It’s not really about deciding if one trusts the government or not. That’s an oversimplification of one’s civic responsibility to study the issues and make informed decisions. The main harm astroturfing does is convert everything into black and white oversimplifications. It turns people into unthinkers. They pick a side and then act like it’s some sort of battle against the other side.

Of course! I didn't actually rewrite my framework just to counter someone on the internet. I said that more to call out the low effort response as fitting an extremely predictable pattern of uninformed people trying to pose their drive-by hot take as fact.

I do not pick sides. The only things I see are changes in quality of life. One must be blind not to see where it is going.

As for "informed decisions" - I do make those based on what I see and do not need help from TikTok or anything else. HN is about the only social media I participate in when I need a quick brake from working on computer.

>"It sounds like how American conservatives discuss cities they've never been to."

I live in Toronto since 92 and I can compare back then and now so don't assume things.