Anonymous wrote:I believe that the younger generation is more independent in seeking information compared to us. We grew up with mainstream media pushing messages from both the left and the right. However, these kids can access their own news sources, which can change daily. While some of their information may be incorrect, and some may be accurate, they are undoubtedly better informed than our generation in the end

They can access anything that's ever been written, but they aren't. They're watching YouTube videos and TikTok reels, and algorithms are keeping them from getting a range of information. They aren't just poorly informed, they've been brainwashed.

This is what happens when we raise a generation of children to use their minds as receptacles instead of instruments.

Brace yourself for a breath-taking combination of idiocy and cruelty that you can scarcely begin to comprehend.

Stupidity has been weaponized and war is coming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our culture no longer has any guiding values or convictions. Just a general sense of shame and an unquestioning belief that any idea put forward by oppressed or non-western people is categorically correct.

I’m a professor, though I am not in the humanities. It’s wild to think about how much has changed in even the past 10 years. I have really had to think about how I talk about certain topics for fear of saying the wrong thing. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be more mindful of our language and consider how it impacts others, but I think the pendulum has swung too far. There’s a lot of talk and pressure to “decolonize your syllabus”, include works from more diverse voices, hire faculty focused on DEI no matter what the discipline. It seems that in the effort to combat “the WEIRD problem” young people have gotten the message that Western = bad. The intention behind this stuff makes sense to adults who can appreciate the history and nuance. The point was to include non-Western perspectives *in addition to* the traditional Western voices. But it’s not being received in the intended way by people who lack the proper education, experience, and brain development. And now they’re getting exposed to some crazy ideas on TikTok where they spend a lot more time than they spend in class. It’s not good.

No it's not good.

And it's not just confined to professors being hyper sensitive to what they say for fear of inciting these social-media addled students. It's all the other students. Better to keep your head down than note that what's occurring in Gaza is not remotely the same as what happened during the Holocaust. Or the Rwandan genocide. Or the Armenian genocide. And this applies to a number of other issues. A student that notes that there was a lot of good that came out of both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment will be regarded as a racist fascist oppressor these days.

Frankly, I blame the universities themselves. Faculty hiring in the humanities and social sciences has been overwhelmingly ideological in recent years. I recall watching the Cornell professor cheering on the massacres by Hamas. He called it "exhilarating." What was striking is the total lack of self-awareness. Not for a minute did he think he was saying something objectionable. The humanities and the social sciences are so lost in their far-left silos that all reason, logic, morality, empathy, discussion, examination, and history are all gone now. Education in these fields has become a left-wing purity test. And you can never be too far left in academia. It's all about resistance. Fighting the oppressor.

And these are the people with power in universities. They decide tenure. And every kid that has gone through this for the past ten years has experienced this. From micro aggressions to cultural appropriation when you have braids or eat a Korean taco to gender fluidity. And a thousand other issues.

When I see those young people on TikTok celebrating Osama Bin Laden, I see the Nazi Youth. Fundamentally innocent and ignorant people. But utterly indoctrinated. More so than social media, I blame the colleges and universities. They set the tone for everything. And admiring Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda is a very logical outcome to what's been going on in colleges for a while now.

I believe that the younger generation is more independent in seeking information compared to us. We grew up with mainstream media pushing messages from both the left and the right. However, these kids can access their own news sources, which can change daily. While some of their information may be incorrect, and some may be accurate, they are undoubtedly better informed than our generation in the end

Anonymous wrote:Our culture no longer has any guiding values or convictions. Just a general sense of shame and an unquestioning belief that any idea put forward by oppressed or non-western people is categorically correct.

I’m a professor, though I am not in the humanities. It’s wild to think about how much has changed in even the past 10 years. I have really had to think about how I talk about certain topics for fear of saying the wrong thing. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be more mindful of our language and consider how it impacts others, but I think the pendulum has swung too far. There’s a lot of talk and pressure to “decolonize your syllabus”, include works from more diverse voices, hire faculty focused on DEI no matter what the discipline. It seems that in the effort to combat “the WEIRD problem” young people have gotten the message that Western = bad. The intention behind this stuff makes sense to adults who can appreciate the history and nuance. The point was to include non-Western perspectives *in addition to* the traditional Western voices. But it’s not being received in the intended way by people who lack the proper education, experience, and brain development. And now they’re getting exposed to some crazy ideas on TikTok where they spend a lot more time than they spend in class. It’s not good.

