[ben_w]

The printing press may have started by moving things away from the existing power base, but it very quickly got used by the existing power base, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_of_the_Vatican_Pr...

And printing presses themselves ended up being licensed by the state, e.g. this in England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licensing_of_the_Press_Act_166...

[h2zizzle]

Not to come down on either side, but I am begging commenters to refrain from using a Eurocentric lens when discussing a technology that wasn't even invented in Europe.

[schmidtleonard]

History of non-european printing press development: cool!

Summary of above: cool and useful!

Example based on the above: cool and insightful!

Slamming someone for using a european example because that's what they know: not cool, not insightful, not useful.

[h2zizzle]

I don't know the history. That would be the source of my discontent. Every time things like this come up, the hyperfocus on Western experience erases whatever insight could have been gained by looking at the topic in its totality. My guess is that whatever dynamic the history of the printing press in the East might have lent to this conversation wasn't even considered until I brought it up. That was my contribution.

Please don't take out your embarrassment on me.

[ben_w]

Ah, you think nothing is better than something?

[h2zizzle]

Pointing out a problem without providing a solution is still better than pretending that the problem doesn't exist and suffering the consequences of a flawed mental model.

[ben_w]

Pointing out a problem is one thing, I don't think anyone here would object to that especially given normal nerd dynamics, but you did also beg everyone to refrain from speaking of things they're most likely to actually know anything about.

[h2zizzle]

Insisting on Eurocentrism wrt an Asian invention leaves the impression that you don't actually know what you're talking about. It's essentially misinformation.

You know exactly why this in particular hits a nerve.