[ExI] Arrogance

[Ben Zaiboc]

On 30/08/2021 17:04, bill w wrote:
> OK Ben, I will challenge you on those:  responsibility, freedom, power 
> - where are you getting your data about those losses?   bill w


Well, Stuart suggested that there is a 'Great Experiment' underway, to 
determine how much freedom, power, and responsibility a society can 
entrust to its individuals.

I don't see that that is the case.

Individual freedom, power and responsibility don't seem to be 
increasing, but rather decreasing.

There is ever-increasing surveillance and tracking, making the kind of 
control you see in China possible, and the slow but steady erosion of 
cash (preventing the use of cash, which seems to be the end-point of 
this trend, is a great way to control people)

Corporate lobbying is leading to more and more laws that benefit the 
corporations at the expense of the people. There are a few attempts to 
counter this (Freedom to Tinker movement, EFF, etc.), but not nearly 
enough, and hardly effective on the whole.

The spread of ultra-PC memes in society is leading to 'chilling 
effects', suppression of individuality and free speech, for fear of 
ostracism, not to mention the corrosive effect on education and mental 
health.

The continual efforts to extend the concept of 'software as a service' 
to digital goods leads in the direction of it being impossible to own 
(and thus do whatever you like with) things like books, music, films, etc.

Would you say there's more, or less bureaucracy now, compared with say 
100 years ago?

Remember the threat of your Clown President, just a few years ago? To 
remove the very thing that was mentioned here as being one of the best 
things about America? (the freedom to criticise, if you don't know what 
I mean). Hardly a sign of increasing freedom, even if it was never going 
to fly.

What evidence would you present in favour of this 'Great Experiment' idea?

Ben