william.maggos

Host of https://culturewar.radio. An open conversation about the news and views that capture our attention every week. Taking calls live on Sundays at 9pm Central.

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Last Notes

2024-08-09 19:04:21

Billionaires shouldn't be allowed to exist for the simple reason that collective action is really hard. This means that they will be able to enact their singular interests by paying people in ways that even a million people in general agreement cannot. That's the opposite of a democratic society. #LiberalValues

2024-08-08 15:49:52

At least #BariWeiss admitted that she couldn't avoid her view of #Walz being shaped by the X algo. Whether Elon is doing this intentionally or not, this really is the problem with all algos. It will either spiral us into believing a more extreme version of where we already lean, or let the platform owner try to spin us however they choose. Making it harder for us to get a clear understanding of issues, policies and candidates. And too emotional to think straight.
https://pca.st/episode/37398e0e-506b-49b2-9e55-9d0ccf204eac

2024-08-05 01:21:05

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@npub13k9…dqcp
did you hit the Riverwalk? it's great.

2024-08-03 23:49:29

#KamalaHarris should offer to do another debate on Fox with the rules #Trump wants but only if he sticks to the already scheduled one with ABC.
https://cdn.masto.host/liberalcity/media_attachments/files/112/900/293/266/625/705/original/1ed711679c76ecb6.mp4

2024-08-01 17:15:54

Conservatives constantly complain that mainstream media misleads Americans. That's why people believe in climate change or vote Dem. But they never take responsibility for what they say that leads people to do dumb shit. At what point are individuals responsible?
I think it's both always a mix and sometimes the media doesn't know what's true. So we must have free speech, teach kids to be critical thinkers and support media that favors honesty over profit. #LiberalValues
https://pocket.co/share/1b1170d9-86ac-4937-893d-0865fbf0c35b

2024-07-28 04:46:13

Hashtags foretell a decentralized social media future. We should be able to see everything tagged anywhere, without having to visit ten different sites. #SocialWeb

2024-07-28 04:10:21

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@npub15zc…q5ss
the US govt did exactly what it complains that other countries do to us, leading people to not get vaccinated and die.

2024-07-21 23:32:44

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@npub1t9s…ecrq
he's hardcore behind funding Israel forever no matter what they do. people put their hopes in him that he doesn't deserve.

2024-07-19 17:58:37

"There are no coincidences."
"People are too conspiratorial."
@npub1dgr…8xrh is fine with you believing crazy shit, as long as it doesn't impact him. Which means he knows it can negatively impact others, right?

2024-07-19 16:13:14

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@npub1t76…4l63
if only...

2024-07-15 22:12:54

After saying horrible shit about #Trump early on, like the stuff we're now being told might convince somebody to try to kill him, do you believe #JDVance has actually changed his mind about him or just decided to suck up to him for years to advance his career and win the admiration of his cult followers? Same old bipartisan shit. #VP #MAGA

2024-07-15 05:01:26

In this land of firearm freedom, beyond gun free zones, I will never understand when doing stuff with your gun constitutes such an imminent threat that someone else can shoot you first. Even if I point it at you, can't I argue that I thought you were threatening me first? Doesn't 2A logic argue that every bad guy with a gun gets at least one free shot before the good guys with guns can respond? Assuming the building owners want our "protection", can't we hang out on rooftops with our AR-15s?

2024-07-07 02:45:31

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@npub1cn5…lw2z
did you read the whole article?

2024-07-01 20:27:17

Waiting to hear libertarians weigh in on this presidential #immunity ruling from #SCOTUS. Where's the Mises caucus? They've gotta be pissed, right? Right?

2024-06-30 20:12:04

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@npub17dl…dj38
so much will open up when/if the fedi garners the largest audience and the value of social media being decentralized becomes widely acknowledged.

2024-06-29 22:28:18

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@npub1dl9…l5xc
People and structures change. It's slow and difficult but at 45, I've seen it happen. Only increasing division makes me worried we won't keep making life better for the vast majority of people going forward.

2024-06-29 18:00:10

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@npub167q…3yg6
you're not trying to get people to be more open minded? what's the point of talking to people you disagree with if you're exactly the same afterwards?

