Cancel Culture

[Dreamtimer]

I've been to Helsinki. It was beautiful. I visited Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden on that same trip.

They were all clean and friendly. The airports amazed me due to all the product outside the stores in the open terminal walkways. Folks would browse and purchase and, I assume, not do much shoplifting.

That would never work in an American Airport.


I have friends who are wealthy enough to spend 100K on a wedding but will still charge their electric car in the neighboring development because they don't want to pay for the electricity themselves.

In other words, taking from others is not just a crime of desperation. In some places, people just don't want to have to pay for stuff.

Must be that 'rugged individualism'. alm:


I really liked all the countries I visited and am really looking forward to my return.

But first, Scotland!!!

(I kinda like the emoji typo. I'll leave it for now)

[Wind]

I've only been to Stockholm. I'm curious, how would you compare Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden?

I must go to Norway sometime soon as I need to see the mountains. Way too flat here in Finland.

[Chris]

Bill Maher had some excellent bits about cancel culture this week, I'll post them here as they are more relevant to this thread than the humour section:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmXTUSP9a9M

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pabbzNjZ2s


All I can say is that the maoists have turned it up several notches with Biden's election win and what is happening in much of the Western World in this regard is truly terrifying. Although I'm not physically present in this whole madness, I am still affected through my online activities. I've just been banned for life from a forum I've been a member of for over a year, with no possibility for recourse or even explaining myself, because I dared to express an opinion that was somewhat controversial, or to be more precise, I refused to take a sufficiently condemnatory approach. When this happens, they send you an email, which you cannot reply to and there is no possibility of replying to the staff, then they will stamp your account with an accusation of why you were banned, forever shaming you in effect.

Thankfully, I can just move on and this stuff doesn't affect my real life, but the West is becoming increasingly Orwellian and I just don't think I could live in a Western country ever again.

[Emil El Zapato]

bill maher hates it because he's an asshole.

[Emil El Zapato]

Exactly, One crazy does not a barrel make unless one wants to get air time for it ... studies show? What study is subsequent to what they are discussing as NOW? This is why things are muddied ... What they are pushing is no different than the stereotyping of all blacks because one of them is an armed robber. Three examples of cancel culture they present, yet there are millions of examples where 'others' are 'otherized' in a systematic fashion. I've been there and lived it in my educational process. It was a big part of why I said f*ck it by the time I hit 10 years old. So perhaps counter educational processes are not so much cancel culture but cultural awareness started when it matters most regarding the socialization of functional human beings.

The real problem is that parents' don't productively socialize their children, no instead they pass on their social dysfunction from one generation to another. If society can't depend on functional citizens to raise functional children who will or even must take responsibility.

[Emil El Zapato]

Hey Chris, I didn't read your post before watching the videos, in fact I didn't notice that it was your post, I thought it was DT but I'm sure what happened wasn't fair to you, because I know you to be a reasonably fair bigot ... just kidding man. I'm not sure what happened but I am surprised. Perhaps you could explain it in greater detail? Perhaps you can convert me to the reality of cancel culture.

[Chris]

Hey Chris, I didn't read your post before watching the videos, in fact I didn't notice that it was your post, I thought it was DT but I'm sure what happened wasn't fair to you, because I know you to be a reasonably fair bigot ... just kidding man. I'm not sure what happened but I am surprised. Perhaps you could explain it in greater detail? Perhaps you can convert me to the reality of cancel culture.

It's not such a big deal, but I was a member on an occult forum that had some pretty interesting discussions, with my particular interest being mythology, religion, gods and goddesses, spiritual awakening, Kundalini etc...

That's not the point, but I started a new thread on a controversial topic of discussion (which I'm not going to mention), other people complained that the topic was offensive, so the thread was hidden, I said, fine, I guess we are not ready to discuss this, then I was locked out of my account and banned for life, told never even attempt to return.

The point here is that I was banned because I started a thread on a topic that people found offensive, they complained, I was banned, no possibility of explaining myself or even to reply to the accusations. This is standard procedure on social media now, including on many forums. Previously they just used to ban you for improper behaviour, now they ban you for expressing the wrong opinion, or even mentioning topics of conversation that are out of bounds. You are basically forced to walk on eggshells all the time and if you hold opinions or views that go against what is considered politically correct, you will be cancelled.

Now, for me, no big deal, I don't live in countries like the US or the UK, where that can have real-life consequences, nobody gives a flying fuck here in Hungary, though if I were to work for a multinational corporation, especially if it's US-based, it could become a problem, as they check your social media posts and comb through them to look for un-PC posts. If you made one misstep 15 years ago, you're out, you'll never work again.

This is serious stuff and the main reason I'm not actually on social media with my full real name. I did make some Ill-advised Quora posts in the past though that might make me unemployable in the US, thankfully I don't live there.

[Emil El Zapato]

hmm, yeah I can see legitimate concerns but is it, just another area of unfairness that happens to affect certain 'white' individuals more than others but honestly, it affects everyone. Here's a counter-example that might or not be an analog. Insurance companies, banks, and yes multinational companies base hiring practices on 'financial stability. I see many unethical ramifications to that. Due to historical conditions 'others' are well recognized as being under-employed, underpaid, uninsurable, overcharged for financial loans, etc. In effect, the entire gamut of 'financials' is an unlevel playing field. And, yes, 'others', share their portion of responsibility for their conditions but they don't require any help to screw themselves.

