Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Why America is Uniquely Stupid

Social Psychology professor Jonathan Haidt writes:
This spring, The Atlantic published my essay “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid,” in which I argued that the best way to understand the chaos and fragmentation of American society is to see ourselves as citizens of Babel in the days after God rendered them unable to understand one another.

I showed how a few small changes to the architecture of social-media platforms, implemented from 2009 to 2012, increased the virality of posts on those platforms, which then changed the nature of social relationships. People could spread rumors and half-truths more quickly, and they could more readily sort themselves into homogenous tribes. Even more important, in my view, was that social-media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook could now be used more easily by anyone to attack anyone. It was as if the platforms had passed out a billion little dart guns, and although most users didn’t want to shoot anyone, three kinds of people began darting others with abandon: the far right, the far left, and trolls.

He has a worthwhile theory. He has put his finger to what may be driving much of what is wrong with modern society.

The Atlantic has a story on The secret history of the U.S. government’s family-separation policy. The USA dcoes separate families far more than any other country in the world. But that is not what the article is about. It ignores the millions of citizens who get separated, and focuses on illegal aliens who smuggle in kids with them.

Much of the magazine is filled with left-wing garbage. It has articles by David French, who is known as a cuckservative, and has a deranged hatred for Donald Trump and for Trump supporters. It has an article about how feminists are dissatisfied with the sexual revolution. It has an article about people who would by an AR-15 rifle and a rosary to pray. Most of it is behind a paywall, so I haven't read it.

Update: Here is a good rebuttal to the family separation article.

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