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Tom Worster's avatar

These VC types (like David Sacks, Sequoia, Goldcrest) have priorities and your free speech isn't one of them. You are important only in your relevance in their engagement metrics, which is how they will demonstrate their success in executing their business plan at the next round. But at this stage in the game (A round was two months ago) being easily available to everyone isn't critical to tracking the growth curve they seek.

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CA's avatar

We need to bring the hackers to the bright white light side - that’s what Ed Snowdon should be helping us do to preserve our freedom - along with helping journos in totalitarian states & I ain’t talking Russia or Amerika (yet) Ed paid an ultimate price, but really I wouldn’t mind living in St Petersburg

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Tom Worster's avatar

They are already there. Check out, for example, Hackers On Planet Earth or CCC's annual conferences. Great bunch of people.

for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bB7tTknkDw

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limberjosie's avatar

High comedy given the topic of discussion.

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Tom Worster's avatar

I know. The irony has a big red flashing light and is making that old-timey claxon sound.

I remember groaning out loud when GG was gushing with excitement about what these tech tycoons had told him about what their apps will do for free speech. There is a grain of truth in their story given that technolibertarianism is the default theology of that class. But that's just bafflegab to hide their true cyberselfish nature.

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CA's avatar

You know - it is really true - power corrupts absolutely- I may give these A Holes the benefit of the doubt in the beginning

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Tom Worster's avatar

That old truism deserves elaboration. Some people get corrupted by power. Others refuse to be corrupted and therefore don't get to exercise any power. If life were as simple as that then we have literally no reason for hope. So it seems that modification of power is what we should seek.

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CA's avatar

The problem is - if you have none, you are not s player so no one cares (we obvs care or we wouldn’t be writing). If you, by luck or legacy or brains or hooking, get money or power you are doomed. Gandhi knew it. The historical Jesus knew it. Shakespeare knew it. If there was a god he/she/it would know it. Socialist utopias would make everything as equal as possible - and someday I hope that works.

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Tom Worster's avatar

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. Understanding the true nature of power in our society leads to feeling defeated and powerless, an outcome that serves the status quo exactly as well as buying into the false narratives that Matt, GG and others work so hard to explain. So I feel a need for some complementary inspiration that motivates positive action towards a solidarity that can contribute to our emancipation. This is where I turn to Cornel West, Hakim Bey, David Graeber, Thomas Bernhard, or even Žižek, although he can sometimes be even more of a bummer than Taibbi, Matt Christman, Yasha Levine.

Fcuk nihilism.

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Outis's avatar

One thing they are failing to realize with this rush to everything mobile is that there are many of us out here unable to use such technology due to the oft-denied electro-magnetic sensitivity. All around me, friends and family are complaining of muddled thoughts and a sense of electricity going through them ever since 5G was turned on. And these folks are only having the mild symptoms of something I have experienced even from normal electricity itself in the pre-digital age.

We electrosensitives were called kooks because corporate funded studies always "proved" that the telecom products were safe. Of course, independent studies from Europe, determined that it is a real phenomenon. Our censored news won't allow us to know this.

It is important now since so many people are going to become ill as the signals grow stronger and stronger. The technocrats really don't seem to care what it does to our health. Even now, their answer is a theraputic rather than a cure when it comes to Covid 19. The drug powers have managed to have the definition changed for what a vaccine is. Prior to the current vaccine, a vaccine meant that the NONVAXINATED were not going to make you sick.

Not against the shot for those who are high risk or willing to be guinea pigs for a drug that will take at least 5 years before we know whether it is really safe or not. Go ahead, but when this is becoming mandatory around the world to go along with a QR ID code - this is mandatory mobile tracking, mandatory drug injection and loss of all private and personal autonomy.

Recently Matt hosted Adolph Reed to speak about his alternative to the neoliberals. As left wing and progressive as he sounded, he was still spouting the very agenda of the WEF, who are behind the shift to global governance. Dr. Reed even used some of their talking points, especially when he came down rather militantly demanding the vax to participate in society, considering any who object to be right wing Trump supporters! Well, I've been pretty far to the left all my life, but what I am seeing in the "left" is fascism and Marxist tactics without any of the actual social justice of the left. Does Dr. Reed know that some people are allergic to PEG? Where is the room for the person who doesn't fit the cookie cutter mold in this technological world? This is why we still need human hearts and not digital algorithms. From Dr. Reed's words, it seems the US has 3 options that are all leading to the WEF in the end. No way. Some of us are busy articulating yet unconsidered options that have NOT been co-opted. I

This brings me back to the exclusive forum for the podcast. Please do not get caught up in this dazzling web of technology. The best thing we can do for freedom now is revert to old school technology - back to blogs like substack, even samizdat distribution of magazines, videos - you know, off line and in person! We have forgotten this over the past years and I say we take this power back for ourselves!

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CA's avatar

Then instead of writing on substack read Dennis Kucinich’s Light and Power and get those lines upgraded and buried. Your e/m confusion with 5G will feel like a minor headache compared to the nuclear explosion to come with a few hacks on our power grid my friend

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Tom Worster's avatar

I believe Kucinich is one of the good guys. Politics demands compromise so we should judge political actors by evaluating the compromises they make and those they refuse to make.

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CA's avatar

Yes

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