What seems unique here is that it is that it an unorganized mob. The democrats certainly try to get the wokes support, but there is no woke party. Obama even called them out as keyboard warriors. And this is why I disagree with Elon, I don't think the wokes are any more dangerous than any other performative religion or subculture. They are annoying but have no real goals other than winning the virtue signaling game.
> What seems unique here is that it is that it an unorganized mob. The democrats certainly try to get the wokes support, but there is no woke party. Obama even called them out as keyboard warriors.
I remember back in ~2010-2012 when this was seen as an exciting, new, positive development. That was back when we were talking about 4chan trolling Scientology <insert "Oh Fuck The Internet Is Here" meme here>, and the Arab Spring (back before it became apparent it wasn't just Twitter vs. authoritarian governments, and that people didn't come out of it better off). I remember cheering to a TED talk that talked up decentralized activism, comparing it to "murmurations", complete with video of starlings flying to "Pachelbel - Canon In D Major".
A decade later, I don't find it inspiring or exciting anymore. I find it utterly terrifying. Yes, even back then, I had the thought on the back of my mind, that this "unorganized mob" could be abused (something the TV show Continuum later reminded me of), and is capable of pushing for both the right and wrong thing. But there was this sense of optimism that it'll "arc towards justice". Oh how very wrong we were back then.
> And this is why I disagree with Elon, I don't think the wokes are any more dangerous than any other performative religion or subculture. They are annoying but have no real goals other than winning the virtue signaling game.
I don't know what Elon Musk has to say about this, but I disagree with what you wrote here, for two reasons.
1. They've already proven to be much more dangerous than "other performative religion or subculture". Other religions and subcultures didn't manage to make people afraid of speaking their mind on the Internet. Other religions and subcultures didn't manage to change hiring policies, standardize all kinds of weird trainings in corporations, or make a well-known university publish an absurd list of "bad words".
2. If anything I was taught about late 19th and early 20th century was accurate, socialism and communism started with decentralized, organic movements popping up all around the world. Those movements were then quickly co-opted by competing political upstarts, who first started to fight another - until, after a lot of bloodshed, one group emerged victorious, took power from the incumbents, and became a defining force of 20th century history.
My point being, decentralized, distributed mobs with no real goals but lots of pent up energy are a resource to political schemers. They are thus dangerous in the same way spilled gasoline is: on its own it just smells bad, but it creates an environment where a single spark can lead to a lot of devastation.
Yes. It's what arguably started (this iteration of) this insanity. And it's very much "the wokes" GP was referring to, not "other religions and subcultures".
> Do you have any idea what it's like to be a woman on the internet?
No. I have some idea based on what I've been told by women close to me, but it's obviously a small sample limited by age and geography.
Just to echo gp, America Christians have recently overturned roe. That is much worse from an individual freedom perspective than being forced by your employer to watch a video about how all white people should feel guilty of their white privilege.
