No Freedom In Free Basics

in

While Americans and much of the West are fighting battles for net neutrality and Internet privacy (winning some and losing others), many other nations are still struggling to get their people to sign-on. The holdup is twofold: cost and awareness. Various organizations and corporations are working with local governments and telecommunication companies (telecoms) to deliver fast and affordable access to the web while advertising its benefit. In the efforts to expand connectivity, no other company has faced as much scrutiny and ire than Facebook and their initiative Free Basics. Despite Facebook's claim that their quest for universal connectivity respects and defends network neutrality, their implementation is flawed and inherently incompatible with the principles of a neutral web.

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The Cold War of Guns

in

As the mainstream political debate over gun ownership continues in the United States, so does the tendency for the two major political parties to sound like echo chambers. Where Democrats in Oregon and California envision an idealistic future without the need for guns through regulation and taxation, Republicans in Texas hold strong to a fatalistic dogma where guns are not only a necessary tool in preserving the oneself and the country, but as an intrinsic part of the American life.

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Automated Income

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Luddites activists in the 19th-century fought against the growing trend of economizing the labor force, fueled by a looming fear of technological unemployment and poorer working conditions. They argued that the machines would reduce the demand for skilled work and lower wages. Their efforts were ultimately defeated due to the consumer market's preference for cheaper products made in the factory. The Luddite Fallacy was born out of this struggle - the belief that advancements in technology reduces the total number of available jobs. Where in actuality the new technology only changed the composition of the labor workforce and opened up opportunity for and exploitation of low-skilled workers

So, in light of the inevitable future of automation, should we not just apply the Luddite Fallacy?

Short answer: no. Longer answer: read on.

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Mike Brown

in

If we put aside the unanswered questions, we can clearly see why the ruling was a non-indictment.

It makes sense.

But if you refuse to put aside the glaring inconsistencies, oddities, and outright inequalities and injustices, it becomes plain to see that the ruling was true about: whether or not the death of another Black man was worth further discussion in America. 

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