maxwj.bsky.social

Name a major civilization that hasn't engaged in horrors by today's moral standards. You can't because there are zero. Enlightenment values, secular democracy, unprecedented protections, and the USA's brilliant structural codifications of them ARE superior. A tremendous gift to humanity.

16 July

Thought I'd expand my social media horizons beyond X/Twitter, try out Bluesky. But how's this for wild? Sometime I think yesterday or late the day before all my responses became shadow censored. 100%. When other users check, my reply posts are not visible anywhere but in my own profile. Oh well. :-P

15 July

In socialism, "the people" — a marvelous propaganda phrase, so egalitarian and pseudo-liberating — are not you but higher party insiders. Every time. The actual people are useful suckers for language of equity, enabling soul-sucking levels of government control over our lives and opportunities.

Jo@hoojo.bsky.social

Socialism puts the people at the heart of politics

15 July

Some cultists just love to assume bigotry whether there's adequate evidence for it or not.

maxwj.bsky.social@maxwj.bsky.social

Obviously a woman can be the most qualified candidate, and many have been. But how do you know it's not the case that the particular women candidates at this moment for these positions are not among the strongest? Just like sometimes none of the men are the strongest so a woman gets the job?

15 July

People for whom integrity means little find it hard to imagine that others hold it dear.

maxwj.bsky.social@maxwj.bsky.social

That's not the chase. I was first online via BBSes in 1983. I got on the Internet in 1993. In that 43 years of online interaction NOT ONCE have I *falsely* reported someone else's comment. Because integrity matters to me. As does open dialogue between parties who disagree. THAT'S the chase.

maxwj.bsky.social reposted

Replying to @nintarii.bsky.social

We're so mindlessly tribal now all that's needed is for a few thought leaders in one's camp to pronounce, "THIS BAD," distribute a couple grossly oversimplified talking points, and voila. Immediate mass raging hysteria for or against whatever.

Immediately flagged as spam, of course. Integrity means nothing to too many. Sad.

maxwj.bsky.social@maxwj.bsky.social

I notice posts that disagree about Rowling are flagged as spam. What is wrong with people? When you do that you are LYING. You think that's how you should be, willing to lie about anything you disagree with to get it hidden? That's repugnant. This post to be flagged as spam in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

So far I find Blusky more respectable than I was anticipating. My political/ideological views span the left-right spectrum; I wondered if my account would be immediately suspended for those further right. So far so good, however.

People on Blusky seem to block REALLY fast though. Far easier to disagree without being blocked on X/Twitter. I have no idea why but that's the pattern so far.

Our nation became used to lax enforcement of immigration, but that doesn't mean stricter enforcement is unnecessary. It's possible ICE agents are at fault for some or all of the enforcement deaths. But it's also possible people dealing with ICE are dangerously overreacting due to ICE vilification.

maxwj.bsky.social@maxwj.bsky.social

I'm objectively concerned some of these tragedies could be resulting from the obscene degree of demonization of ICE. EVERY NATION has immigration enforcement targeting some proportion of those present illegally. "Fascists" is ridiculous, and calling them that drives more aggressive confrontations.

3 July

I think the trans movement has gone terribly too far. I think the "free Palestine" people are mindless cultists who truly know nothing of that region's history. I think wokeness/critical postmodernist social justice is profoundly evil.