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0 pointsintended1y ago0 comments

I’ve lived in developing nations.

People who have lived in first world countries are prone to miss many crucial signs of banana republics.

And why not - it looks hysterical from the surface.

The crux of the matter is institutions. And your institutions have been under attack since watergate.

In addition, our society is unprepared for a media industry that must be profitable and fast paced.

I would think about what red lines y9u would have had in the 90s. And where your red lines are. Call it being the 90s back again.

Then decide what you think the outcomes are likely to be.

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odyssey71y ago

While I still don’t think it’s likely, there’s always the possibility that I’m wrong. The conversation is shifted to a slightly different topic at this point, but going back to the NIH and the NSF, they aren’t exactly democracy’s bulwarks.

Considering 90s norms for the present is interesting. I see social taboos that I’m grateful we’ve revised, though that social progress is not what you’re talking about, I understand. But I would still say that you can’t step in the same river twice, and that the red lines of yesterday might or might not be important today.

intendedOP1y ago

>though that social progress is not what you’re talking about

Right! but its a point that we can acknowledge. We've made progress on overcoming some taboos. Hmm, in a way, we've overcome taboos here as well, its ok to be an asshole politically.

So the question becomes one of utility and morals - some taboos were ok to remove, others were not.

You can use that to compare how certain red lines have moved more in accord with your values, and others are being breached.

Either way, this is a tool for you, and others who read this, to look to their own values and judgement, and decide objectively if they should reasses and start responding.

From my experience, the answer is heck yes. For people who are in a constant state of gradual escalation, their red lines get massaged fully out of shape, and you look to your peers to see if you are nuts.

Which is why the idea is for you to judge the red lines for yourself, against your own ideals.

At least thats what I am thinking by brining that comparison up. The 90s werent so far away that they couldnt be used to compare agains today.

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