You've been one of the ones leading the charge all along - Cassandra! Big fan here. Any little drop in the ocean of wanting to do better is powerful. The abolitionists were just a tiny handful of people; then the moment came and voila.
I'm wondering what would happen here if all the trolls had no one to talk to but themselves, like if we all left as a movement in one fell swoop. Trolls
thrive on being able to torment people; so we'd be depriving them of oxygen. There'd be no one to hit. Not sure if this martial arts idea would make a dent. Also I wish, and this is a big wish, that someone would reinvent Twitter, only without the algorithms that are so destructive. After donating so much money to Harris in the election campaign, surely there could be the will to do this. and perhaps some high minded big donors out there who could help. For the warrior types it'd be a way to deal with Musk, and crow about it afterwards, like Peter Pan. In fact this whole thing is rather Peter Pannish actually. Not all of it has to be dreadful. We could at least add a bit of fun to the fight. And if we want help from more men, Peter Pan might resonate more than pink pussy hats. (No, I'm way older than 12, . but 12 in spirit sometimes.)
If the great migration to Neverland Twitter happened in the blink of an eye it'd be like yes...we can fly.
Earth is going to need lots of fairy dust to deal with this lot!
Thank you so much for your heroism!
P.S. I wasn't envisioning a sterile "safe space". Just one where the virus of disinfo could be checked and not deliberately monetized. Of course it'll be attacked as "censorship". Content that isn't Goebbelized will be demonized as fake news.
I'm 78. Poor farm girl from Louisiana. White. Artist. Still poor. Living on SS. I've been around long enough and read enough to know Trump is Hitler 2.0. I knew it in 2015. I knew he was a conman and an asshole in 1980. This brave new world will be unavailable to people like me if I need a paid subscription to access the thoughts of every single thinker/writer in the world. Please, have mercy on us poor, old, belabored, despised baby boomers.
News would be expensive if we need to subscribe to everyone who is writing true info. Maybe independent news could be a consortium of good writers. In some ways the academic based THE CONVERSATION achieves that
Lets go...! Organisation is the only way this can ever be countered, and although the prospects look bleak, maybe it starts here. The tech billionaires are significantly more dangerous than Putin's oligarchs - who were content to siphon money, power, and resources and skulk away. These guys want to control and shape the future in their image and to the benefit only of the billionaire class.
They have their Ayn Rand(s) in Accelerationist literature which hypothesises on "moving past" democracy, often via the darkest of means possible, if necessary (race war etc). Complete freedom (in the regulatory sense) is the end goal. Democracy is a clear impediment their ambitions. China and Russia are looked upon enviously in that sense. Ditto Putin's Kleptocracy. As Carole says, dissent will be prosecuted. Dark times indeed.
But there will be plenty of us who want to fight against this. Carole, you are an absolute star. Your work is among the most important writing of our times. The future, if not the present, will recognise that.
Thank you so much for this. Like you I don't know what the future holds but I have a fairly terrifying idea of what happens if we do nothing. Thank you Carole and please know that a lot of people have your back. You are more loved and respected and listened to than you could ever know xx
I’m curious why you chose Substack. I’m asking because I am planning on starting a newsletter and I’m concerned about this platform’s tolerance for Nazi & white supremacist content. Can you help me understand why you chose this one? Thank you!
Looking forward to your columns, but PLEASE, I beg you, not to use photos of Musk and the other despicable broligarchs, Trump, and others for every column. Honestly, we all know what they look like. Thanks for your consideration.
The traditional/older media (newspapers, radio, television) has gradually become controlled by a few very wealthy tycoons, plus all this implies in terms of politics and control; now the same people and newer wealth are applying this to the more recently created social media at an accelerated rate.
The developing AI which is improving all the time can already reproduce your voice and image into videos; will the media tycoons,, or are they already using this facility in social media propaganda?
Thanks for speaking so clearly, and I 100% agree with you.
Regarding what to do next - I think we need to create an open and united version of democracy that shines a light on disinformation and the sewage and the toxicity that fascism relies on.
In Germany, Robert Habeck has got it. So have others in the Green Party.
I like that you compare Trump and Trumpism to cholera. I don't think it is only an analogy. Information is functional, and what if anything does a genuine molecular virus do other than transmit it's toxic information (I know that cholera is not caused by a virus, but by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.. I am a molecular biologist after all ;))
I think we need to push that 'analogy' a lot further. The same way no pathogens are allowed in the food chain, no clear disinformation or misinformation is allowed into large scale distribution of information.
And before the 'free speach' brigade are up in arms - you are still allowed to eat E.coli infested pork or Salmonella laden chicken in your own home - you are just not allowed to distribute it widely. The same way no-one is stopping you from inhaling carcinogens from your backyard BBQ, you can say anything you like to your friends or peers.
There is no absolute free speech, just as there is no absolute right to dump carcinogens into a river. And those who have not understood this need to take a medical exam and then ask themselves *which of our organs* handles information. It is really not that hard.
The biggest issue is where to get information that is truthful. Or that only reports the facts. The full facts at that. (Eg. Amsterdam, where MSM cut out the originators of the trouble. Sorry to say it was Israeli football fans desecrating and denigrating Palestinians.)
