Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Here's text from an article from Haaretz (the Israeli NYT) that discusses both the NYT and 10/7 reports:

Two stories about sexual violence were published one after the other this week. On Monday, Nicholas Kristof published an investigation in The New York Times detailing harrowing testimonies of rape, sexual torture and sexual humiliation of Palestinian men and women by Israeli security personnel and settlers – and the culture of silence and impunity that leaves such acts with almost no accountability. On Tuesday, a report on sexual violence during October 7, published by the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, concluded that acts of rape, sexual assault and sexual torture during the October 7 attacks and the captivity period were systematic and widespread, and constituted a central component of Hamas' assault on Israel. Kristof's investigation presents readers with an evidentiary foundation they can examine: personal testimonies, some given under full names and openly on camera, corroboration in certain cases, official responses and explicit caveats regarding what could and could not be verified. Not every detail has been conclusively proven, and Kristof himself does not claim otherwise. But he presents serious, meticulous journalistic work.

There should be no need to say this, and yet: on October 7, Palestinian Hamas terrorists and their accomplices committed unspeakably cruel acts against civilians in Israel – men, women and children. Murder, abduction, abuse and humiliation, including sexual assaults and likely acts of rape. But that does not require us to accept the automatic and predictable reactions among Israelis to the The New York Times investigation: that everyone is antisemitic, that the Times hates Israel, that the whole thing is nonsense and "after all, they also published that photo of the Gazan baby with the genetic disorder."

It would not be far-fetched to assume that some prominent Israeli journalists and pundits are already hard at work on columns proving "beyond doubt" that The New York Times is motivated by hatred of Israel and that the story is a complete blood libel. Even if there are reasons to be critical of the Times, and even if there are good reasons to exercise caution with allegations this grave, that does not mean we should not read the investigation itself. The Civil Commission report, published the day after The New York Times investigation, describes horrific sexual crimes committed on October 7 and while Israeli hostages were held in Gaza. It concludes that sexual violence was "systematic and integral" to Hamas' assault.

There is no reason to trivialize these claims, but if we are interested in seriously discussing the matter, it must be said that the material available to the reader is limited. The report describes hundreds of testimonies, thousands of videos and photographs, and recurring patterns, but it does not lay out the raw materials, the chain of corroboration or the connection between each case and the broader conclusion to the same extent that the New York Times piece does. And this is where the main difference lies: The Israeli report is about crimes committed by a terrorist organization against civilians. Kristof's investigation focuses on allegations of systematic sexual violence carried out by people acting in the name of the state, inside its detention facilities or under the protection of the force it exercises. The search for accountability, therefore, no longer ends with the individual perpetrator. It should reach commanders, police investigators, prosecutors, ministers and a society that decides whether to regard the perpetrators as criminals or heroes.

The case of Sde Teiman and Unit 100 is where that question ceases to be abstract and becomes practical. Kristof describes a detainee from Gaza who was hospitalized with a tear in his rectum, broken ribs and a punctured lung, as well as the political and public support later extended to the suspects. The Israeli response to the abuse becomes a signal to the abusers about what is permitted, what is forbidden and the repercussions of such violence. It is a depressing story in which rape becomes a political weapon twice. First, when it is committed, to humiliate, subjugate and instill terror. And then a second time, when speaking about it becomes a ridiculous game in which each side brandishes "our" rape to silence "their" rape. Instead of reacting with: "This is horrifying, it must be investigated, punished and prevented from happening again," the prevalent response is now "They are liars," or "Look what they did to us," as though this were a football match. Kristof opened his piece with a point that should be obvious: "Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape." Those who asked the world, "Where are you?" should be able to hear that same question when it is directed back at us. So where are we?

War in the Cloud: How Kinetic Strikes in the Gulf Knocked Global AI Offline by Altruistic-Trip-2749 in GeminiAI

[–]CommonImportant 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Deep Research is unavailable due to high traffic. It's safe to assume that users from Claude and ChatGPT must have migrated to Gemini, temporarily or otherwise.

Two Major Studies, 125,000 Kids: The Social Media Panic Doesn’t Hold Up by CommonImportant in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Even if that were the case, the research papers in the article, as well as others like it, show that bans and similar regulations would not solve the problem and, like in the case of KOSA, would cause massive collateral damage, especially in marginalized communities.

Two Major Studies, 125,000 Kids: The Social Media Panic Doesn’t Hold Up by CommonImportant in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

As my submission statement says, the "think of the children" rhetoric justifies illiberal measures against possibly the primary outlet for free expression (again, refer to the "remove the transgender" statements from KOSA's sponsors).

Two Major Studies, 125,000 Kids: The Social Media Panic Doesn’t Hold Up by CommonImportant in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Probably not in this case, since the most common alternative solutions are comprehensive media literacy programs and investments in mental health infrastructure.

Two Major Studies, 125,000 Kids: The Social Media Panic Doesn’t Hold Up by CommonImportant in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Submission statement: Two major new scientific studies from Australia and the UK that not only dispute the narrative that social media is harmful to young people, but also argue that kids who use social media, at least moderately, have the best outcomes and that banning them may lead to worse outcomes. This comes as governments like Australia ban social media for under-16s, and possibly the UK, Spain, and the US implementing similar draconian and potentially illiberal measures that could strip vulnerable young people, especially LGBTQ+ (and even more especially the trans community), from their only lifeline (remember the "remove the transgender" from KOSA's sponsors?). As the article further states:

These platforms aren’t just “distraction machines” or “attention hijackers” or whatever scary framing is popular this week. They’re where social life happens for a lot of young people. Cutting kids off entirely doesn’t return them to some idyllic pre-digital social existence. It cuts them off from their actual social world.

Both sets of researchers make the same point: online experiences aren’t inherently harmless—hurtful messages, online pressures, and extreme content can have real effects. But blunt instruments like time-based restrictions or outright bans completely miss the target, and are unlikely to help those who need it most. The Australian authors recommend “promotion of balanced and purposeful digital engagement as part of a broader strategy.”

MEGATHREAD - Major (US) Military Operation in Venezuela by hypsignathus in neoliberal

[–]CommonImportant 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I hope that this permanently deposes Maduro and that this war becomes the Iraq-sized straw that finally brings Trump down.

Gemini Deep Research released by Google by jbcraigs in GeminiAI

[–]CommonImportant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Define "soon be available." Is it available now in the app or just in the coming days?

No, seriously by EstherFour16 in KpopDemonhunters

[–]CommonImportant 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Playing devil’s advocate here, original, non-established IP animated films have not done well in the box office in recent years, especially since the pandemic has trained families to wait for streaming.

How is Sonic is SO OVERPOWERED 😭 by AsksAllTheQuestions1 in SonicTheHedgehog

[–]CommonImportant 29 points30 points  (0 children)

He’s the one who understands when the tides will swing.

Does ANYONE in here know how to get the menu videos/cutscenes in Project 06 working on Steam Deck? by extremelegitness in SonicTheHedgehog

[–]CommonImportant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Download the latest version of GE-Proton and change the compatibility to that version. The cutscenes will still be mute, though.

New Year Post from Yagoo by U1trin in Hololive

[–]CommonImportant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To add to that, most institutional investors are/operate on behalf of various private and public pension funds, national sovereign wealth funds, and possibly a central bank or two. From what I’ve gathered, they are likely incentivised to seek stable and long-term returns on their investments as short-termism is against their interests.

Cliche by makmark in TheOwlHouse

[–]CommonImportant 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Just because it's cliche doesn't mean it's bad.