Subj : Re: Computer Kits
To   : Jeff
From : boraxman
Date : Sat Jan 29 2022 13:20:47

 Je> Authors and public figures have dealt with this for centuries, and it's
 Je> only really a problem if one fails to moderate one's own self. I stand
 Je> by the opinions I've expressed online and have nothing to be ashamed of;
 Je> if anything, I hope that they preserve a record of me being a good
 Je> person.
 Je> 
 Je> If someone experiences stress or low self-esteem because they fear that
 Je> their social media history does not portray them in a good light, then
 Je> perhaps they need to strive to be a better person, the person that they
 Je> want reflected on social media. If more people realized that, then
 Je> perhaps such scrutiny could be a good thing for society.
 Je> 
 Je> If someone fails to get a job because something racist they said on
 Je> social media surfaces, I think the question needs to be "why are they
 Je> posting racist things on social media" and not "is social media harmful
 Je> because it preserved this racist thing that this person said?"
 Je> 
 Je> Computers and improved communication have made it much more difficult to
 Je> escape our pasts than ever before. Is that a good or bad thing? A couple
 Je> of centuries ago, one could escape one's past by simply moving to the
 Je> next town, county, or state (depending on the severity of one's past
 Je> transgressions) and start a new life. That is becoming less and less
 Je> possible over time (again, depending on the severity of one's past
 Je> transgressions). Perhaps the solution is to publicly atone for one's
 Je> past transgressions rather than trying to hide from them ("one" being a
 Je> purely impersonal reference to a hypothetical person in a hypothetical
 Je> set of circumstances, and in no way intended to be personally
 Je> accusatory). That might even contribute to the betterment of society by
 Je> setting a good example for others to follow.
 Je> 

To be honest, this sounds utterly awful, dystopic.  I might decide that someone you said is awful, by my own subjective interpretation.  You may have changed your views.  Why should I judge you based on beliefs you no longer have?  How can I tell?

This is something new.  To compare today with authors is either disingenuous or you are failing to understand the new paradigm.  Writing a book is different to engaging in a conversation.  Are you suggesting that everything anyone says to anyone else, is a "published work"?

Your argument is making little sense.  To suggest that this isn't fundamentally different displays a shocking ignorance.

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