I've been checking my Apple and Google maps to see if they've bent the knee by showing "Gulf of America" and "Mt. McKinley". So far, so good. But both Tim Cook and Sundar Pinchai were present at the gathering of the oligarchs, so I'm still skeptical.

Interestingly, if you look at Oklahoma on Apple Maps, it shows the area affected by McGirt v. Oklahoma, where the state has no jurisdiction over enrolled Native Americans unless by agreement with the tribal governments, as a shaded area covering the eastern part of Oklahoma. It also uses Native American names for towns and cities in Oklahoma alongside the English names. I'll bet Kevin Stitt seethes with rage every time he uses his phone.

Speaking of Oklahoma….

Ryan Walters took Oklahoma down to #49 in education in the United States. He’s really trying for #50. He’s the guy who used state taxpayer money to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of Trump bibles for public classrooms.

Great speech but in the same time oversimplifying the problem by putting it all on social media.

If it weren't for social media, how much more would Israel be able to get away with? Mainstream media is even worse in oppressing facts and distributing misinformation. Without social media we wouldn't have a live streamed genocide, we would be as oblivious as to what's happening in Gaza and Ukraine as we were during the gulf wars. The 'WMD in Iraq' would not be questioned.

While this tech billionaires certainly mess with the algorithms, they're still capitalists, making money of whatever they can. That's the only 'safeguard' social media has and why we can see what's happening in Ukraine and Gaza. You Tube (Google) deletes discourse on topics the tech billionaires don't like, but they still allow the videos since those generate revenue. Same for Twitter and Facebook. Comments aren't monetized, but content feeds are.

Ironically the truth still comes out better through social media thanks to capitalism.

So I'm hesitant about giving governments control over social media like they already have over mainstream media. The BBC / CNN / Fox are part of the problem, not a solution to go back to.

Forcing anonymity out of social media is very dangerous. People are already routinely arrested for whistle blowing on social media. It would more easily become a tool of oppression rather than a way to fight disinformation, cyber bullying etc.

Bots need to be banned though, but not by linking user IDs to a state database. That's how AI is targeting anyone with the 'wrong' ideas in Gaza and how the Germans rounded up all the Jews.

Perhaps though a "Voight-Kampff" test on social media accounts or at least regular 'Gotcha' tests where each account must be up to date or not be able to post. Yet who is going to check and manage this database of all user accounts for validity. Anyway I'm for only allowing verified human accounts that get regular checks by gotcha mechanics to make sure they are not bots. Add a 'last verified on ...' to the profile, just like Steam etc added 'purchased' status to combat review bombing.


It all comes from the power the elites and mega corporations have on governments. That's the root cause of all the issues. More legislation to peek inside the black box of algorithms and trying to hold tech billionaires accountable won't work as long as they make / influence the rules.

First our governments have to be taken back by the people, end the continuing drift to plutocracy, back to democracy. Or all those proposals will never lead to anything like the Facebook scandal in the first Trump elections didn't lead to anything.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election

It's out there in the open for everyone to see, yet we're still deflecting onto Russia manipulating elections...

Targeted ads should be banned, automatic fact checking added to all content. For that we need trusted sources though, a rating how much a statement corresponds to trusted sources next to how it matches general consensus in different 'factions'. A simple search algorithm can determine that, but will have to be monitored. Since everything can be manipulated and faked with AI just as much as it can help to verify content.

So in the end you're still better of fact checking for yourself. Personal responsibility for how to use the internet needs to be taught in schools from an early age. How to cross check statements, how to recognize trusted sources, how to find the origin of certain statements, how to suss out misinformation. Teach about echo chambers, how social media algorithms work to create these echo chambers. The simple 'people who liked what you like also like this' is the fundamental core of creating echo chambers. It all started with Amazon and Netflix...

And most important teach our kids how to think for themselves.

Yes, social media is bad and destroying the coherence of society, yet it's complimentary to mainstream media driving people apart. First we must stop politicians from openly lying as they see fit. Make donations to parties / political figures illegal, no more lobbying. Public funds for political parties will keep them on even footing. Ban campaign trails, public debates should inform people on political candidates and issues. Not 'echo chamber' campaigns and rallies funded by the elites.

In the United States, there’s one other factor that gets overlooked in the lack of social cohesion.

