From this week’s news on: society generally, and broader issues

[Note: Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence/abuse/war. Reader discretion is advised]  

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

From this week’s news on society generally, and broader issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published):

• “Building Tomorrow Today: A Fair Economy, End to Poverty, Inclusive Communities, and a Livable Climate - The Australian Independent Media Network”   https://theaimn.com/building-tomorrow-today-a-fair-economy-end-to-poverty-inclusive-communities-and-a-livable-climate/   This is an EXCELLENT article - and includes a question for readers and call to action   See also   “Empowering Australians: A Progressive Vision for National Prosperity - The Australian Independent Media Network”   https://theaimn.com/empowering-australians-a-progressive-vision-for-national-prosperity/   and   “To build a better world, stop chasing economic growth”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04029-8  
  

• “What Dreams Won't Come”   https://www.okdoomer.io/youre-tired-it-can-wait/   “Welcome to techno-Malthusianism.   ...   If you think the elites aren't capable of such sinister behaviour, look at the work of Paul Piff, a psychologist at the University of California. In study after study, he charts the antisocial influence of egregious wealth. The richer you get, the more money you want. The more entitled you feel to what everyone else has. The more moral justifications you invent.   Just like Malthus.   The tech elite don't want us to dream. They don't want us to daydream. They don't want us to create. They don't want us to love.   That's why you should. In our techno-Malthusian dystopia, holding onto your humanity serves as a form of resistance.”   

• “How to improve social cohesion”   https://theconversation.com/how-to-improve-social-cohesion-220132   This is actually a weak article - mentions a couple of points, including one possible solutions, but no discussion/analysis. The source may be useful, though   

• “Why hidden xenophobia is surging into the open”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03973-9   “Sociologist Mathew Creighton at University College Dublin argues in his upcoming book, Hidden Hate, that economic concerns are an “an excuse rather than a motive”. A percentage of the population harbours strategically hidden xenophobic sentiments, he suggests. As a result, what might look like a rise in hatred is often a reduction in the social stigma against expressing xenophobia publicly.”   

• “Men and women who hold sexist views are less responsive as parents: new research”   https://theconversation.com/men-and-women-who-hold-sexist-views-are-less-responsive-as-parents-new-research-216622   “... thinking women and men are different can do a lot of harm. Nowhere is this more obvious than in how some people view the roles of parents ... people who break with these gendered norms can face criticism from those who hold these views – also known as “hostile sexism””   I am not surprised - sexism often comes with a batch of other bigotries, and conservatism as well which has also been shown to be connected to bigotries    

• “Write the Laws for the World in Which We Live—Not the One We Imagine | Lawfare”   https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/write-the-laws-for-the-world-in-which-we-live-not-the-one-we-imagine   “Many proposed laws on encryption assume that children are harmed by the technology, but encryption often provides children with safety and security”  
  

• “The Right to Reality | Lawfare”   https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-right-to-reality   “AI-generated content might cause the marketplace of ideas to fail. Recognition of the right to reality might safeguard space for democratic deliberation”   The article proposes creating a classification system, which it compares to information about nutrition, to enable more informed debate. The proposed mechanism is, I consider, subject review - it is simplistic and (obviously) biased towards the US legal system, but the concept of a Right to Reality might be worth consideration.  
  

• “The internet is broken. Here’s how we fix it”   https://joanwestenberg.medium.com/the-internet-is-broken-heres-how-we-fix-it-9b2594f05b54   good, specific suggestions for each issue  
  

• “NY Times Missed These 12 Trailblazers: Meet the Women Transforming AI”   https://medium.com/womenintechnology/ny-times-missed-these-12-trailblazers-meet-the-women-transforming-ai-ae522f52a8b7   Lack of diversity is one of the major reasons machine learning is so appallingly bad   

• “Data poisoning: how artists are sabotaging AI to take revenge on image generators”   https://theconversation.com/data-poisoning-how-artists-are-sabotaging-ai-to-take-revenge-on-image-generators-219335   Good!   
  

• “University isn’t right for everyone. Pushing young people to go can have devastating effects”   https://theconversation.com/university-isnt-right-for-everyone-pushing-young-people-to-go-can-have-devastating-effects-205652   True!  
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.