2024-06-28 19:37:19

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@npub1uq2…m2n4
that's a bs narrative for a broken border/immigration policy that partisans refuse to make reasonable compromises on and fix for different selfish reasons.

2024-06-28 18:58:45

asking that they replace Biden got me called a maga bad man who wants to kill palestinians etc etc, then blocked. I love my Dem-STFU brothas and sistas.

2024-06-28 18:51:20

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@npub1uq2…m2n4
what kind of divisive shit are you up now? I am the grandchild of immigrants on one side and folks who have been here longer on the other side. people who were not considered white not that long ago but who hwite fucks now trace all of western civilization to. please grow the fuck up.

2024-06-28 18:34:27

I'm not asking Trump not to run while I am asking Biden not to, for the same reason I am asking our country to stop sending weapons to Israel instead of asking Israel to stop killing Palestinians. I am an American. I'm more of a Dem than a Republican. Please stop telling people to STFU. #debate2024

2024-06-28 16:21:28

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@npub1z7p…4n5s
I think what this country really needs are conservatives demonstrating the good faith that they demand from everybody left of themselves.

2024-06-28 15:52:44

Replace Biden with #Bernie2024.

2024-06-28 05:41:50

@npub1z7p…4n5s
let me on bro.

2024-06-28 05:02:08

Trump did everything as expected and nothing that Biden couldn't have been prepared for. There's lots of reasons I don't like Biden but that he couldn't respond well to Trump was pathetic. His age or poor preparation IDK. Another four years under Biden would be better than under Trump but nobody would know that from what happened tonight if they hadn't already been following and thinking through the news and issues carefully already. This is why there should have been a real primary. #debate2024

2024-06-28 03:55:50

Fully the shit show we all expected. #debate2024

2024-06-25 07:44:23

What is a living human sperm or egg? If you think full human life begins at conception, these half humans must be of some spiritual value just before that moment too, right? Or consider that there are over 1m frozen embryos just in the US. Are these souls in suspended animation? #abortion
People take these things seriously until the point that it feels like any further thinking about them would change their mind and make deep conversations with friends and family more difficult in the future.

2024-06-25 04:43:06

Hopeful but nervous. Wondering who actually might deserve the credit for this. #Assange
https://youtu.be/tHPQKnahvH8?si=uC_R61c6kL1lv24G

2024-06-25 02:27:38

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I am scared.
https://www.threads.net/@bnonews/post/C8njjyhObrY?xmt=AQGzJ6-PjX8L8miyu9FSWMus6e-GqegS_my66Gub6jMm6A

2024-06-25 02:22:58

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@npub1gwu…svwp
yes but there must have been a defamation case against a journalist who then refused to reveal their sources. how would that play out?

2024-06-25 02:17:36

I'd feel kinda bad about #InfoWars if I didn't think he cares much more about his own profit and attention than who his misinformation can hurt. We should be concerned that this not make people scared to try to tell the truth. But imagine horrible things claimed about people you love by a person with a huge audience likely to believe him and possibly act, without any evidence. This is why we must work to draw a clearer line between journalism and entertainment. #AlexJones cleared the high bar.

2024-06-25 01:20:30

#Assange might go free. Hard to believe.
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/24/nx-s1-5017953/julian-assange-plea-deal

2024-06-24 21:53:16

@npub18pj…59p5
do you have a good resource on Harry Smith? did you ever meet him?

2024-06-24 17:45:59

I get the appeal of libertarian arguments like this. It's nice to feel like the social world can be built upon solid universal principles. But there's a reason they are always presented as a monologue. That there's little asking of what it would mean to take this seriously in our actual lives. And finally, why the advancements of modernity derived from the questioning of Socrates and resultant compromises, instead of the proclamations of ideologues.
https://pca.st/szq31qrx

2024-06-24 08:32:03

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@npub189c…wdj3
https://liberal.city/@wjmaggos/112670192675137670

2024-06-24 08:31:43

Ask #RATM about upside down US flags...
https://www.grunge.com/447645/why-rage-against-the-machine-was-banned-from-snl/

2024-06-24 08:28:01

damn bullies.

2024-06-24 04:00:31

Live now: https://live.culturewar.radio
Join in: https://talk.culturewar.radio
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2024-06-23 17:50:56

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@npub1lfy…sx3r
"LUTFA to talk shit about you"

2024-06-22 19:30:09

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@npub1z7p…4n5s
hitting the museums today. muni for les mis tonight.

