I know there’s nowhere else to go, but reasonable people just need to quit Reddit.

Recently they have comprehensively banned and quarantined (funny wording) all talk of the coronavirus that does not refer to either 1) government press releases or 2) mainstream media articles.  It’s sick, because these two sources of information are a week behind the curve and also often just wrong.  Let’s compare this topic to national security topics, and see how much we trust the “official” channel of information.

Still, if information has to be verified by official channels before it can be viewed, then do we live in a democracy?  If people can’t sort through and discuss facts without supervision, then do the people rule?  It’s really terrifying.

Mind you that Reddit’s competitors have been shut down by a combination of government threats and mysterious web attacks.  The places on the internet which can be called a “public forum” are all being shut down, or heavily regulated.  They are also promoting and fostering a culture of shaming anyone who disagrees with consensus and official narratives.  Yeah, there are free private forums on the internet still, but no places to just show up and meet strangers and be allowed to freely discuss anything.  Scary.

By the way, Discord lets people make private chats and all that.  So if Facebook and Reddit aren’t your thing for a private chat, try Discord – though it’s kind of an under 30 thing.

Update: Elizabeth Warren wants jail for spreading online disinformation.
People support this woman.