it.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com