2024-06-22 16:56:54

We're asking LLMs to overcome a philosophical conundrum. Assumed objective reality can never be known via our subjective human understanding. What we call true is based both on personal experience and trusting the claims of others. #AI will be forever limited by what's most popular on the network, decided by mere mortals. Asking for anything more is calling the machine a god, not actually building one.

2024-06-22 02:27:54

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@npub1gwu…svwp
ugh, X keeps redirecting me on mobile.

2024-06-22 01:26:24

@npub1z7p…4n5s
do you ever go to #Sugarfire44? here now.

2024-06-22 01:04:20

@npub1du4…8vzh
in St Louis, can't listen or join the chat tonight. will try to boost. have a great show!

2024-06-20 20:48:00

Economists aren't all bad. I feel like the left runs away from economics like the right tries to avoid the fact that we affect each other in a society.
https://pca.st/episode/c7065e24-29e3-43b4-9b94-d9a9cdee3904

2024-06-20 04:15:37

A great speech by @npub1t8u…c7sk. #SocialWeb
https://youtu.be/x9wbRUW57sc?si=ItuiM6LnXjbsdESR

2024-06-20 00:31:31

The #IvyLeague shouldn't exist. Does anybody believe the education you get is so much better? It's just about the elite connections one makes. Their presence can pressure kids in high school to an unhealthy degree. Tax everybody connected to these places and lower the tuitions at other higher education institutions.

2024-06-20 00:21:13

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@npub16ks…80t7

2024-06-19 21:16:42

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@npub1gwu…svwp
I mean they should think the end of that was a big fucking deal, right?

2024-06-19 21:15:39

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@npub17gz…3wq4
It's a holiday that we use to remember our nation's struggle with slavery. I don't feel like we were missing something before it existed but I also don't understand mocking it.

2024-06-19 20:15:14

Libertarian types mocking #Juneteenth.

2024-06-19 20:00:09

@npub1v5k…kw5t
Paul talking about his follower count and the algo is a perfect example of why we need to get everyone on the fedi. #SocialWeb

2024-06-19 19:53:30

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@npub18pq…vjjc

2024-06-19 05:29:06

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@npub1qmc…v6gx
people want different things out of the fedi.

2024-06-19 01:01:19

Not exactly good but maybe worth your time. A Mises libertarian and a Christian nationalist (I think) arguing proves the need for #LiberalValues. They are not that far apart but when you seriously engage in a discussion of principles, it becomes obvious quite quickly that life with others requires compromise.
https://www.youtube.com/live/YqIaiQ-aK_s?si=dItL47qSuTYlfo2p

2024-06-18 18:19:31

We need a site like this but re leaving all corporate social platforms and establishing themselves here.
1. a letter that explains why
2. resources helping them get established on the #SocialWeb
3. a date when they will only be using the fedi.
https://byebyeelon.de/

2024-06-18 17:29:34

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@npub1nd8…2zkd
I'd really want to avoid crypto but maybe if that was all handled behind the scenes by our banks, it could work. we still get to treat it as currency etc.

2024-06-18 01:13:42

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@npub1gwu…svwp
if we only have a little time to live, I'd love to know and try to best enjoy it.

2024-06-17 19:56:28

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@npub1u27…3qfq
we need a voice in this public conversation pointing out that it's the algo, not social media.

2024-06-17 04:00:47

Live now: https://live.culturewar.radio
Join in: https://talk.culturewar.radio
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2024-06-17 00:37:03

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@npub1h35…gz0l
listening now. any idea why they quit releasing as #ccmusic in 2019?

