Demosthenes @Demosthenes@qoto.org

@rigatonimonster @brainblasted I won't. People blaming our woes on a narrow subset of problems while ignoring the structural issues underlying the system are why we're falling into this mess. We need to restore trust in the political system. For everyone, not just the left or the right.

@hector lol, okay 🙄

@kgibson this is conspiratorial thinking. It's just as likely caused by an unexpectedly large group of protesters overwhelming the defenses.
This was not a good outcome. There will likely be people who attack public infrastructure now. There is risk of political destabilization, regardless of what Trump does. If they were trying to avoid war or get rid of Trump, this wouldn't be the way to do it.

@dl46g his reason would be to avoid a civil war.
Despite what social media and movies portray, war is not pretty, particularly civil war. Read biographies from people who lived through the first American Civil War.
We would lose our position as the leader of the free world. Our economy would be fucked. People would starve, murder, and steal regularly.
Have no doubt that this event will lead to political change. But it doesn't require war.

@hector yes, but exercising power requires leverage to get noncompliant people to comply. Without a good justification, they just won't comply, and a certain subset of people would actively resist.
The vaccine has been tested on thousands and administered to millions at this point, so putting the word "vaccine" in quotes is unnecessary. It is undeniably a vaccine, albeit a new one.

@hector the vaccines will eventually be distributed, and the only ones who won't be vaccinated will be those too foolish to get the shot. In such an environment, there's no incentive to use covid as an excuse to monitor us.

@kgibson I was surprised. Trump had already signalled in December that he would let the administration transfer peacefully.
This hasn't been a worst-case scenario, but I'm now afraid that this shit will drag out for years.

Maybe if I refresh faster, then I can speed things up and get it over with. That's how it works, right?

@brainblasted making it all about race is reductive and counter-productive. Remember that the radical Bernie Sanders was almost the democratic candidate in 2016 and only wasn't because of tomfoolery.
There were many things that led to this moment. Racism is one of them. Economic anxiety, increasing inequality, growing distrust in institutions, social media misinformation, foreign influence, and a lot more are reasons too.
Without real self-reflection and trying to fix the issues head-on, things could get worse.

@Atlas not just Democrats. There have been republican representatives that have called for it too.

@devurandom@cybre.space several major tech platforms have just deplatformed a sitting President. Love him or hate him, it _is_ a turning point. They've decided to control the narrative instead of relaying it.

@realcaseyrollins Yea and good luck with your balkanization, lol

@realcaseyrollins no we don't. This kills the nation. What we need is a reduction of polarization, a government that works for the people, and a populous that rallies against a common enemy (China).

Guess I should have kept my night vision monocle after all...

To be clear, mean words don't cause a loss in safety. Tribalism can lead to a loss. But more dangerous than both of these is the damage that such thought-policing and fear-mongering has on our democracy. It amplifies divisions for no reason.

Social media companies are beholden to advertisers. Advertisers are beholden to angry mobs. As long as this is true, social media companies will continue to restrict free speech, then will justify their restrictions under the guise of "safety."

@zleap @torresjrjr ah I misinterpreted. That makes sense!

@zleap @torresjrjr most IRC networks and channels have rules against marketing and spamming, so be careful with this. You might try becoming a regular at one of the big channels on Freenode before trying this.

@WashTimes friend rich person insults politician