My personal belief is that we as a global civilization have lost our sense of decency and it is amplified by wifi (read Wind's latest post on Self-Actualization). It has always been an extant reality that we are nasty humans and now we get to announce that to the world (My fondest wish since young childhood ... not kidding). Rush Limbaugh is a good case in point. He had millions of adoring fans simply because he was a nasty f*cker. It's the Hegelian Dialectic in play as always. Hyper-nastiness will inevitably create an atmosphere of hypersensitivity. We get what we ask for, a very simple reality.

[Chris]

hmm, yeah I can see legitimate concerns but is it, just another area of unfairness that happens to affect certain 'white' individuals more than others but honestly, it affects everyone. Here's a counter-example that might or not be an analog. Insurance companies, banks, and yes multinational companies base hiring practices on 'financial stability. I see many unethical ramifications to that. Due to historical conditions 'others' are well recognized as being under-employed, underpaid, uninsurable, overcharged for financial loans, etc. In effect, the entire gamut of 'financials' is an unlevel playing field. And, yes, 'others', share their portion of responsibility for their conditions but they don't require any help to screw themselves.

My personal belief is that we as a global civilization have lost our sense of decency and it is amplified by wifi (read Wind's latest post on Self-Actualization). It has always been an extant reality that we are nasty humans and now we get to announce that to the world (My fondest wish since young childhood ... not kidding). Rush Limbaugh is a good case in point. He had millions of adoring fans simply because he was a nasty f*cker. It's the Hegelian Dialectic in play as always. Hyper-nastiness will inevitably create an atmosphere of hypersensitivity. We get what we ask for, a very simple reality.

The trouble, the way I see it, is that the internet and social media have regressed us back to the middle ages, except the entire English-speaking world (emphatically not the whole world) is one giant village, where one misstep or perceived slight gets you ostracised and as illustrated by the Bill Maher bits above, there is no due process or possibility for recourse and justice, essentially these are social media witch-hunts with real-life consequences.

Granted, they won't burn you at the stake any more, but lives still get destroyed and often end in suicide or homelessness.

It is absolute madness and I sometimes wonder if it was actually a mistake to learn English to the extent, that I have and to continue participating in English-language public discourse. I may eventually come to regret it. For now, I take solace in the fact that I am fairly safe where I live now and the current administration in Hungary is fighting back against this, almost uniquely in the Western World, if Hungary can be said to be part of it, that in itself is a separate debate to be had. I feel, that culturally we aren't actually part of the West as it currently is, but we are part of the West that used to be, before it was made to self-destruct through cultural marxism, post-modernism and what today is increasingly looking like some sort of Orwellian Maoism, with self-denunciations, public shamings and condenmations of those that don't fit the mold.

[Dreamtimer]

Cancel culture has been around since before I was born. People were cancelled because of religion, sexual orientation, and also saying the wrong thing.

Michael Richards got cancelled after his rant. Mel Gibson also lost a lot of fans after his own rant.

Franken lost a Senate seat for a joke from well before he ran for office.

Many people wanted to cancel Cardi B after she released WAP. That effort failed miserably.

Cancel culture has existed in one form or another for as long as humans have had societies. Scientists were executed for their heretical ideas. Religions tried to cancel science.

Religious folks in America are doing the same thing right now. Cancel science. Cancel facts. Cancel liberals. Liberals are now 'Satan's Army'.

That's a pretty heavy-duty method to use. Broad-sweeping judgement and accusations of pedophilia.

Massive amounts of cancel culture happening there, imo.


I'd be safer and better off being Bret Weinstein than being a liberal in the sights of a Qanon canceller. The latter would shoot first and not even ask questions later.

[Chris]

Cancel culture has been around since before I was born. People were cancelled because of religion, sexual orientation, and also saying the wrong thing.

Michael Richards got cancelled after his rant. Mel Gibson also lost a lot of fans after his own rant.

Franken lost a Senate seat for a joke from well before he ran for office.

Many people wanted to cancel Cardi B after she released WAP. That effort failed miserably.

Cancel culture has existed in one form or another for as long as humans have had societies. Scientists were executed for their heretical ideas. Religions tried to cancel science.

Religious folks in America are doing the same thing right now. Cancel science. Cancel facts. Cancel liberals. Liberals are now 'Satan's Army'.

That's a pretty heavy-duty method to use. Broad-sweeping judgement and accusations of pedophilia.

Massive amounts of cancel culture happening there, imo.


I'd be safer and better off being Bret Weinstein than being a liberal in the sights of a Qanon canceller. The latter would shoot first and not even ask questions later.

Yes, true, but technology has amplified it and made it so much worse than before. Only a question of time until AI bots go out there looking for wrongthink and "cancelling" people on the spot for having improper or impudent thoughts.

[Dreamtimer]

Oh, I'm totally with you on that.

I'm thinking of the AI that so quickly became racist.

How many people talk about humanity as a cancer or a virus or some other negative thing? What if AI decides to eradicate this pestilence?

The law of unintended consequences is hard at work right now.

[Wind]

Cancel humanity? Perhaps we should rethink about creating any powerful AI's.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mg7qKstnPk

[Dreamtimer]

I was thinking of that movie. But the reality is much less romantic. There's no hero to be targeted.

I think we have to reconnect to nature and spirit in order to develop any kind of benevolent AI.

[Emil El Zapato]

If and when AI is aware enough to make those judgements, their decisions will bear very little resemblance to a human decision. I read a book a while back where AI is truly in control of the mob. It was a brilliant book by the way but I'm not remembering the author right now. In any case, the author lays out the AI mind like this; The logic applied to decision-making is so flawless that it surpasses the concept of right and wrong and lands squarely on fair. Meticulous logic on a much grander scale than humanity is capable of is at its quintessential peak much more fair and empathetic than we could hope to master in another ten millennia.