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by cudgy 1573 days ago
> 30-40% of YouTube users who don't have that skill, and become radicalized and violent when stupid bullshit like this starts gaining traction.

Taking away their ability to hear different viewpoints especially those they believe to be true just drives these people to radicalize even further. I’m not even touching the matter of dismissing almost half of a country. Very shortsighted perspective.
2 comments
hhjinks 1573 days ago
I don't think that's true. They're probably referring to the people who fall down into alt-right/whatever radical group "rabbit holes." These people aren't radical from the outset. I'd say the real issue is the youtube algorithm, which causes the radicalization "highway" in the first place, but apparently youtube can't be bothered to fix their harmful algorithm, and would rather delete the content that is being promoted by it.
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cudgy 1573 days ago
I guess you are not a humanist. Your perspective is that people are easily manipulated and need to be told by other people whom are easily manipulated how they should think.
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frabbit 1573 days ago
It strikes me that the effort that goes into trying to outright suppress disinformation is also a waste of time. It leaks through anyway and the consequences of being seen to suppress it leads to distrust.

All that you can hope is that the person reading it is open to information and changing their mind. If they are not then there is nothing that can be done anyway.

I have been drawn into trying to evaluate this claim that the Czech Republic / Czechia has had a statement issued by its "Supreme Prosecutor" that anyone supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine will face criminal penalties. I would love to be able to go to a reputable media source to evaluate it. It is inordinately difficult to judge. I would prefer that the BBC/CNN/LA Times spent time debunking this sort of thing or confirming it. As it is I am on my own with nothing but a wall of flag-waving and emotional condemnation instead of investigative journalism -- that's what I want from the media -- not opinion pieces: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30560672

In looking at that story it was fascinating to see the struggle within the Czech Republic with various sides accused of being Russian mouthpieces and the establishment of state censorship apparatuses well in advance of this phase of the conflict with Russia.

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