Michael Hardner

I don't doubt we have problems with the functioning of the public sphere. The characterization here is a bit easy though Has it always been this bad? Is it always the same? If it is, then it would seem we've arrived at an equilibrium in public governance. If it's not then why is it not?

You are correct, however in the brief Twilight where in Peterson to arrived in the public sphere, the law was under discussion, and he had an arguable rationale that the government would implement throught crime legislation. You can watch his testimony at the parliamentary hearings to understand that. I was somewhat familiar with the controversy, and Peterson himself had a reputation as a gadfly and an odd moralist. He was featured on CBC ideas fairly often as well. I held a lot of hope that he was going to be a new voice, a centrist to re-establish an intellectual thought leadership movement. But shortly after he aligned himself with troll outfits like The Rebel. Given that outfit's reputation as dishonest §hit disturbing scammers, he sold his potential to help heal the culture divide.

Influence, to reduce support for NATO and bolster the Russian war effort obviously.

It's well established that foreign governments are funding disinformation campaigns via Twitter. Yet another anonymous site defending the practice actually raises more concerns about the practice.

We don't know if the claim is true or false. Anything based on intelligence is subject to that problem..

The Russian government cares. That's likely their best option for a contemporary Toyko Rose today. Taylor Swift is too expensive and moral. Kid Rock though... Or the academic Kid Rock...

Pro-Russian propagandists are, effectively, traitors. Russian is paying dupes off to spout against the "decadent" west. And onshore dupes are enabling them.

Right. But we're basically acknowledging that the government has been in a position to grant licenses, oversee content, and generally exert power over a medium as it sees fit. Mass instantaneous communication came of age in the 20th century, an era where government control - in the domains of social, economic and security policy - was paramount. We can argue about the utility of more or less government control, argue about whether the 1950s, for example, with the strict moral codes and prosperity for working people were actually the good old days, and argue a lot of things. But I don't think that it's true that the government doesn't have the right to regulate platforms that effectively provide a platform for the public sphere via proprietary algorithms.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/03/08/how-jordan-peterson-repeats-kremlin-myths-to-justify-the-invasion-of-ukraine/ Yes, Peterson is Putin's cheerleader but he does it for free right?

Trump recently said that the government has to take cbs's license away, ostensibly because they did something he thinks is dishonest.

The FCC has regulated content I believe, from memory. And they don't give licenses to everyone who wants one. If you disagree, we can look at it together...

He used to post as Mr. Canada and his obsession was homosexuality. He seems to be angry and unhinged. Like most trolls, his politics is about p1ss1ng off people or types he doesn't like. Another product of a nihilistic consumer society IMO.

The US would be better off electing Whoopi Goldberg than Trump. He's a dodering imbecile, and his economic plan would be ruinous.

But the entire Israel debacle... that's ALL on Biden right?? 🤔 So weird to me that those criticizing NATO are either hardcore commies or MAGA... 🤯

Of course. That's why you are always posting opinions, as you have been for years. Your mind is closed.

They're a lobby group for industry. What does it mean that China is "laughing"? I just checked and all the big signatories to the accord are doing about the same.

Young people want to play video games.

Whatever laws governed the FCC. This is one of those weird topics where I whenever I post reference to these things, the thread stops.

And electing people based on how people you don't LIKE will react is a sign that democracy has become the equivalent of major league sports spectacle... not picking the best team to address common issues. Whoever wins the election, it will be the last with Trump and therefore things will get better. If he puts his ridiculous tarrif plan in, there will be economic pain....

We know the answer. How about gender though? Are half of the serial killers non-white? No. Which means racists will never bring it up...

Except for Bush, Mulroney, Thatcher and the recent Conservative candidates who had Carbon Credit proposals...

Would you LIE if it helped your nation in a way? Of course you would. Well, this is a culture WAR..

@Rebound ! Are you saying that she WASN'T jailed for three years simply for stating an opinion?!? ZOUNDS I SAY! ZOUNDS!!! Or, seriously, another example of the death of the public sphere and the degradation of this platform...

I suspect that you don't accept sources that aren't familiar so we're much the same. I can provide a CNN link with scary Trump facts. You wouldn't buy it. The media bubbles, the culture war... it continues to froth and flow you see...

Pretty sad. I'll bet it didn't happen as advertised here though Hopefully people are getting better at recognizing these types of stories...