Category: Social Media | Page 3

599 – Left, Right and the Extreme Center

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Mar 142019

Like them or not, the labels of ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ are invariably used in the political war of words that rages perpetually. As ideological identifiers, they are fundamental and necessary.

While those on the Left often proudly boast their ideological affiliation with the Left, those on the Right have been shamed into avoiding their proper and commendable political affiliation. Today, being labeled ‘extreme right wing’ is considered the ultimate insult since it has been falsely associated with the evils of fascism, an ideology of the Left.

This problem has become particularly visible (though not understood) thanks to the debates seen and heard on social media, where accusations of being ‘extreme’ right, racist, fascist, etc have become the common pejorative used by the Left against its opponents.

This has made it possible for many on the Left to justify censoring or banning the ‘extreme right’ from social media. Ironically, social media has been monopolized by the Left – communists, fascists, socialists, and ‘progressives.’ Continue reading »

598 – This is war

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Mar 072019

There is a growing consensus that what was once only a ‘war of words’ is now approaching a point where that ‘war’ can no longer be fought only with words. The war is now moving into the courtroom, and a major case going forward is Steven Crowder’s (Louder With Crowder) lawsuit against Facebook.

We fully support this action, as we find ourselves asking: Isn’t it time that those on the ‘Right’ began treating their opponents on the Left in the same warlike manner the Left has been exhibiting towards them?

It has regrettably become clear that social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook , Twitter, and others known to be owned and/or operated by interests on the Left, have been found to be misrepresenting themselves and their services in a way that should concern everyone able to read these words on-line.

After having actively pursued content providers on the ‘right’ to set up shop on their platforms, they have now been found to be unethically restricting and banning those same voices from their promised ‘free speech’ platforms, for the most dubious reasons. This has been done through the filing of numerous false copyright claims, ‘de-platforming,’ ‘de-boosting,’ ‘de-monitizing’ and other hidden actions cutting off content providers from their established audiences. Continue reading »

DMS 046 – The Covington test

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Feb 032019

On Jan 18 in front of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial, a remarkable newsworthy event did not happen. Consequently, it became a top news story. Remarkable!

So remarkable, that it should be referenced in all future tests relating to the credibility of journalism itself. In fact, suggests Robert in his conversation with Danielle, it should be referred to as the ‘Covington Test,’ in honor of Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann who became a symbol of the media’s disgraceful abandonment of its traditional role as a source of reliable information.

Having earlier attended the ‘March for Life’ rally barely acknowledged by the media, Sandmann found himself thrust into the court of public opinion, judged guilty of the “face crime of smiling while white,” as Danielle describes the media spin.

Though merely waiting for a bus to take him and his fellow Covington students back home, he found himself caught in a controversy that could become a defining point in the phenomenon of ‘fake news,’ as well as represent a possible turning point regarding the future of journalism itself. Continue reading »

DMS 039 – The China syndrome

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Dec 092018

Expected to be fully implemented by 2020, China’s compulsory ‘social credit’ system has been promoted to sound a lot like a normal market economic credit rating system.

Says Chong Jiyah, manager of Alipay: “Once a person has a score, all their credit behavior in life is recorded and can be evaluated by that number. Our goal is to ensure that if people keep their promises, they can go anywhere in the world and if people break their promises, they won’t be able to move an inch.”

The ‘Social Credit score’ is based on five factors: (1) credit history, (2) fulfillment capacity, (3) personal characteristics (phone, address), (4) behavior and preference (purchases made and associated characteristics with those purchases, and (5) interpersonal relationships (those you associate with).

Only the first two appear directly related to financial ‘credit’ behavior or to ‘keeping promises,’ while the rest look more like a social media profile intended for marketing/information gathering. Unfortunately, this profile is compulsory, one shaped not only by a citizen’s actions, but also by the actions of those with whom he/she associates. Continue reading »

DMS 037 – The Zuckerberg Plan

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Nov 252018

“…We need to have a full conversation about what is the right regulation (of the Internet), not whether it should be or shouldn’t be,” testified Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg before the April 18 Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees. That ‘conversation’ concerns freedom of speech and the right to express that speech using social media.

Notes Danielle to Robert in her introduction to their own ‘conversation’ on the ‘right regulation,’ there was a “cascade of ‘de-platforming’ that accelerated over the months after that hearing.”

“The largest platforms are primarily controlled by the Left,” acknowledges Robert, while however also acknowledging that there is no obligation on their part to provide anyone with guaranteed service.

‘Shadow banning,’ ‘de-monetization,’ suspensions, account deletions, and other restrictions justified on ‘terms of service violations’ have become an increasing phenomenon that has ironically encouraged voices on the right – those being unjustly targeted most – to call for anti-trust legislation curbing the right of social media providers to take such actions. Continue reading »

DMS 032 – The Twitter trap

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Oct 212018

Blog posts may be the best place for “thought experiments” suggests Danielle to Robert in a discussion that is as much about their criticism of a recent ‘tweet’ by Professor Jordan Peterson, as it is about the social platform on which he made it.

“We are witnessing a cultural sea change,” notes Robert, “with Twitter, Facebook, and social media, just within the last decade or so.” Now a perpetual source for more controversies, on-line social media has become the “global village” predicted by Marshall McLuhan, whose infamous phrase “the medium is the message” takes on a literal meaning in the context of today’s technologies – and discussion.

Traditionally expressed forms of commentary may no longer apply and may in fact be dangerous in the courts of public opinion – particularly on the social platform known as ‘Twitter.’

Just ask Jordan Peterson, whose ‘tweet’ on the appointment of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (“if appointed, he should step down”), potentially revealed more about Peterson’s fundamental philosophy and political inclinations than did his many hours of speaking on other social media, like YouTube and Facebook. Continue reading »

577 – Signaling Left

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Oct 112018

‘Virtue signaling’ takes many forms, and generally refers to public expressions of ‘virtue’ that are considered anything but. ‘Virtue signaling’ is a favorite practice of the Left, as its collectivist philosophy naturally demands the abandonment of true virtue in its pursuit of sinister intentions.

That’s why the highly racist term ‘white privilege’ has been forced into our political lexicon. For the Left, this offensive term serves two political objectives. First, the term represents a direct accusation of racism directed against those whose skin color is ‘white.’ Why? To induce unjustifiable and unearned guilt on the part of the accused – holding ‘whites’ responsible for history itself. Second, the term serves as the Left’s ‘moral’ justification for its immoral socialist ‘redistribution of wealth’ (stealing) philosophy.

Alarmingly, the term ‘white privilege’ is used more frequently by ‘whites’ than others, even though seemingly directed against white people. For them, the term helps to disguise the real target of their racism – generally directed towards the same ‘visible minorities’ groups they pretend to want to help.

For evidence, just listen to the voices of the Left that you’ll hear on today’s broadcast. Better still, listen to the responding voices of the Right, voices now possible to hear thanks to the power of social media and the internet. Continue reading »