Welcome to Thunderdome

I don't watch a lot of short form video, but one thing I've noticed lately is that a lot of videos will show the ending (like last 5s), and then show the entire video leading up to it.

Which, honestly, I think I prefer. So many short form videos are complete and utter garbage, with no payoff, so seeing the ending first is refreshing.

There are a billion examples of stories like this one out there. SM tends to show people fake lifestyles and everyone watching...correction: morons watching...think they should be living the same life. Worse, most think they deserve it without putting in the work.

The current 4th wave of feminism isn't just chicks with dicks, it's also very anti-man. TikTok is filled with stuff that would make the two chromosome reddit moist (word picked intentionally). It's just an endless stream of "Men suck. You don't need a man. They're all rapists. The world would, literally, be fine without men. Men contribute nothing to society, your home, and the world." And on and on and on and on. Oh, and every single woman who dares say otherwise is a "pick me".

SM, as awesome as it is, has amplified the voices of far too many lonely, miserable people without purpose.

If true, this should be headline news all over the place, but it won't be.

TLDR: The University of Zurich allegedly ran an experiment with AI to see if it could manipulate Reddit users. It was wildly successful.

Ya, but do you even need AI to lie to people to get them to believe what you want? I don't see this as a big deal. Sure, it's automating the brainwashing, but, I still don't see the big deal. This might speed up the inevitable, which is fine with me. Let's just get this shit over with!

If you are implying that this is how AI is going to win, again, I say irrelevant. It will have the nuke codes. We've already lost. We just don't know it yet.

If the mass media couldn't change minds with creative language and facts, politicians wouldn't be in bed with it.

AI just does it faster.... possibly because people are getting dumber.

I think the takeaway should be:
1. Lots of people experiment on the public without their knowledge.
2. Social media has made it super easy to get access to people and then brainwash them.

It only took one guy who owned some newspapers to start the Spanish American War.

Leisher wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 4:43 pm I think the takeaway should be:
1. Lots of people experiment on the public without their knowledge.
2. Social media has made it super easy to get access to people and then brainwash them.

1. Well ya. That's been happening forever. This is nothing new.
2. Agreed.

Question is, do we regulate Social Media, or do we regulate stupid people? Is it possible to protect people from themselves?

Just saw a poll that says a majority of americans think trump is hurting the economy.

I mean that's hard to believe when all the media has talked about how much the tariffs hurt before they were even in effect.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 7:40 pm or do we regulate stupid people? Is it possible to protect people from themselves?

Strong, strong, STRONG NOOOOOO!!!!!! This is how you get an authoritarian government.

People die because they're weak, stupid, because someone else is weak/stupid/evil, or accidents. That's nature.

I'm not saying it's nice or not tragic and sad, but as humans, we should stop playing God. We can slap warning labels on things, put up guardrails, baby proof our houses, tell people about the dangers of ____________, but ultimately, you cannot save everyone. It's impossible.

Someone is going to try and make toast in the shower. Someone will drink and drive. Someone is going to shoot up heroin until they're dead. And so on.

Humans cannot change our nature and we need to stop trying. So many issues would get resolved if we, as a species, could simply come together and accept some hard truths about ourselves. We'd evolve society in a big way if we could do that, but ironically, it's not in our nature.

As for SM, I think the cat's way out of the bag and there's no getting it back in. We could ban it all, but people would use forums, email chains, etc. to continue to spread stupidity faster than it can be squashed.

Honestly, I don't even 100% blame stupid people. The government and the MSM (every fucking outlet) have been caught blatantly lying, pushing agendas, and so on. Who the hell can we trust? The public's faith in government and the MSM are at all time lows and that's their fault, not the people.

Same for regulation or censorship. The second anyone talks about banning hate speech, I know they're an idiot. You can ban inciting violence. You can ban pushing religion (in certain places), tiered marketing bullshit, the posting of porn or graphic violence, and so on, but you cannot ban hate speech. Why? Because who determines what is hate speech?

"Oh, well it's anything derogatory against a group of marginalized people."

Horseshit.

We've seen where actual facts are treated as hate speech. Those same facts or differing opinions are called "violence". We've seen a baker lose everything for not making a cake that goes against their religious beliefs, but an LGBTQ baker can refuse to make a cake for a conservative function, and it's not an issue. And there are millions of other examples of this.

