There is no vaccine for viral hate nor any other kind of hate. I find it very discouragine. I agree with Jerry White, keep up with your hopeful search for pragmatic solutions and do not stop.
Thoughtful and eloquent. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. How do the current incentives inherent in the tech sector prevent a desperately needed "reconfiguration and redeployment of technology"? I believe without outwardly imposed incentives and consequences to promote and protect the common good, nothing will change. The invisible hand of the market won't do this. It has to be governmental action and that will face steep opposition from not just the tech community but the hate profiteers who thrive in the existing, free for all environment. They will shout "free speech" while shredding the fabric of the civilization that has guaranteed that right for generations.
Indeed ... thanks for your comment W. We need an FDA for tech-created and driven content... but the same content is corroding our governing bodies, and with each passing year and (defensively or offensively) media-obsessed administration, we're losing control. It's hard to imagine just how this will play out -- but it isn't difficult to suppose that the earlier regulatory framworks are created, the better off we'll all be. What's the solution? Is it still controllable? A sample of the future that that drives everyone to fear for their lives and livelihoods? A benevolent dictator? A Biden second term? I don't know.
Thank you, Ethan, for your considered thoughts. As usual, you raise the issues with the assumption that there is a solution and you tackle the challenges in bringing that about. I wish more people closer to the reins of power thought like you.
Hate, in itself, is not a monolithic concept. It is the result of multiple factors from genuine oppression and continued harm to manufactured outrage. A the root of it is pain and suffering and the fear of further pain. It's first expression is anger as a means of protection. As such, it's a tool to bring about the cessation of the pain or threat which is in place.
Because of it's very nature, it is a useful tool when it comes to the greater intentions of those with vested interests in carrying out their agenda without opposition. War is detrimental to those who are caught in the middle of it, but very beneficial to those who finance it and those who manufacture the weapons for it. Hate is detrimental to a healthy, functioning society and political system, but it's beneficial to those who want to sow division or confusion to prevent a unified hedge against unilateral actions which only profit a minority of individuals.
For example, in the late 19th century in North Carolina, a Populist and Republican fusion party was created to counter the corrupt practices of the Democratic party. The "Fusion Party" was made up of poorer whites and non-whites that felt their voice was not represented in the power structure at the time. The results were that they ran successful election campaigns which put more blacks into positions of power in government. In 1898, the then Democratic party started a campaign of white supremacy which ultimately split the fusion party along racial lines. This culminated in the Wilmington massacre, a white-supremacist coup which overthrew the democratically elected government of that city. The result was that poor whites continued to be disenfranchised because the base of power had been split by racial hate.
The point is that hate serves those in power as a means to rig the game in their favor. Therefore, until we address the root of the problem, it will always be a factor in our social order, metastasizing into a post-truth propaganda shootout which will only result in further deterioration and chaos. The thing the power brokers fear most is a unified populace, and ultimately it serves their purposes to keep us at odds with each other along ideological lines. To "cure" the hate virus would run counter to their goals - therefore it will not go away until the root issue is addressed, namely greed and corruption.
It's also about education and community. The people in your community are usually the ones you have the most empathy with. If you live in a siloed echo-chamber where everyone has the same look and beliefs, then there will be less empathy for "others". But if your community cuts across diverse lines of belief, thought, and types of people, then "otherism" is less likely to happen.
This could not be more well-put, Ethan. I particularly love the way you put this: "In matters of life and death, there is no choice but to be an optimist: To be effective, you must start from the assumption that there is a solution, and work backwards to find it. Because, if you start with a half-hearted hope, you will almost invariably be frozen by the weight of the odds against you." The hope for a solution I suppose is really the only antidote to its antithesis: cynicism amid lack of hope. Thanks for sharing this thinking.
Like your other readers, I have appreciated every one of your nuanced posts Ethan. I think it is completely understandable why you needed a break from posting, especially when it must feel like you are swimming against both the political and algorithm-induced currents these days. Despite not living up its early hopes and promises, the internet is still a place to find informed and compassionate voices, such as your own, for those who are actively seeking them out. Your Substack is a most welcome port in the storm. Thank you for everything you have written so far!
Ethan, I appreciate your nimble mind applied to our world’s thorniest contagions. Keep up your hopeful search for pragmatic solutions - don’t stop!
