Hysterical Headlines (Funny or Absurd) for April 12th - Hate Crimes & Clueless regulation
Bottom Line: These are the daily doses of nonsense in the media and my hot takes on them...
Hot Take: Here's a question for you. Are a group of guys who walk up to a couple of guys holding hands after a gay pride parade and beat them up bad people? Now are a group of guys who walk up to a couple of guys after a gay pride parade and beat them up specifically because they're homophobic bad people? Are they worse people? Are the victims any more or less victimized regardless?
Hate crimes are the epitome of politically correct "feel good" policy. Regardless of one's level of bigotry, racism, etc. if they seek to harm others and do so they're bad people and the victims are just as victimized regardless. If there are harsher penalties if one's charged with a hate crime, how about we make it the standard penalty for that type of crime and call it a day?
Cluelessness Won't Stop Senators From Regulating Facebook Robby Soave, Reason
Excerpt: "If Facebook and other online companies will not or cannot fix their privacy invasions, then we are going to have to," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D–Fla.). "We, the Congress."
What Nelson and his colleagues largely failed to do was demonstrate that "we, the Congress" possess the requisite knowledge to regulate Facebook, or that those regulations would improve upon the policies Facebook would like to implement on its own. Ignorance breeds bad policy:
Hot Take: Speaking of foolish "feel good policy" there's a really good chance we're about to see some more of it here... Senator Nelson was far from the only one who didn't really seem to grasp the basics of Facebook's business model and use of data, but he was the one who most clearly stated they'd be doing something about it. Here's something to consider. We have more laws and regulations in our country and society than ever before. Has that created better people? Are we safer than ever before? Is anyone remotely interested in exploring why the government hasn't been successful in protecting us more successfully with all of their well-intended laws?
Just as gun control was a given in Florida after the Stoneman Douglas shooting, the same is true here. Action will be taken in the wake of these Facebook hearings that will impact social media companies but other than saying we've done something do you really think anything meaningful will change? Consider that we're lamenting a social media platform that we use to willfully share information, share information about us.
Team Trump Should Stop Cooperating With Mueller Ed Rogers, Washington Post
Hot Take: Are you suggesting that he resist? I couldn't resist.
Until tomorrow...