this somewhat ironically explains why i discarded social media and went back to traditional media.

the cat pictures were admittedly bad. the memes were worse. but what really permanently turned me off was the lack of filters, combined with a disturbing level of mass ignorance.

i was hooked up to a number of "libertarian" type political movements, most leaning towards the socialist brand of libertarianism (anarchism). occupy, idle no more, groups against tar sands development and other protest groups with similar purposes that organized large protests and generated substantial interest.

i'd guess that roughly 75% of the articles that i'd read that had gone "viral" within that political spectrum were absolute nonsense. the stuff on gmos was particularly illiterate. and, it would just get shared by dumb hippie after dumb hippie after dumb hippie. it's the perfect example of how lies can become truth if they're repeated often enough - which in this case means if they're shared over enough feeds.

i reacted, of course. you send out crap in your feed, i'm going to correct you. but, what it lead to was a lot of interpersonal tension, accusations that i wasn't on "their side" and just general close-mindedness to criticism. the meme was authoritarian truth; how dare i challenge it with my puny citations!

what i learned was that social media isn't a replacement for anything - it's merely an evolution of the mob mentality. it reminded me of how important good journalism really is, and why it can't be tossed aside as a relic of the past.

i think that free-thinking people ought to be very cautious of how social media might shape social movements in the future, mostly for the worst. it really pushes a conformist mob mentality, with little interest in fact checking.

i think we can probably blame the anti-vaccine campaign on social media.

i fear it's just the beginning.

i heard a lot about pay increases in this video, but not a word about revolutionizing the ownership of production.

the left has lost the plot.

there's some loose ends here that suggest it was orchestrated. two hours is a long time for a kid dressed like that in that weather. that's a case of hypothermia, so he likely wasn't there that long. and, whether the guy they picked was actually homeless or not, he's there earlier in the frame. my guess is that the thing was probably set up, and there isn't more footage than was uploaded.

that said...

i would've stopped. and i know i would've stopped because i have stopped. but, the message they're sending is very wrong. this isn't the kind of thing that well-meaning individuals can do anything about. i say i would have stopped, and i would have, but it would have been to try and figure out why he's on the street rather than in a shelter and to get him directions to somewhere else.

i think it's important that the issue has attention drawn to it. with the current economic and political status quo, we have millions of homeless people and millions of empty houses. but it's equally important not to trick ourselves into thinking that this is an issue of "goodwill" or that it can be solved through acts of kindness or charitable donations. giving the homeless guy $1000 dollars doesn't actually solve anything. this is a systemic economic issue, and it requires political solutions.

i've stopped on the street more than once to give people directions to the welfare office, and talk about possibly getting on disability for mental issues. i've been told flat out that it's not enough for an addiction, which is sad, but the reality. but, usually, people aren't aware that they have systemic options.

a kid that age should be helped to child welfare services; you shouldn't toss quarters at him. it's not a tale of two fucking cities out there. we're a little past that.