2024-06-16 22:45:54

Stop saying the problem is social media. It's algos that serve profit over users and the public interest. The fedi lets people find community beyond their local network and it lets us build a media infrastructure outside of corporate ownership and the demands of advertisers. #SocialWeb
https://pca.st/episode/91904dc8-d882-44c5-944a-69e665b90f96

2024-06-16 16:07:48

If my kid was killed at #SandyHook, I would force #AlexJones to dig up my child's grave at gun point. All the while recording and live broadcasting it and promising him that if there is no body, I'd kill myself. But if there was, he'd be joining my baby in that hole. #HappyFathersDay

2024-06-16 15:43:09

This captures the "alternative" spirit that drives my passion for the fedi. Thank you @npub1t8u…c7sk. We need to get old heads like #SubPop etc to embrace it.
https://pocket.co/share/956106b5-1978-40da-8439-e4cf7cfce77c

2024-06-16 05:34:26

Everybody is their own unique combination of political opinions, but they do cluster and it's useful to have names for these groups. As long as we can go beyond just left vs right and the people themselves are mostly comfortable with the definitions. #uspol

2024-06-16 05:06:59

@npub1q6t…sw7m
I get a lot of "too many requests" errors randomly recently. any idea? thanks.

2024-06-16 05:01:27

The closest we have to a grand conspiracy is #neoliberalism.
https://pocket.co/share/74374b9f-7c95-4a1d-bbf3-a043c7177653

2024-06-15 23:26:21

Are some people able to hear about the horrors of October 7th without thinking about the nightmare visited on Palestinians before and since? I guess I'm fucked up or something. #Gaza

2024-06-15 04:54:14

#Wokeism is not liberal. Neither is the conspiracy thinking that much of #MAGA embraces. Nor journalism confined by the demands of profit. #LiberalValues
https://pca.st/episode/12a05e0b-b70e-48ac-811b-c3855c675b83

2024-06-15 02:15:52

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@npub1cgg…0n34
algos are fool's gold. it's just a transfer of attention, based on somebody else's preferences. follow more, different or fewer people instead.

2024-06-14 22:35:45

Please merge the functionalities of services like #mastodon and #lemmy/#kbin. Hashtags instead of communities/magazines. All replies are voted on instead of favorited or boosted. No algos but do allow sort types.
We will win not by replicating the closed corporate platforms, but by mashing them up into something new. What they'd never do cause inviting that kind of competition between established ad-based businesses would be bad for profits.

2024-06-14 18:12:15

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@npub1vsy…x7lq
"STFU. people are too dumb to weigh the differences and still vote strategically. treat it like sports, not buying a car with research etc. what are ya, a Putin puppet?"

2024-06-13 16:42:07

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@npub1lfy…sx3r
https://hungrygen.com/hiddeninchrist/

2024-06-13 15:57:03

"I think" vs "I believe". Rationality vs ideology. If we better differentiated the two, we wouldn't freak each other out so much. We seem to do it in our heads but refuse to do so in our speech (in order to hold communities together).
https://pca.st/episode/97702cce-61e4-4564-89d4-27e6d551e772

2024-06-12 18:04:53

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@npub1ga8…7hxu
I had to mute a bunch of the hashtags.

2024-06-12 04:58:33

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@npub1l9s…seca
https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/

2024-06-11 20:05:51

If we want to reduce the chaos of #immigration, we have to make every nation better. What constitutes better must be decided by their people when possible, the world community when necessary but never by one or a few nations (who always seem to advocate policies that serve themselves best). The problem is so often a result of sanctions and war not approved by the United Nations, after earlier efforts to address the problems that led there could not muster enough support at the United Nations.

2024-06-10 19:51:57

We need temporary muting for days like this. Also, I should be better and use the #uspol on more of my posts.

2024-06-10 17:00:21

#AI is a great way to keep people afraid of losing their jobs.

2024-06-10 04:00:14

Live now: https://live.culturewar.radio
Join in: https://talk.culturewar.radio
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2024-06-09 15:43:42

There's a good kind of politics that should be called civics. The bad part of politics is just manipulating people in order to amass power (vs corporate PR to make money etc). They want to control us and here they are very concerned that this has now become much harder to do. I don't want Trump elected again and I hate that people will always sometimes vote based on bad information but I can't stand these people treating us like children. #uspol
https://pca.st/episode/45c8a4b5-3a0e-4e07-a1c3-0ac79b08c4f6

2024-06-09 15:15:05

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@npub1xzm…eykm
Cats Aren't Real (either)

2024-06-09 05:05:36

Better ideas don't just win. People desperately hold on even when their own reasoning can't justify it. Look at religion. Look at corporate social media. But eventually, facts and better understandings become undeniable. Once grasped, they cannot be unthought. The "click" is never undone. But the waiting. That sucks. #LiberalValues

2024-06-09 02:42:03

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@npub1xzq…kje9
agreed. I wonder if the structure of #atproto means that #bluesky will never actually be very decentralized.

