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AI-focused tech firms locked in ‘race to the bottom’, warns MIT professor
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
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You might be able to assert they are full of shit after hearing the arguments. Accusing them of being fascist for not agreeing with you is extremely intolerant and authoritarian aka facist.
Being anti foss is being anti freedom, full stop
the thing is that you don't want to become the thing you are fighting. you can be right in every case, as long as it's in a case by case basis. it would be different if you explain why the arguments are bad faith arguments or why they are facists, that is also perfectly fine.
There are things that are just true like that, like racism or slavery don't have a case by case basis where they're bad, but that's getting to be an extreme comparison here, just saying absolute statements can be true like that. When is FOSS not about freedom?
this seems a bit more complicated than the examples you share where things are more evident. even if they are wrong, they can be wrong for reasons other than them being facists.
edit: to show some nuance, would people not be against open software that is purposefully crafted for a nefarious purpose? be it ransomware, or software for a DIY automated blinding laser weapons? I know UN would probably not like the second example, regardless of it being FOSS.
Exactly, it's not about it being FOSS. It's about the nature of the software itself. Being against that software doesn't make you anti-FOSS. Additionally, open sourcing your malware is actually helpful for people trying to combat it.
I think it's pretty valid to point out that somebody who is against free software in the XXI century has a strong authoritarian posture.
Granted, the use of "fascist" might be incorrect (mainly because it's a quite specific autoritarian ideology and it's hard to, for example, find indications in this that the guy supports other elements of it such as hypernationalism) and the word suffers from overuse in a sloganized way (i.e. it's commonly parroted in a mindless way), but in this case it's not a bad shortcut to pass the idea.
I think using that term is fully regressing to tribalism. I believe that in some cases we can reach the goal by building consensus with the opposition. I'm sure we can see the world with more than 1 bit of resolution.
Yeah, I do agree with that point of view.
Consider, however, that had you made it in that original response as you did it just now in this one, it would've come out as a perfectably rational and acceptable take rather than as just angry.
Whilst I understand being angry at people throwing "fascist" around like a slogan, I find an angry response to be counter-productive, not as much for the tribalist parrots who normally throw slogans around like that (those are beyond saving, IMHO) but for the audience.
I could be wrong. but since I really didn't intend to appear angry, and i was not angry I am not reading that in the comment. perhaps it's the accusation of facism that riles people up. which was precisely my point. and if we are talking about my emotions. in truth i feel mostly sad because the people that are making this comments have strong opinons on the issue and care enough to try to make things better.
Hah, the bit that really makes me angry is exactly that people running around parroting whatever the leaders of "their" "tribe" say (and who will do things like use "fascism" to describe things that are slightly autoritarian) do care enough to try to make things better.
They often have the best of intentions whilst damaging their cause and even being led by the nose like useful idiots (that's the thing with tribalism: once people run around identifying with "the tribe" and following the "leaders" of "the tribe" they're extremelly easy to manipulate).
It's very frustrating to see just how many people run around thinking themselves lefties whilst, by following herd/pack instincts and parroting others rather than using their brains to think, acting in ways that don't really advance the cause of "the greatest good for the greatest number".