The voice of the people, i.e. the way that they effectively communicate ideas and share knowledge, is the cornerstone of humanity’s success as a species. We have no claws. We’re not particularly strong. We’re not especially fast. We have not defensive or offensive traits nor armament of any kind. In the grandness of the animal kingdom, we are simply not well equipped to survive on this planet but we do and this is because of our ability to have and share ideas.
I learn a lot from YouTube videos. Heck, I’ve even shared a couple. It is easier for me to learn a thing if I can see it done or do the thing along with a presenter. As an instructional designer, I understand bloom’s taxonomy; Remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. We have these nice big, wrinkly brains with which to remember, but that won’t get you very far from the primordial tidepool. You have to understand what you’ve remembered. Cave paintings help with that, knowing which animals to hunt and when they will be huntable. Applying the knowledge takes skills that we develop over time and we get better and better at the thing we’ve learned. The higher up the pyramid we go, the more developed as a species we get until we arrive at create. Creating the internet. Creating web sites, creating videos and sharing platforms, and algorithms. Then we forget.
In the book, The Art Of The Deal, Trump’s ghostwriter said “My Father was a mentor. I learned a tremendous amount from him, and he was my inspiration from the beginning.” Fred Trump used “block-busting”, the practice of devaluing real-estate in order to swoop in and snatch it up cheaply. He and his sun have been accused of other manipulative practices as well. The apple didn’t fall far. This practice of devaluation is part of the scheme we see unfolding with TikTok today. The American people need a platform free from government control. Facebook and Twitter both have trump in their pockets and so are not free. There is no more fact checking on Facebook and Twitter has been run into the ground by it’s current owner. Trump has been saying for years that TikTok, a majority American owned company, is a tool of the Chinese government. Four of it’s 5 board members are American. All the venture capital that built it came from American venture capital companies. The data is all stored on American servers. It’s so American, that it will have to cease operation in other countries because it’s American assets are used to provide the service. Because of the vilification of the app, it’s being forced to close…. but wait, what’s that on the horizon? It’s a savior stepping in to save us all and give us back our voice. It’s Trump to the rescue.
I watched a video this morning of one of the founders of TikTok praising the incumbent president and saying that he “understands the platform” and he’s “going to work with us to save it”. He’s not defending the app. He’s not fending off the killer, he’s holding the knife! All of this to say that this is an old tactic and it’s a successful one that has built and continues to build an empire of greed and hate and self-service when the government should be peopled with selfless people just wanting to do the right thing. I understand politicians are a scheming lot, but at least some of them started out to do the right thing. Robert Moses couldn’t have built most of the parks in New York if he hadn’t been an ass hole. I get that. But “public service” should mean something. Not just seeking power and tricking people into, at most, loving you or, at least, needing you. It should be about earning respect and admiration by actually wanting the best for others.
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
– George Orwell, 1984