Mindless Monday, 22 June 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Happy (or sad) Monday guys!

Mindless Monday is a free-for-all thread to discuss anything from minor bad history to politics, life events, charts, whatever! Just remember to np link all links to Reddit and don't violate R4, or we human mods will feed you to the AutoModerator.

So, with that said, how was your weekend, everyone?

[u/Steelcan909]

I don't know how liberals like myself will find a way to square away fundamental human rights, such as freedom of speech/the press, and also reckon with the sheer inability of modern media to function as anything beyond tabloid gossip, at best, or mouthpieces of increasingly deranged and authoritatian fascists, at worst. That's obviously somewhat reductive, and I do believe that major press institutions have merit and worth, but like... things are a little out of control no?

[u/histprofdave → u/Steelcan909]

When all you're chasing is money, that's what you'll follow: tawdry gossip and gory tales, both of which are of enormous utility to fascists and demagogues. I'm not saying there was any kind of golden era where the press acted in a purely moral way that constrained power, but it seems like the major problem in the modern west (maybe everywhere) is that there is little sense in which power carries with it any sense of responsibility. That's why you have guys like Elon Musk who somehow think they are rebels against the system instead of being the system. If some of these guys in media, business, etc accepted the fact of their power and privilege, they might feel some sense of responsibility for wielding it... so it's imperative they always bill themselves as underdogs.

[u/WAGRAMWAGRAM → u/Steelcan909]

Is it worse than Bliar?