Finally, I see comment from someone who clearly understands this. Somehow, many people perceive such a threat very non-seriously, as if they think it will never happen, or that someone will come and prevent it from happening.
Do people even understand what that means?
No, they don't. And they don't want to understand. Just look at how indifferent many are about what is happening on the other side of the planet. If offered an exclusive choice between a 50% reduction in gasoline prices and the complete cessation of all authoritarian and totalitarian regimes without prolonged wars and massive devastation, many would choose the first option. Instead of the cessation of authoritarian regimes, you can point to solving any other global issue like climate change - and they would still choose the first option. This utter indifference, mixed with all sorts of absurd destructive beliefs such as conspiracy theories or racial superiority, provides very fertile ground for the establishment of authoritarianism.
A second Trump term really is an extinction-level threat to democracy worldwide, not just in United States. Considering that Trump and his supporters promise an isolationist policy, all sorts of predatory authoritarian and totalitarian regimes will suddenly feel like they can do anything - and this will start happening all over the world.
A second Trump term really is an extinction-level threat to democracy worldwide, not just in United States. Considering that Trump and his supporters promise an isolationist policy, all sorts of predatory authoritarian and totalitarian regimes will suddenly feel like they can do anything - and this will start happening all over the world.
Petition to take measures against promoting conspiracy content
IntroductionOver the last eight years, the spread of conspiracy theories has reached unprecedented scales. This occurred because society was too tolerant of conspiratorial narratives, making it highly vulnerable and susceptible to the influence of openly obscurantist ideas. In 2020, it became eviden...
One of the key reasons for the unprecedented polarization of society that we are currently observing lies in the fact that in an attempt to convey their point of view, one party disseminates its ideas to its target audience and tries to discredit its opponents through conspiracy theories and narratives. This is a very dirty tactic, as it affects people with problems with critical thinking and who are highly prone to fanaticism.
Something urgent needs to be done about this, otherwise it can very quickly lead to catastrophic consequences for society up to fascization, which will be extremely difficult to reverse.
I have prepared a petition calling for measures to counteract this threat. The petition concerns social networks, video hosting sites, and the media, and does not contain any calls for extreme measures
Firstly, the actions in the examples you provided were exposed not because someone repeatedly made baseless accusations. The exposure of such actions occurs under the pressure of concrete facts and evidence, not gossip and rumors. Secondly, this is one of reasons why I do not call for completely removing conspiracy content. Let conspiracy theorists publish as much as they want, but they should not be able to make money and gain popularity from it. They should not be able to find new followers by having their posts appear as "recommended" to others. This has already gone too far.
And regarding terminology - it is important to understand that the term 'conspiracy theory', although established, is not entirely accurate. A theory is a proven hypothesis. However, much of what is called conspiracy theories has not been proven and some have even been refuted. And yet, they are still called conspiracy theories, and we clearly understand that this usually refers to something unproven.
If conspiracy theories were true, they wouldn't be called that. They would be specific facts that could serve as the basis for specific accusations. But adherents of conspiracy theories, in principle, are not willing and do not want to use widely accepted methods of proof, verification, fact-checking, etc. Any inconvenient fact is explained as those who consider it a fact being bought or deceived by "them". Such thinking is characteristic of a medieval gloomist, but should in no way be normal among modern people.
Need to take measures against promoting conspiracy theories. What can we do?
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One of the key reasons for the unprecedented polarization of society that we are currently observing lies in the fact that in an attempt to convey their point of view, one party disseminates its ideas to its target audience and tries to discredit its opponents through conspiracy theories and narratives. This is a very dirty tactic, as it affects people with problems with critical thinking and who are highly prone to fanaticism.
Something urgent needs to be done about this, otherwise it can very quickly lead to catastrophic consequences for society up to fascization, which will be extremely difficult to reverse.
I have prepared two versions of a petition with measures that could counteract this threat. The first version concerns only the internet and media - it does not contain any radical measures and does not even require removing conspiracy content. This version is available at the link below. I consider all the measures mentioned in it necessary, but nevertheless, I would like to