[ExI] Transparent Society problem

[BillK]

On Thu, 15 Nov 2018 at 18:32, spike wrote:
> In the USA, the rights of the people are spelled out in the constitution;
> there is no need to balance those against anything.  Legally those rights
> win in the long run.
>
> I have heard the argument that people have the right to not be harassed,
> which is used against people who go onto college campuses with posters of
> aborted fetuses and crap like that, but from what I understand, that kind of
> thing is first amendment protected speech.  If it is a public university and
> the poster child gets assaulted (a common consequence) then the one doing
> the assaulting is guilty, the poster child is innocent.
>
> Conclusion: Americans do not have the right to not be offended.  I can't
> find that one anywhere in the Bill of Rights.
>
> <snip>
> Fun example: local high school principal, young, energetic, up and coming,
> fast riser, highly regarded, considered the likely next superintendent.  The
> day after the 2016 election, the students staged a walkout, assembled on the
> field.  He went out there with a bullhorn and demonstrated solidarity with
> them by shouting over the bullhorn FUCK DONALD TRUMP to massive cheers.
> Someone recorded it on her cell phone, posted it to FaceBook within minutes,
> showed up on mainstream news within the hour, his career was a smoldering
> ruin by the end of the day.  For the next month, if one entered into Google
> the name of our town, that video was the first five hits.  Of course no one
> would hire him.  His LinkIn page is silent.  We don't know where he went.
>
> Object lesson: this is the age of super-accountability.
>


Look up 'chilling effect'.
Definition -
In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or
discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights
by the threat of legal sanction. The right that is most often
described as being suppressed by a chilling effect is the US
constitutional right to free speech. A chilling effect may be caused
by legal actions such as the passing of a law, the decision of a
court, or the threat of a lawsuit; any legal action that would cause
people to hesitate to exercise a legitimate right (freedom of speech
or otherwise) for fear of legal repercussions.
Outside the legal context in common usage; any coercion or threat of
coercion (or other unpleasantries) can have a chilling effect on a
group of people regarding a specific behavior, and often can be
statistically measured or be plainly observed.
--------

At private parties or discussions everyone carries a smartphone and is
continually playing with it.
Of course nowadays video recording does not require something as
conspicuous as a camera or smartphone.
So not only are all the warnings about posting dangerous opinions on
Facepalm coming true, but even the uttering of unpopular opinions is
becoming a very risky action.

BillK