There is no vaccine for viral hate nor any other kind of hate. I find it very discouragine. I agree with Jerry White, keep up with your hopeful search for pragmatic solutions and do not stop.
Thoughtful and eloquent. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. How do the current incentives inherent in the tech sector prevent a desperately needed "reconfiguration and redeployment of technology"? I believe without outwardly imposed incentives and consequences to promote and protect the common good, nothing will change. The invisible hand of the market won't do this. It has to be governmental action and that will face steep opposition from not just the tech community but the hate profiteers who thrive in the existing, free for all environment. They will shout "free speech" while shredding the fabric of the civilization that has guaranteed that right for generations.
Indeed ... thanks for your comment W. We need an FDA for tech-created and driven content... but the same content is corroding our governing bodies, and with each passing year and (defensively or offensively) media-obsessed administration, we're losing control. It's hard to imagine just how this will play out -- but it isn't difficult to suppose that the earlier regulatory framworks are created, the better off we'll all be. What's the solution? Is it still controllable? A sample of the future that that drives everyone to fear for their lives and livelihoods? A benevolent dictator? A Biden second term? I don't know.
Thank you, Ethan, for your considered thoughts. As usual, you raise the issues with the assumption that there is a solution and you tackle the challenges in bringing that about. I wish more people closer to the reins of power thought like you.
Hate, in itself, is not a monolithic concept. It is the result of multiple factors from genuine oppression and continued harm to manufactured outrage. A the root of it is pain and suffering and the fear of further pain. It's first expression is anger as a means of protection. As such, it's a tool to bring about the cessation of the pain or threat which is in place.
Because of it's very nature, it is a useful tool when it comes to the greater intentions of those with vested interests in carrying out their agenda without opposition. War is detrimental to those who are caught in the middle of it, but very beneficial to those who finance it and those who manufacture the weapons for it. Hate is detrimental to a healthy, functioning society and political system, but it's beneficial to those who want to sow division or confusion to prevent a unified hedge against unilateral actions which only profit a minority of individuals.
For example, in the late 19th century in North Carolina, a Populist and Republican fusion party was created to counter the corrupt practices of the Democratic party. The "Fusion Party" was made up of poorer whites and non-whites that felt their voice was not represented in the power structure at the time. The results were that they ran successful election campaigns which put more blacks into positions of power in government. In 1898, the then Democratic party started a campaign of white supremacy which ultimately split the fusion party along racial lines. This culminated in the Wilmington massacre, a white-supremacist coup which overthrew the democratically elected government of that city. The result was that poor whites continued to be disenfranchised because the base of power had been split by racial hate.
The point is that hate serves those in power as a means to rig the game in their favor. Therefore, until we address the root of the problem, it will always be a factor in our social order, metastasizing into a post-truth propaganda shootout which will only result in further deterioration and chaos. The thing the power brokers fear most is a unified populace, and ultimately it serves their purposes to keep us at odds with each other along ideological lines. To "cure" the hate virus would run counter to their goals - therefore it will not go away until the root issue is addressed, namely greed and corruption.
Empathy is the only cure.
And empathy requires experience… and probably suffering.
It's also about education and community. The people in your community are usually the ones you have the most empathy with. If you live in a siloed echo-chamber where everyone has the same look and beliefs, then there will be less empathy for "others". But if your community cuts across diverse lines of belief, thought, and types of people, then "otherism" is less likely to happen.
This could not be more well-put, Ethan. I particularly love the way you put this: "In matters of life and death, there is no choice but to be an optimist: To be effective, you must start from the assumption that there is a solution, and work backwards to find it. Because, if you start with a half-hearted hope, you will almost invariably be frozen by the weight of the odds against you." The hope for a solution I suppose is really the only antidote to its antithesis: cynicism amid lack of hope. Thanks for sharing this thinking.
Thank you Thalia, I appreciate your reading, and the note!
Like your other readers, I have appreciated every one of your nuanced posts Ethan. I think it is completely understandable why you needed a break from posting, especially when it must feel like you are swimming against both the political and algorithm-induced currents these days. Despite not living up its early hopes and promises, the internet is still a place to find informed and compassionate voices, such as your own, for those who are actively seeking them out. Your Substack is a most welcome port in the storm. Thank you for everything you have written so far!
Appreciated Michael, I’m a big fan of yours ;)