Only thing I would add is that social media companies 100% backtracked on their permissive attitude toward antivax and critique of containment measures last year, primarily as a means of helping to disappear the discussion and make it easier to create unanimity amongst the entire populace on the “return to normal.”
Caitlin Johnstone had analyzed the situation as government censorship, which I didn’t want to agree with and I still don’t agree entirely with her analysis of the motives or why she said it was bad (she takes this really weird free speech stance without saying the words and it’s just…weak). Where I think she was particularly cognizant of the future and where I ended up agreeing with her was in pointing out how this unprecedented open cooperation between government and social media would continue to develop, and it did…exploding with the “state-affiliated” labels and particularly after the Russian SMO began.
Ex-intelligence, ex-military, and other ex-government have all been embedding themselves in news media, social media, and other forms of media (looking at all the GOP officials going to Activision Blizzard), so this was a natural development. However, I think the social media one became of more urgent concern with the Biden administration due to the GOP’s astroturfed efforts on social media under Trump, almost like a Hail Mary for the Dems. Maybe better analyzed as beneficial for both sides in preventing populism and protecting empire in the face of collapse (notably in defense against “foreign interference,” as we saw all the hubbub about Russiagate and constant fearmongering re: China). Knowing how the Dems have enabled the GOP however, it’s about to get real scary when the latter takes back government.
Not only that but if COVID did leak from a US lab as Jeffrey Sachs hypothesized, then it will go down as the worst imperialist war crime in history if we’re judging purely by bodycount.
Whether it was an intentional leak or a blunder (which I think is more likely), the sheer fact that the US has not only obstructed investigations but deliberately encouraged the leak to develop into a pandemic is so goddamned depraved.
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Holy shit. Do you ever NOT go hard?
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Your posts just blow out my 24 inch pythons, siblin.
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As long as they’re not working hours 😂
Only thing I would add is that social media companies 100% backtracked on their permissive attitude toward antivax and critique of containment measures last year, primarily as a means of helping to disappear the discussion and make it easier to create unanimity amongst the entire populace on the “return to normal.”
Caitlin Johnstone had analyzed the situation as government censorship, which I didn’t want to agree with and I still don’t agree entirely with her analysis of the motives or why she said it was bad (she takes this really weird free speech stance without saying the words and it’s just…weak). Where I think she was particularly cognizant of the future and where I ended up agreeing with her was in pointing out how this unprecedented open cooperation between government and social media would continue to develop, and it did…exploding with the “state-affiliated” labels and particularly after the Russian SMO began.
Ex-intelligence, ex-military, and other ex-government have all been embedding themselves in news media, social media, and other forms of media (looking at all the GOP officials going to Activision Blizzard), so this was a natural development. However, I think the social media one became of more urgent concern with the Biden administration due to the GOP’s astroturfed efforts on social media under Trump, almost like a Hail Mary for the Dems. Maybe better analyzed as beneficial for both sides in preventing populism and protecting empire in the face of collapse (notably in defense against “foreign interference,” as we saw all the hubbub about Russiagate and constant fearmongering re: China). Knowing how the Dems have enabled the GOP however, it’s about to get real scary when the latter takes back government.
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Not only that but if COVID did leak from a US lab as Jeffrey Sachs hypothesized, then it will go down as the worst imperialist war crime in history if we’re judging purely by bodycount.
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Whether it was an intentional leak or a blunder (which I think is more likely), the sheer fact that the US has not only obstructed investigations but deliberately encouraged the leak to develop into a pandemic is so goddamned depraved.
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I’m glad you followed through and still posted this. Very useful to have all these ideas laid out and synthesised.
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Well put!
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I can confirm, I am the only person who wears a mask in my workplace, and among a few who did in my tech school.
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I did not realize that an N95 mask was much safer than the three layer cloth mask I was wearing.
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I don’t disagree with anything you said
Thanks for sharing your analysis
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