| The intended audience for the "PSA" in the comic is exactly the author of the post. But apparently the message did not land. > It’s wrong because it contains a profound misunderstanding— that America’s founding documents are nothing more than legal tools. The constitution _is_ the foundation of the law in the US. That is its purpose. It may imply social norms or inspire other connotations, but fundamentally it is a legal document. > Whenever I think about what did the most damage to internet culture over the past ten years, this comic comes out on top This comic did not affect internet culture -- it just conveys a truth that conflicts with the author's understanding. Yes, it is good to seek contrasting points of view and empathizing with earnest people who disagree with you. But no, we do not have the _right_ to use privately owned platforms like facebook and twitter as our stage, just as we don't have the _right_ to pen editorial articles in our local newspapers. And this is where I think where maybe lies some of the confusion? It seems that the generation who never knew a world without massive social media platforms -- they seem to think of them as public utilities. Less like newspapers, and more like phone companies. So maybe from that perspective, there could be an argument that they should be regulated and/or broken into smaller entities. But in the present, that is only a dream and not much to do with reality. |