R.E. argument that controversial statues i.e. #Colston are 'educational'
The Statue of Liberty, 93m tall, in maybe the world's most famous city, has this on the plaque adorning it (pic)
How's that working out for the US lately?
Statues clearly have crap 'educational' impact
Statues celebrate, commemorate, glorify etc. But it's a real stretch to say they 'educate' in any meaningful way. I'd wager that what most people will have learned from a city centre statue, if anything, is where you're likely to find a traffic cone on a weekend morning
And even if you do believe a statue should 'educate', then it should include all relevant information on it. #Colston statue made no mention of his slavery role. That's like putting up a statue of George Washington labelled 'Amateur Lumberjack, had false teeth'
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Daily Mail, 02/02/23
"Number of kids hospitalised by vaping QUADRUPLES in a year - as top expert fears crisis will only get worse"
That's obviously bad. If kids being hospitalised by something *quadruples* within a year, something must be done
But, wait a sec...
/2
Under the hood, there are a few things to consider
1. 'Kids' in this context actually means 'under 18s'. So while the mind goes to poor innocent primary school children, it also includes practically-adult late teens, the ones typically demonised by publications such as this.
/3
US states sue TikTok, claiming its addictive features harm youth mental health
On closer inspection, this case misuses neuroscience so severely that it seems like it could potentially make it illegal in the US for young people to have fun.
There are so many neuropsychological flaws in this case
E.g. filings state TikTok is designed to be "intentionally addictive". The conclusion here is that TikTok, a software construct, causes addiction.
Many would agree that this is valid. But you know who doesn't?...
/2
The AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (APA)
The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) lists all the disorders, and their diagnostic criteria, acknowledged by the APA. Various forms of addictions are in there. 'TikTok addiction' is not.
/3
At the fundamental, basic level, the ultrasocial human brain usually calibrates what it learns, figures out how the world works, based on feedback from other humans
Do a thing -> People get angry at you = Thing is bad
Do another ting -> People praise you = Thing is good
/2
This will be part of the reason why you get so much more conspiracy thinking now.
Before social media, you said "Guys, I actually think the Earth is flat", you get mocked in the pub by your mates, and your 'Derek Flat-Earth' for the foreseeable. So, you don't say it again.
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So, to celebrate the seven years of cat-based chaos our lives were immediately consumed by, here are seven of Pickle's greatest moments, in no particular order.
/1
That time when Pickle 'convinced' me that he was stuck on the roof, which led to much mockery and swearing.
I'm increasingly wary of such advice/guidelines/rules regarding phones for kids, as it all depends on two assumptions
- All parents know better about phones etc.
- All parents can be trusted to prioritise their child's wellbeing
But... neither of these are true
/1
Firstly, adults/parents being inherently (and illogically) suspicious of new tech and how it affects 'the children' is a phenomenon as old as civilisation.
And all this advice/guidelines seem both aimed at and shaped by such parents. This is not an evidence-based approach
/2
Not saying that countless parents aren't genuinely concerned, and may possibly be right to be concerned, but 'concerns' and 'possibilities' really aren't valid, robust grounds for the formation of rules that will directly impact countless young-people's lives.
/3
This popped up in my feed. I've not encountered it before. So, here's my professional analysis
WHAT IN THE NAME OF GIDDY FU*K IS THIS BULLSH*T??
Apparently parents of autistic kids are being targeted by such things, so here's everything wrong with it I can find
#Autism #ND
/1
The line "Considering stem cell therapy for #autism ?"
I've no idea whether or not anyone is considering that, as I've never heard of the concept before. But nobody *should* be considering that. Because it's not a thing. For so many reasons.
/2
Then there's... this
Basically, this is word salad. Throw enough credible or science-y sounding words together, and it adds up to complex gibberish. What's a 'global family'? Why not throw a 'quantum' or 'neuro' in there too. They might as well at this point.