TikTok has now turned off its search results for the terms “Letter To America” and “Osama Bin Laden.”

Well, young people now have a president in office who was the only one who stated we should not kill Bin Laden when given the chance (as vice president).

Thankfully, Obama disagreed with Biden on that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

To be fair, it was picked up as a major news story by major news outlets including the NY Times, Washington Post, etc. So it's not just a few posters on this thread who were interpreting it as a significant trend. If a major news outlet reports it (i.e. a supposed "trustworthy" source), people interpret as a significant concern.

We need to stop taking videos on social media as evidence of what a majority of any particular group think/believe.

Yes and no.

Yes, hundreds of posts aren’t the same as thousands and certainly don’t represent the majority…but when taken along with everything else hitting the mainstream media, including protests and antisemitism on campus, hate speech and hate crimes, etc. coupled with the power of social media platforms used for good as well as evil, it’s very worrisome.

Moreover, the fact that people with links to or admiration for terror groups can use social media to promote a narrative that appeals to anyone in America is beyond worrisome.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

Agree and well said.

I have been a vocal critic of the vile, toxic, CCP spy-tool known as TikTok, and anyone stupid enough to use it.

Seeing Bin Laden, or his letter, as anything other that horrific terrorist drivel, well, that speaks for itself.

President Obama saw Osama for the mass-murderer he was and rightly ordered him killed by Seal Team 6.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

To be fair, it was picked up as a major news story by major news outlets including the NY Times, Washington Post, etc. So it's not just a few posters on this thread who were interpreting it as a significant trend. If a major news outlet reports it (i.e. a supposed "trustworthy" source), people interpret as a significant concern.

We need to stop taking videos on social media as evidence of what a majority of any particular group think/believe.

Our culture no longer has any guiding values or convictions. Just a general sense of shame and an unquestioning belief that any idea put forward by oppressed or non-western people is categorically correct.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

I'm not surprised. This is what critical theory leads to. "The oppressed" can do no wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

Can you imagine..... After WWII and the Holocaust..... if young people back then wrote editorials or walked around saying that "Hitler had some good points in this thinking?"

I agree with you..... it is shocking.

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

Eh, I suppose I’m one of the posters who should be embarrassed…but I’m not.

I don’t care if it’s 274 tiktokers or thousands…it’s shocking.

I’m not looking at this thread in isolation. Rather, I’m astounded by the videos of young people talking nonsense about everything: Israel, Gaza, politics, etc.

I’m also concerned about how social media can be used to manipulate.

Criticize me as lacking critical thinking skills if you like.

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So this is OP - and I was talking with a reporter friend about this yesterday. She observed that these TikToks seemed pretty random and obscure - until they got amplified by Yashar Ali on Twitter. And that's when they started getting insane traffic - and when the letter on the Guardian's website started getting insane traffic.

She thinks that basically this was a whole lot of nothing until excited old people gave it tons of attention - then it turned into something.

So, I guess yay to us olds for falling for it again.

I hadn't seen this post until just now, but I wrote about this thread in my blog post today and came to the same conclusion:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2023/11/17/update111723

It's the last thread that I discussed today.

Sorry you found this embarrassing. Some of us are struggling with what we see among young people right now - on social media and in the world. It can mean that we might be more likely to take something like this seriously when we see it - because it's fitting in with the other things we're seeing and experiencing. But yeah, fell for it - and foolish me for that.

I still take it seriously. It may have been amplified due to the Striesand Effect but there were still people who legitimately believe the anti-semitic screed is “mind blown.” I almost wonder if the original tik toks were triggered by some kind of foreign psyops, they are so bizarre and disturbing.