The reality is that nobody is the target of hate speech in this country more than straight white males. Especially, if they're older and conservative. A standup comedian can get on stage and rip Republicans and honkeys all day with no issue. However, if they make a trans joke, people will call for them to be cancelled.

Point being, the only solution is REAL ID for Social Media.

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am ecause who determines what is hate speech?

"Oh, well it's anything derogatory against a group of marginalized people."

Horseshit.

"Popular speech doesn't require protection."

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am Point being, the only solution is REAL ID for Social Media.

Now you're just fucking with me.

GORDON wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:24 am "Popular speech doesn't require protection."

Exactly.

True freedom of speech means hearing things you don't agree with and don't like.

GORDON wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:25 am

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am Point being, the only solution is REAL ID for Social Media.

Now you're just fucking with me.

I did there, yeah.

I would be genuinely curious about a SM outlet who enforced one account per verified person. I guess LinkedIn is close?

Since this is the social media thread, let me mention the ridiculous word filters Facebook has in effect.

You can't say "kill" or "suicide." It might trigger someone.

So instead everyone now says "unalive" when they are trying to express a thought that requires the words "kill" or "suicide."

By now everyone knows what the word substitution means, and no ideas are being suppressed. We're just being trained to not use the no-no words.

I personally hate being treated like a child, but this is the world we are allowing to be built for us.

Well shit. I had a long response typed out, and then fat fingered some extra keys and lost the whole post. Since I don't feel like retyping it all:

In summary: You're wrong.

Highlights were:

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am People die because . . . someone else is weak/stupid/evil

This is unacceptable.

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am I don't even 100% blame stupid people.

You can't. They're stupid! Evil people need to be stopped. Need to purge the evil people until no more percolate to the top of the SM food chain. Then there's just a sea of stupid people that we can easily control.

Leisher wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:03 am the only solution is REAL ID

Not even close. This might stop a few, but not enough. I see posts all the time with people using their real names. On nextdoor.com (facebook, but for neighborhoods. You have to register with your name and address) a dude is arguing that we need strip clubs in our area so he doesn't have to travel to the unsafe black neighborhoods to play with girls. Al Gore, without hiding behind anonymity, did all the shit he did. Did pretty well for himself in the process. Ever heard of Alex Jones? This does nothing to solve the problem. We need to stop Al Gore, Alex Jones (I might be ok with the guy who wants strip clubs).

GORDON wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 10:21 pm Just saw a poll that says a majority of americans think trump is hurting the economy.

I mean that's hard to believe when all the media has talked about how much the tariffs hurt before they were even in effect.

When did the tariffs start?

At any rate, looks like the impact of his policies started very shortly after inauguration. The voters are right.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:55 am In summary: You're wrong.

There's a first time for everything, but apparently not today.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:55 am This is unacceptable.

I don't know what to tell you boss. I want all dogs to live forever, but that doesn't happen. Not everyone gets to be super rich and famous in this life, and worse, none of us get out alive.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:55 am Need to purge the evil people until no more percolate to the top of the SM food chain.

To do that you need to remove the monetary incentive. Good luck with that.

Also, who determines who is evil and who is not?

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:55 am Ever heard of Alex Jones?

Not until Troy introduced me to him. Thanks Troy...

As for the ID thing, again, same issue as above. How do you remove "the evil"? The Muslims would say everyone not them is evil. Ds will say Rs are evil and vice versa. Christians will say different things, black people others, white people, and on and on and on...

It's why I said that's how you end up with an authoritarian government. The only way to make this all work is to make me emperor.

GORDON wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:49 am let me mention the ridiculous word filters Facebook has in effect.

You can't say "kill" or "suicide." It might trigger someone.

YouTube has the same rules.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 3:10 pm The voters are right.

That'd be a first.

Honestly, and this is not a defense of Trump, but who the fuck cares what voters think when we're not in an election cycle? They don't know shit about shit. If they did, they'd reject the two party system.

But seriously, the selective promotion of voter sentiment always makes me laugh.

Voters don't like what Trump is doing on the economy - Pushed hard by the Ds and ignored by Rs.
Voters overwhelmingly want illegals deported and transgender women out of women's sports - Pushed hard by Rs and ignored by Ds.

This woman is insufferable.

A bride introvert who hates wearing white and being the center of attention. Yet somehow she made a video of herself to put on the internet for everyone to watch.

I swear I've had similar interactions.

Never thought about this, but holy shit it fits.