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by jjangkke 276 days ago
Overton Window shift basically. One side used cancel culture relentlessly for even the smallest slights. Now the other side is using the very same tactic. Many people who have kept out of the extremes have now shifted towards the right and those who ignore the shift are finding out the hard way.

I advise HN users who aren't aware of what's happening, read up on what Overton Window is and why its dangerous to continue posting the way you have without infosec.

You think you are posting only on HN but your posts are actually being distributed on other platforms by people who are very angry.

Users on Bluesky thought they were posting on Bluesky but they only found out too late, after they got fired because their political posts were being shared elsewhere.

There have already been few HN users who have been targeted for their radical views and have paid the price.

For your sake, please don't ignore this message.

2 comments

I think it hits quite different when the canceling is done by a gaggle of oversensitive Karens as opposed to by members of the government.
That's my take. Its worse this time because it's coming from the government, but in a sense that makes it actually an opportunity to fight it in court (and they absolutely should.) In any case, the rules of engagement have been clear for years: if we don't like you, then we're coming for your livelihood.
It's not "worse because it's coming from the government".

The fact it is coming from the government is what makes it terrifying.

You seem to contradict yourself. It's worse, yes? Your first sentence says no while your second sentence says yes.
It's because you're comparing apples to oranges. Public shaming through social action vs the full weight of the federal government suppressing free speech; they are in two entirely different categories and shouldn't/can't be compared to each other without being misleading about the nature of the wrongs.