It's important to note that the anti-natalist position isn't the same thing as pro suicide.
It isn't even a suggested solution to the problem.
This also isn't a depression issue. You can be happy (define this however you want) and hold the position that it is preferable to not exist.
Once life starts however, it is probably a better option to let it run it's course. The anti-natalist position is just that never existing doesn't have any downsides.
For example, how were your first 13.7 billion years?
This is a really good point. The pace of shameless lying is so fast it's impossible to keep up.
Even if you're paying attention you can't keep it all straight in your head. You have to be a real time BS processing machine these days. And that simply isn't possible.
> I don’t have to block them because some site will still funnel it to them as a middle man. All blocking indirect access to my data will achieve is me wasting time thinking I can.
These tools and services are everywhere. It's simply not true that you can live outside of them in a modern internet.
If you do somehow escape entirely, the people in your life still haven't.
In what sense have you made a choice here? Or are you living outside of the zeitgeist entirely? The conversations and politics of the day are happening on Twitter with or without you. Very real policy is happening in 240 characters.
> I don’t believe in any of this or whatever obligations others say I have.
Ok... But the culture is shifting. POTUS has Tweeted every single day since announcing that he'll be running for office. Twitter has an effect on your life.
Not having a twitter account doesn't change that. Not using Facebook directly doesn't change the fact that their tracking pixels are all over the internet. Not using gmail doesn't mean your email isn't being mined on the back end.
Putting your head in the sand and saying "it doesn't effect me" isn't true.
>The only framework that has social merit/weight, IMO is the legislative one. Not a corporations interest in gaming our agency for their feudal trade schemes.
Ok?
>I don’t believe in any of this or whatever obligations others say I have. I’ll politically support ones that seem sensible: m4a, education, engineering at scale to support those initiatives.
Ok.. But you are still playing in the same sandbox as the rest of us. And this sandbox is very influenced by FAANG companies and the policies they offer.
> Outside that the reasons for providing institutional support of trade seem contrived. The ideology of long dead men exported into the limbic systems of the living.
This is a great point. We've been building to this for a long time. Social media and the modern internet is just the tip (a big tip though!) of this problem.
I imagine navigating this problem space will be very difficult. Small changes are likely to have major impacts down the line.
Let's add one actor to this. Google. Are you free not to use Google?
What does that 'choice' mean? I don't mean 'I use duck duck go'. I mean, you don't use or touch anything that Google provides.
How much of the internet just disappeared for you? Are you 'free' not to use Google in this context?
Your comment also dismisses the very real reality that you have very smart people, tricking you into playing with these services all day. Do you not accept this? Do you also believe that advertising doesn't work on you?
Like most modern problems, the issue isn't simple and the solution isn't simple.
Before you reply, I predict your response will include some form of 'I don't use these, never have and never will'. Great! I applaud this.
How many people in your life do? Is it a majority? Are the majority of people in your life participating in something that you are now 'blacked' out from? Is removing yourself from the experience the best way to engage in the solution?
> Anecdotally, based on my experience working with over 250 local businesses across the business spectrum, this doesn't reflect reality.
Have to chime in here. I run a small brick and motor business with a membership model (climbing gym).
FB/Insta are paramount to our marketing and communication. Like the parent comment said, people like to say they don't use Facebook/Insta but that doesn't seem to be true at all.
Our ad budget on FB is an easy choice and is the only method of adverts that have given us any sort of consistent return. Groupon can get people in the door as well, but then you need to convert them directly with strong sales. It's good, but hard.
Organic FB/Insta are also the best way for us to communicate with our members/community about events, specials and closures. People check these platforms all the time. I believe these work so well for us because of the visual aspect of our business. If we were more informational, perhaps email would be a better tool.
I fantasize about not using Facebook properties, but it would come at a tremendous cost to the business and our community.