2024-06-08 23:39:06

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@npub1gwu…svwp
didn't try it but without most journos?

2024-06-08 23:31:49

#Algorithms are a ponzi scheme. They steal attention from the least popular (people you actually chose to follow) to direct you to the already popular (cause the data tells them everybody similar to you likes this more). Everything cools come from word of mouth, not mainstream corporations. They just suck the life out of it. It's why early Twitter was the best of social media. Definitely the most intellectually stimulating. #SocialWeb

2024-06-08 16:56:15

Just exactly what needs to be said about our economics and politics today. Immigration is great in lots of ways but that we can't honestly talk about how it hurts wages is probably the best example of what's wrong with Democrats today. But seriously, they touch on all the key points imo.
https://pca.st/episode/a4efa254-4acb-44c1-8924-592d328db8fc

2024-06-08 02:11:00

Algos don't help anybody. They just steal attention from some people you follow, to show you more of other people you follow. Or people you don't follow at all. Cause they claim to know better than you, what you want to see. Or say that so they can instead show you other stuff they want you to see. If you think you need them, just follow more people instead. If you're seeing junk without them, follow less people. It's not hard and it preserves our power over the corporate overlords. #SocialWeb

2024-06-08 00:20:31

The opposite of the #AttentionDemocracy of the fedi is "their algorithm". Somebody else deciding what you see. That's what the #AI will always be too. "Their agent" who for now seems to work for you, but we all know the inevitable path of #enshittification. #SocialWeb

2024-06-07 17:53:00

What most sucks about hating #Trump (for great reasons) is that lots of his supporters are working class and disrespected by the elites, so mocking him can feel like punching down. And then saying they shouldn't support him comes off as telling them they're stupid. It's a no-win situation for leftists who put economics first, and most want to improve the situation of these same people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

2024-06-07 04:38:37

With states being more solid red or blue, we need a better way to appoint state Supreme Court justices. Otherwise they will be locked partisan for decades.
Have the lowest level judges appointed by governors when necessary, but then have those judges decide among themselves who moves up when the opportunity arises.
(we should do this at the federal level too.)

2024-06-07 04:29:07

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@npub1l9s…seca
Probably not but he did support the Palestinians. Parts Unknown, season 2, episode 1 was great. He went to the West Bank and Gaza.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bourdain-courage-made-palestine/

2024-06-07 04:11:46

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@npub1tx5…ju44
woohoo! hashtags should also function like subreddits throughout the fedi.

2024-06-06 22:04:39

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@npub15l0…g3yx
but it means owners (and the people who can squeeze them) get to make that decision. same with getting the algorithms to boost who/what they want. that's why decentralization matters.

2024-06-06 20:04:42

How much is Trump and the support for a strongman president the result of a 50 year effort to make democratic government appear corrupt and ineffectual? Of course that would lead to incompatible desires to MAGA it up and have no government. The people who think they are seeing past the propaganda and discovering the conspiracies, don't know about or can't see or refuse to acknowledge the ones most visible and documented by the left forever. #TheWeeklyShow #JonStewart
https://pca.st/episode/b3739520-ef72-4aad-84be-c3119bfc4608

2024-06-06 19:09:31

This ends with people pissed off at both major parties fighting for attention on cable news and social media, voting for an AI government.

2024-06-06 19:03:12

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@npub1lfy…sx3r
but people disagree on who the biggest clowns are.

2024-06-06 15:35:57

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@npub16gn…nu8l
yes, we have to grow for this to matter. I hope the vision presented above can give people another reason to try to make that happen, and recognize why some don't want us to.

2024-06-06 05:09:00

#SpeakerMikeJohnson claims Trump won in 2020. So why isn't he investigating and having hearings? Why isn't Trump and his supporters, especially the friends and family of #AshliBabbitt, demanding that he do so?
Same reason nobody tests the communion wafer and wine for transubstantiation. Cause it's a creed, not a factual belief. Your job is to be mostly docile, say the right words and hope the community holds together as long as possible.

2024-06-06 02:23:55

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@npub1xg6…e6jt
think I can get another $1m out of this bullshit?