News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019). Parent comment

Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by torstenvl on Monday September 06, 2021 @01:31AM (#28430639)
In my view, the primary reason we are edging toward a new civil war is that politicians have decided to wield the law as a weapon in the growing urban/rural cultural divide.

Classical liberalism is a necessity for pluralism, and pluralism is necessary for a country as diverse as the United States to survive. As soon as you drop "live and let live" as a fundamental principle and start trying to micromanage personal choice, you're on the road to division.

The Right should stop trying to ban gay marriage or abortion or TG folks from public schools. The Left should stop trying to ban guns or family gatherings or large sugary drinks or the rebel flag or traditional pronouns.

Until American can break the habit of trying to control one another and make other Americans live a certain way, we will never live up to E Pluribus Unum.

EDIT: Case in point...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by bob_roberts on Monday September 06, 2021 @03:01AM (#28431178)
> traditional pronouns

Nobody is banning traditional pronouns.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by raducu on Monday September 06, 2021 @05:00AM (#28431776)
In many parts of the world they are being soft banned.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by hoseja on Monday September 06, 2021 @05:48AM (#28432045)
Yet. And somebody certainly is.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by qualudeheart on Friday September 10, 2021 @08:50PM (#28488474)
Would spice things up a bit. Might not be a bad idea.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by dane-pgp on Monday September 06, 2021 @01:52AM (#28430777)
> ... should stop trying to ban ...

Or perhaps these contentious social questions should be decided by the individual states, and citizens should be free to move to states which best match their views?

It would be nice to think that the federal government could just ban "bans", but deciding what is and isn't a ban (or which bans are strictly necessary) is an equivalent problem to the one you are trying to solve.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by torstenvl on Monday September 06, 2021 @02:15AM (#28430941)
I never suggested that the federal government ban "bans" and, perhaps, the fact that you immediately thought of yet another government ban is emblematic of the problem I am describing.

In any case, yes, to some extent, federalism is a partial answer to ensuring a baseline liberalism.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Are we on the road to civilisation collapse? (2019) by raducu on Monday September 06, 2021 @05:05AM (#28431794)
I don't think there will be a civil war, or if there would be, the outcome will be inescapable and perpetual tyranny.

The technology we have today is such an overwhelming advantage and every tyrant's wet dream.

At this point, we can only hope for an illuminated and benevolent tyrant, something like a emotionally mature Elon Musk.

[ Parent | on HN ]