We cannot rely on MSM or X. The algorithms on all social media spiral you further into echo chambers. It is REALLY hard to be objective.
Its a bit crazy...I stay in another part of the world & to my mind, no sane person would vote Trump. Mass insanity? The impact of the US elections will be felt across the world.
But then, it is the exact replica of what I see in India, my country and some others.
The world is being driven towards an agenda that we cannot comprehend fully yet. Events are gathering momentum and only a high level of awareness can illuminate & cut through the gathering darkness.
Apologies for sounding dramatic, but my view point is wider, not just limited to the US.
i am not a religious man, but i am a huge fan of the philosophy of what it was said Jesus was said to have said
Love that which gives and sustains all our lives and do to others as we want to be done by... everything relies on just these 2
It will not matter where in this universe science may get us, if we dont obey them then we get what we got, a polluted exploited planet with people that want to kill each other... this is not a superstitious religious myth, this is a scientific observable proven fact
we are going to see a rise in power for Evangelicals who have sold their souls and rejected this message to the bidder who gave them back their power.... the above will be easy to see through their hypocricy
You're not wrong about trust. Dem politicians are complicit too and Joe Biden is a huge part of how Musk was able to tamper with the election. Biden's duties as president include ensuring the Nation's laws are faithfully upheld. He let the scotus stay unbalanced, risking democracy from his first days in office, and since then has let Constitutional law be broken every day by Musk, Vance, Trump, maga, and the traitors he let keep congressional seats. His failure to protect the verbiage of the First endangered American families and left an open avenue for Musk to pump propaganda and lies into, and he did. We need to start making a lot of noise and demands for justice from the federal government because Biden refuses to faithfully serve the Nation's laws and in January he plans to fail to uphold the Constitutional law that a felon not be allowed to serve in the military by handing the presidency to Donald Trump. And he's doing so while ignoring our cries for justice.
I am absolutely terrified about what is to come for my kids and grandkids and the world.
We have been sold to the highest bidder - Elon Musk.
We will need voices like yours more than ever now.
We must throw sand in the gears of their tyranny and corruption in anyway we can.
Move to Tel Aviv. You will be safe there.
Hi.
You've been one of the ones leading the charge all along - Cassandra! Big fan here. Any little drop in the ocean of wanting to do better is powerful. The abolitionists were just a tiny handful of people; then the moment came and voila.
I'm wondering what would happen here if all the trolls had no one to talk to but themselves, like if we all left as a movement in one fell swoop. Trolls
thrive on being able to torment people; so we'd be depriving them of oxygen. There'd be no one to hit. Not sure if this martial arts idea would make a dent. Also I wish, and this is a big wish, that someone would reinvent Twitter, only without the algorithms that are so destructive. After donating so much money to Harris in the election campaign, surely there could be the will to do this. and perhaps some high minded big donors out there who could help. For the warrior types it'd be a way to deal with Musk, and crow about it afterwards, like Peter Pan. In fact this whole thing is rather Peter Pannish actually. Not all of it has to be dreadful. We could at least add a bit of fun to the fight. And if we want help from more men, Peter Pan might resonate more than pink pussy hats. (No, I'm way older than 12, . but 12 in spirit sometimes.)
If the great migration to Neverland Twitter happened in the blink of an eye it'd be like yes...we can fly.
Earth is going to need lots of fairy dust to deal with this lot!
Thank you so much for your heroism!
P.S. I wasn't envisioning a sterile "safe space". Just one where the virus of disinfo could be checked and not deliberately monetized. Of course it'll be attacked as "censorship". Content that isn't Goebbelized will be demonized as fake news.
*
I'm 78. Poor farm girl from Louisiana. White. Artist. Still poor. Living on SS. I've been around long enough and read enough to know Trump is Hitler 2.0. I knew it in 2015. I knew he was a conman and an asshole in 1980. This brave new world will be unavailable to people like me if I need a paid subscription to access the thoughts of every single thinker/writer in the world. Please, have mercy on us poor, old, belabored, despised baby boomers.
News would be expensive if we need to subscribe to everyone who is writing true info. Maybe independent news could be a consortium of good writers. In some ways the academic based THE CONVERSATION achieves that
I was happy to support Carole financially against Farage and Banks but every month when there are many reporters asking is difficult
I definitely think we need something like peer-reviewed news and info.
Perhaps something equivalent to NPR and PBS for online. Just spitballing.
Agreed. Many of us don't want to get left behind paywalls we can't surmount. But perhaps a smaller fee for those on benefits could be offered?
Lets go...! Organisation is the only way this can ever be countered, and although the prospects look bleak, maybe it starts here. The tech billionaires are significantly more dangerous than Putin's oligarchs - who were content to siphon money, power, and resources and skulk away. These guys want to control and shape the future in their image and to the benefit only of the billionaire class.
They have their Ayn Rand(s) in Accelerationist literature which hypothesises on "moving past" democracy, often via the darkest of means possible, if necessary (race war etc). Complete freedom (in the regulatory sense) is the end goal. Democracy is a clear impediment their ambitions. China and Russia are looked upon enviously in that sense. Ditto Putin's Kleptocracy. As Carole says, dissent will be prosecuted. Dark times indeed.
