I think how people will react when it turns out that a lot of the recent information was false will not be relevant. To invoke Baudrillard, we live in the shadow of silent majorities. Masses merely absorb content, capable perhaps of outbursts of hysteria but not of constructive action.
The real problem is with the decision-makers. Their judgement no longer differs from that of the average Twitter user. In "Wires of War," Jacob Hellberg writes that "age aside, few lawmakers are well equipped to understand the ins and outs of complex technology. This is a product of the second underlying gap-the expertise gap. In 2020, Congress included 11 engineers, 1 physicist, and 1 chemist. The same body contained 192 lawyers and 212 business leaders. There are as many former professional athletes in Congress (six) as there are former software executives".
To end on a more optimistic note: I am glad to be in the American Sector, where I can read Postliberals and other great thinkers on Substack, and participate in those intellectually fascinating times thanks to twitter, blogs and the rest of it. I believe that from this freedom and all the noise that comes with it, an elite will emerge to change the Western Sector from the inside out. It’s worth a try, right?
“American Sector” is a neat formulation. A thought provoking piece which questions how much of The World Formerly Known as Free is simply an advert.
I think how people will react when it turns out that a lot of the recent information was false will not be relevant. To invoke Baudrillard, we live in the shadow of silent majorities. Masses merely absorb content, capable perhaps of outbursts of hysteria but not of constructive action.
The real problem is with the decision-makers. Their judgement no longer differs from that of the average Twitter user. In "Wires of War," Jacob Hellberg writes that "age aside, few lawmakers are well equipped to understand the ins and outs of complex technology. This is a product of the second underlying gap-the expertise gap. In 2020, Congress included 11 engineers, 1 physicist, and 1 chemist. The same body contained 192 lawyers and 212 business leaders. There are as many former professional athletes in Congress (six) as there are former software executives".
To end on a more optimistic note: I am glad to be in the American Sector, where I can read Postliberals and other great thinkers on Substack, and participate in those intellectually fascinating times thanks to twitter, blogs and the rest of it. I believe that from this freedom and all the noise that comes with it, an elite will emerge to change the Western Sector from the inside out. It’s worth a try, right?