Religion, especially evangelical Christianity, has been a big driver in propagating an us versus them mentality, both within the country and without it. The evangelical church is thoroughly tied to the Republican political machine, and helps drive animosity towards minorities, the LGBTQ+, and women’s rights. It promotes cohesion within the group while promoting division outside of the group. We saw this in action with the evangelical backlash against Bishop Budde - whose first sin is being a woman in a position of power in the Episcopalian Church. Evangelicals do not believe women should hold any authority in the church. That she dared rebuke Trump was nothing short of blasphemy against God himself in their eyes.

While social media does help facilitate the evangelical agenda, the root cause is the religion itself. I don’t know how our society could address this issue. But it’s sn elephant in the room that we need to address. 

"I broke the law that day, period. Black and white," Pamela Hemphill told NPR's All Things Considered of the role she regrets playing at the Capitol that day. "I'm not a victim, I'm a volunteer." Taking a pardon now in light of her actions, Hemphill said, "would be a slap in the face to the Capitol police officers, to the rule of law and to our whole nation."

"I would be contributing to their false propaganda that they continue to gaslight the nation and everyone, that it was a peaceful protest."

Jan. 6 Defendant Pamela Hemphill Turns Down Trump's Pardon

Credit to those who break out of the brainwashing and can rehabilitate themselves.

Rare MAGA person capable of self-reflection.

Then there's this dumbass.

Man Pardoned For Role In January 6 Attack Rearrested On Federal Gun Charges

One of the guys Trump pardoned for J6 is still in prison for possession of CP.

Kentuckians convicted of Jan. 6 Capitol violence pardoned by Trump - NPR

“Another Kentuckian recently charged with assaulting officers had his charges dropped Wednesday before facing trial. Andrew Kyle Grigsby of Louisville was indicted just last week on five felonies, alleged to have used bear spray against officers.

Though a federal judge granted a motion to dismiss Grigsby’s charges Wednesday, he is not yet a free man. He is currently incarcerated in a Kentucky prison, following his guilty plea last year for two counts of possessing or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.”

The thing that baffles me about people defending him by saying it was the roman salute, aside from the fact that the roman salute has no actual documented proof of being a salute used by the romans, or the fact that it only became a known thing due to fascist Italy, or that barely anyone knew what the fuck the roman salute was until a week ago, is that the roman salute is still considered a fascist salute, Lmao.

So it's like "it wasn't a Nazi salute, it was just a fascist salute!" Bro...That's not a defence, Lol.

Anyway, it was the Nazi salute, I have no doubt, I have eyes, it's an exact match to Hitler's salute and other Nazi's salute, Nazi's were even praising Musk as doing the Nazi salute. The slap to the chest, the usage of the right arm, the aggressive stance, the arm in the air with the fingers pointed straight and clasped together, etc. It was the Nazi salute. 

Any normal person would be like "Oh fuck, I'm so sorry, that was not my intention at all, I hate Nazis with all my heart, Nazis are scum, I apologise for what it looked like but I can assure you it was not that" but after performing the Nazi salute twice, Musk went on Twitter to cry about the left then proceeded to make a bunch of Nazi jokes.

ADL Condemns Musk's Nazi "Jokes" After Salute Controversy

Then you combine it with the fact that he unbans Nazis, uses fascist language, is obsessed with breeding and spreading his seed, endorsed an antisemitic tweet on Twitter and Twitter was caught refusing to ban an account posting Holocaust denial shit which resulted in Musk having to go on a PR campaign to Auschwitz as an apology, then his support of the German Far-Right (Nazi) party in Germany and him backing some of the most disgusting white supremacists like Tommy Robinson, a thug and massive racist.

This isn't just a salute which was performed twice, there's an entire history book linking Musk to being a fascist twat.  These people should go to work and perform the exact same salute in front of their boss and see where it gets them. Nobody fucking uses that salute, Lol. The Roman Salute isn't a thing people know about at large, the Roman Salute taken by fascist Italy and used by Nazi Germany with no actual links to Rome.

"Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly. 'The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode.'"

www.ft.com/content/ace0...

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— Christian Odendahl (@codendahl.bsky.social) 24 January 2025 at 19:06

Fuck off Putin.

Wait, my bad, I'm just used to it being Putin.

Fuck off Trump.

Still waiting on Trump to fix his lie that he would end the war in Ukraine in a day.