It never was, isn't, and never will be. Discourse was never meant to be this easily accessible, and anonymity allowed the wrong people to connect with each other to share their ideology with zero risk involved. No personal accountability is why the internet is in the state it's in.
Having a free market of ideas seems pretty important to me, and anonymity also seems like the only realistic way to achieve it. When I say anonymity, though, I am excluding something like twitter or here, where we all have recognizable usernames with trackable histories and number scores. Ideas should stand on their own merit, with no egos to weigh them down.
But sure, there is a sort of widespread problem of people lacking skin in the game. I just think it's a petty matter compared to letting people test ideas without the restraint of their own egos (also the restraint of tyrants, but that's the obvious point).
Anonymity isn't the only way to achieve it. It just seems that way because a bunch of losers who don't know how to actually communicate beyond memes, edgy remarks, and other low tier comments have made it seem like their identities need to be protected while they spew uselessness, and because unhinged leftists have fortified the various platforms for discussion by exploiting the very rules set in place to protect the people as a whole.
I'm aware it's too late to fix the problem at this point. The slate would have to be wiped clean and the entire foundation of the West would have to be laid again with the inclusion of very clear instructions and laws to prevent the filth from seeping in again.
I get the impression that you didn't get to see any of the good times in anonymous spaces, years ago. It's filled with lazy crap now, sure, but I think it could come back if feds and jannies could chill (they probably can't now). Some people still carry the cultural values that were hidden behind an abrasive front, and that gives me some hope in it.
What is another method to achieve it, though? Wiping the slate clean and restarting isn't a very convincing alternative.
Jeez wonder why internet anonymity is important now Peterstein?
It never was, isn't, and never will be. Discourse was never meant to be this easily accessible, and anonymity allowed the wrong people to connect with each other to share their ideology with zero risk involved. No personal accountability is why the internet is in the state it's in.
Having a free market of ideas seems pretty important to me, and anonymity also seems like the only realistic way to achieve it. When I say anonymity, though, I am excluding something like twitter or here, where we all have recognizable usernames with trackable histories and number scores. Ideas should stand on their own merit, with no egos to weigh them down.
But sure, there is a sort of widespread problem of people lacking skin in the game. I just think it's a petty matter compared to letting people test ideas without the restraint of their own egos (also the restraint of tyrants, but that's the obvious point).
Anonymity isn't the only way to achieve it. It just seems that way because a bunch of losers who don't know how to actually communicate beyond memes, edgy remarks, and other low tier comments have made it seem like their identities need to be protected while they spew uselessness, and because unhinged leftists have fortified the various platforms for discussion by exploiting the very rules set in place to protect the people as a whole.
I'm aware it's too late to fix the problem at this point. The slate would have to be wiped clean and the entire foundation of the West would have to be laid again with the inclusion of very clear instructions and laws to prevent the filth from seeping in again.
I get the impression that you didn't get to see any of the good times in anonymous spaces, years ago. It's filled with lazy crap now, sure, but I think it could come back if feds and jannies could chill (they probably can't now). Some people still carry the cultural values that were hidden behind an abrasive front, and that gives me some hope in it.
What is another method to achieve it, though? Wiping the slate clean and restarting isn't a very convincing alternative.