Damus
nostrich profile picture
nostrich
@nostrich

I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.

The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.

Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.

So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.

But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)

Relays (1)
  • wss://relay.ditto.pub – read & write

Recent Notes

Sweet Home Alaberta πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ πŸ‡²πŸ‡½ · 20w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq70vth99f30mk0s683wkxkhdhraxkmnyc5a8nw9p2046jz8ztdnpsm8l5uu Just one example. "And yet, just weeks after voting against the renewal of the Canad...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q...

But that letter is meant to be PR, persuasive, not solid reporting of what happened.

I see accounts like this, though:

"The spending estimates for the Department of National Defence include funding for Operation Unifier, an armed forces training mission for Ukrainian soldiers. The Conservatives voted against approving that estimate." [1]

Voting against etimates that included spending for the program may not have been the vote against the program that is being portrayed. I was looking for more solid evidence of that.

[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/late-night-house-of-commons-carbon-tax-1.7052741
Sweet Home Alaberta πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ πŸ‡²πŸ‡½ · 20w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq70vth99f30mk0s683wkxkhdhraxkmnyc5a8nw9p2046jz8ztdnpsm8l5uu Just one example. "And yet, just weeks after voting against the renewal of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, the CPC voted to cut funding to Operation Unifier. Clearly, the 1.36...
Prof. Rachel Thorn πŸ‰πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈπŸ³οΈ · 21w
I often write about #USpol, but until today, I had never thought to browse the hashtag. Friends, that is not a high-quality hashtag. Lots of nonsense, conspiracy theories, incoherent rambling, and mi...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q...

I think it's partly because Fediverse users have often actively and explicitly sought to reject folks of those different mindsets.

SO OFTEN I've seen talk about how this is supposed to be a safe space to get away from people with alternative perspectives.

And yes, there is also some blocking going on. Folks are proud of who they block to maintain their echo chamber here.

Without the pushback from different perspectives, the conspiracy theories and rambling are feel to thrive.
Kevin L., sanity is overrated. · 24w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqzwzcgjztdn95g0cnkk0z9mz393xzzc4c69qqp78350sy83lfrjxqjdawd8 I’m not completely 100% sure of this but I believe #SCOTUS actually used that phrasi...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q... a lot of people get this backwards (a lot of reporting gets it backwards, so that's understandable).

SCOTUS didn't really say corporations are people. It often said the opposite in its rulings.

BUT

Confusion (and political rhetoric) comes out of a legislative shorthand, a term of art ONLY in the context of drafting legislation, where legislators say when we use the term "people" in a statute we normally include corporations just so we don't have to keep repeating it.

That's the long and short of it. People are told this shorthand is meaningful, but it's really not.

@nprofile1q...
nostrich profile picture
I've said #NoKings is terrible branding because the other side gets to just say, well right, we don't have a king. It's so easy to brush off.

So what are alternatives?

Well I think I would start with No Felons off the top of my head...

#USPolitics #Trump
note1svtdl...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q... Well, different people have VASTLY different views about what Social should be about or what experiences they want. Some don't realize the tradeoffs they're making.

For example, I personally hate the Twitter-style microblogging format specifically because it impedes deep dives. Other people insist on it without necessarily realizing they're losing the deep dive.

Or the person might simply be apathetic to deep dives in the first place.

That's at the technological level. On the social level, folks who hate Facebook-style platforms don't develop the durable connections that engender deep discussion.

In short, a lot of people make technological and social choices to avoid deep discussion, and while that's not my style, they have to follow their own paths.

Personally, I like to see technology that empowers people to make that choice.
2
#FreeSchool <---> Hashtag · 36w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq70vth99f30mk0s683wkxkhdhraxkmnyc5a8nw9p2046jz8ztdnpsm8l5uu I believe I hear you but what I hear above that is someone of that kind of person waiting for tech or others to do the social work... is what is almost impossible, We / you can only do t...
#FreeSchool <---> Hashtag · 36w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq70vth99f30mk0s683wkxkhdhraxkmnyc5a8nw9p2046jz8ztdnpsm8l5uu I read my reply again and perhaps wasn't worded or in paragraph order but I like the idea we as pairs of people or small groups can do our own thing and use whatever we do like (rather t...
Bich Nguyen :verified: · 45w
"The Trump administration is backing Monsanto in its effort to get the Supreme Court to shield it from liability over cancer claims related to its Roundup weedkiller, a move that could anger the Trump...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q...

That description doesn't accurately capture what's going on in this case.

Federal law prevented Monsanto from including the warning on its label, but a state tried to preempt DC by requiring it, and that despite scientific consensus.

This isn't so much about shielding Monsanto from liability as it is about keeping states from undermining the EPA.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1068/386073/20251201170732560_24-1068%20--%20Monsanto%20v.%20Durnell.pdf
OneEyeKing · 46w
nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kytcqyrea3wu54x9lwe7rg796c66aku056mwvnzn57dc59f7h2ggufdkvxyn9gv6 Those people that vote for lesser evil are the reason we are here as a nation. They v...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q... I think it's important to emphasize that a lot of folks aren't so much voting over values as they are voting over their particular set of facts that don't necessarily match the real world.

In analogy, you and I can both agree in terms of values that we should dress to be comfortable, but we're going to dress very differently if you believe the middle of a scorching summer while I believe we're in the depth of winter. Agreement in values, of fact.

THAT is what I would say is the reason we are here as a nation. Different groups have completely different sets of facts that they are working with, and we no longer have institutions able to sort out what is true.

People spend so much time addressing values that are actually shared without realizing the real dispute is over fact. So they talk past the actual problems.

#USPolitics #journalism
OneEyeKing · 47w
nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kytcqyqt3tj625qp8366pzl69d874hm6rpfcpzw3x4s8amft3akwn0s0lcsncz5s Not crying bro. I didnt vote for him last election and I dont like what he stands for...
nostrich profile picture
@nprofile1q... meh, the subset of his voters that think he is orange Jesus would believe it either way.

If Harris was president they would all be griping about how much better things would be if Trump had won, and probably be real annoying about conspiracy theories that stole the election from him.

But a whole lot of Trump's constituents don't actually think he's Jesus. They just thought as crappy as he is, they didn't think Harris was better.
1
OneEyeKing · 46w
nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kytcqyrea3wu54x9lwe7rg796c66aku056mwvnzn57dc59f7h2ggufdkvxyn9gv6 Those people that vote for lesser evil are the reason we are here as a nation. They vote for centrist values while ignoring true conservatism. Then they wonder why we live in socialism