But there will be plenty of us who want to fight against this. Carole, you are an absolute star. Your work is among the most important writing of our times. The future, if not the present, will recognise that.
This project should be called Renaissance. We're going to go through dark times now for sure so the aim is a kind of rebirth.
Thank you so much for this. Like you I don't know what the future holds but I have a fairly terrifying idea of what happens if we do nothing. Thank you Carole and please know that a lot of people have your back. You are more loved and respected and listened to than you could ever know xx
Please leave Twitter and come to Bluesky. :-)
I’m curious why you chose Substack. I’m asking because I am planning on starting a newsletter and I’m concerned about this platform’s tolerance for Nazi & white supremacist content. Can you help me understand why you chose this one? Thank you!
Would love to follow your newsletter wherever it ends up (: let me know!
Thank you! Follow me on Bluesky or here and I will share the details when they are ironed out. 🙏🏻
Thank you! Follow me on Bluesky or here and I will share the details when they are ironed out. 🙏🏻
Looking forward to your columns, but PLEASE, I beg you, not to use photos of Musk and the other despicable broligarchs, Trump, and others for every column. Honestly, we all know what they look like. Thanks for your consideration.
it's actually already much worse than you even think it is. the guy running the trump transition team also runs the central bank of international criminal finance: https://cryptadamus.substack.com/p/trumps-transition-team-is-tethered
The traditional/older media (newspapers, radio, television) has gradually become controlled by a few very wealthy tycoons, plus all this implies in terms of politics and control; now the same people and newer wealth are applying this to the more recently created social media at an accelerated rate.
The developing AI which is improving all the time can already reproduce your voice and image into videos; will the media tycoons,, or are they already using this facility in social media propaganda?
In case you missed this reply to your tweet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3vMJOADlE
Hi Carole,
Thanks for speaking so clearly, and I 100% agree with you.
Regarding what to do next - I think we need to create an open and united version of democracy that shines a light on disinformation and the sewage and the toxicity that fascism relies on.
In Germany, Robert Habeck has got it. So have others in the Green Party.
I like that you compare Trump and Trumpism to cholera. I don't think it is only an analogy. Information is functional, and what if anything does a genuine molecular virus do other than transmit it's toxic information (I know that cholera is not caused by a virus, but by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.. I am a molecular biologist after all ;))
I think we need to push that 'analogy' a lot further. The same way no pathogens are allowed in the food chain, no clear disinformation or misinformation is allowed into large scale distribution of information.
And before the 'free speach' brigade are up in arms - you are still allowed to eat E.coli infested pork or Salmonella laden chicken in your own home - you are just not allowed to distribute it widely. The same way no-one is stopping you from inhaling carcinogens from your backyard BBQ, you can say anything you like to your friends or peers.
There is no absolute free speech, just as there is no absolute right to dump carcinogens into a river. And those who have not understood this need to take a medical exam and then ask themselves *which of our organs* handles information. It is really not that hard.
The biggest issue is where to get information that is truthful. Or that only reports the facts. The full facts at that. (Eg. Amsterdam, where MSM cut out the originators of the trouble. Sorry to say it was Israeli football fans desecrating and denigrating Palestinians.)
We cannot rely on MSM or X. The algorithms on all social media spiral you further into echo chambers. It is REALLY hard to be objective.
Its a bit crazy...I stay in another part of the world & to my mind, no sane person would vote Trump. Mass insanity? The impact of the US elections will be felt across the world.
But then, it is the exact replica of what I see in India, my country and some others.
The world is being driven towards an agenda that we cannot comprehend fully yet. Events are gathering momentum and only a high level of awareness can illuminate & cut through the gathering darkness.
Apologies for sounding dramatic, but my view point is wider, not just limited to the US.
i am not a religious man, but i am a huge fan of the philosophy of what it was said Jesus was said to have said
Love that which gives and sustains all our lives and do to others as we want to be done by... everything relies on just these 2
It will not matter where in this universe science may get us, if we dont obey them then we get what we got, a polluted exploited planet with people that want to kill each other... this is not a superstitious religious myth, this is a scientific observable proven fact
we are going to see a rise in power for Evangelicals who have sold their souls and rejected this message to the bidder who gave them back their power.... the above will be easy to see through their hypocricy
You're not wrong about trust. Dem politicians are complicit too and Joe Biden is a huge part of how Musk was able to tamper with the election. Biden's duties as president include ensuring the Nation's laws are faithfully upheld. He let the scotus stay unbalanced, risking democracy from his first days in office, and since then has let Constitutional law be broken every day by Musk, Vance, Trump, maga, and the traitors he let keep congressional seats. His failure to protect the verbiage of the First endangered American families and left an open avenue for Musk to pump propaganda and lies into, and he did. We need to start making a lot of noise and demands for justice from the federal government because Biden refuses to faithfully serve the Nation's laws and in January he plans to fail to uphold the Constitutional law that a felon not be allowed to serve in the military by handing the presidency to Donald Trump. And he's doing so while ignoring our cries for justice.
I'm in.