Not many read this back in February. It’s quite consistent with my own calls for an Urgent Reforms Movement. Everyone should find some time to read it.
Biden Must Reinvent What a Presidential Campaign Is - Simon Rosenberg
@strypey Yeah, but that’s an old refrain. Sure, idealistically, in theory, we can all do so much better. But as yet, no one has managed to come up with a model that enough people would ever support without a massive sea change in human motivations and behavior. So until then, it beats existing alternatives by default, warts and all. You may disagree, but tell me which you favor so I have some context.
@strypey I agree with your diagnosis. But I’m having trouble finding the solution in your solution. How exactly do we “horizontally scale economic systems,” whatever that means, and nurture and then wield the political power that would be required to do it?
@Lassielmr Yeah, you’re right. I think Gaza is so important, we should just turn the country over to Trump and the 2025 Project right now, and skip all this election silliness. We’ll figure out how to unring the fascism bell later. It’s a great plan.
@notwithstanding I don’t understand that. Would you expect Republicans to reform themselves out of existence? That would be like expecting a serial rapist to lobby for more floodlights in the park.
@Runyan50 That’s all the point of any reforms effort. We cannot make change without legislation. And we cannot make legislation without power. A useful first principle: put first things first.
@Runyan50 Vigorously disagree. We have documented the causes for two generations. We know what the problems are. We know what the solutions are. There have been bills in Congress to address them all for at least a decade. We lack the political power to pass that legislation in the face of vicious obstructionism and corruption. More diagnostics will have zero impact.
For all that it did right, Mastodon made a massive unforced error not realizing that the key to social media propagation was keeping journalists happy. Instead, it alienated 90% of them with grievances and brow beatings about how they were pesky interlopers. BlueSky and Threads merely had to toss them a handful of candy, and promise them others, and it was like flipping a switch that sucked them out of here like runaway ShopVac. But I am convinced that many can be brought back.
You’re rightfully condemning the most obvious manifestations of the MSM’s bias toward techno-capitalism and it’s billionaires. But I think a hybridization is likely, just as there was with Linux. Profit, nonprofit and mixed networks can co-exist, but they need better defined lanes.
@wjmaggos All true, but it’s sort of like college protestors. They may not have had a serious demand or a realistic path to a preferred outcome, but just the expressions of need have had meaningful consequence. They are right to want smaller, safer communities, for those who want that. But if they also want ANY connectivity with everyone else, they must compromise. I believe we can find a happy medium.
@vetehinen That is absolutely all it is, which is why I’ve said for months that Threads would draw them in. Despite their self image, very few journalists have the moral fortitude to sacrifice career considerations for a larger public good. (Most people are the same). Being scolded for their self-interest (by a small number of their peers) has absolutely no effect.
@blondino I would have liked Ali or Chris. Mehdi has moments, good and bad, but gets tiresome with repeated use. They wanted a woman and they got one they had on file. I’ve never liked Alex since her awful work writing Politics Daily with the execrable Matt Lewis, and her opinions on Hillary (and most other things).
Whenever I watch Alex Wagner with the sound off, all the smiles, giggles and gesticulations reminds me of a QVC host trying to sell me a magnificent cubic zirconia tiara that I can have for just 3 low payments of $39.95 plus shipping and handling.
@joeo10 I confess, I’ve wondered if I too was sucked into a Meta master plan when I took a “We’ll not beat ‘em, we may as well join ‘em and make it work” stance. There was an unsettlingly swift mass adoption of their plan by the key influencers they’d need. They plied many with inside knowledge, invites (and probably $) so they’d say the right things. (Just like 90% of the tech press did since the introduction of the iPhone.) Only a few (like @mmasnick) seemed immune to it.
Back home after a very busy week in San Francisco. I spoke with @caseynewton, @mmasnick, @harrymccracken, @laurengoode, @chrismessina, @Markoff and so many others. In an age where the old web is gradually getting killed off by AI, there is still hope for the future in the shape of the fediverse.