General News Thread

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, The Bear said:

All SM needs regulating and regulating hard or it's only going to get worse. 

A few years ago, this viewpoint would have been rejected out of hand by a lot of folks, or at least gotten a fair few pelters. 

 

How the times are changing. 

[The Bear]

I've said before but U18s shouldn't be allowed accounts on any SM unless they are via a parent or guardians sub-account. And they should be labeled U18 accounts and automatically have certain content restricted. 

Edited 23 August by The Bear

[Foxdiamond]

6 minutes ago, The Bear said:

I've said before but U18s shouldn't be allowed accounts on any SM unless they are via a parent or guardians sub-account. And they should be labeled U18 accounts and automatically have certain content restricted. 

Yet it was seen as a good idea to let 16 and 17 year olds vote as deemed mature enough. I agree that SM needs regulation but my goodness what a lack of moral compass and basic sensibilities some must have to be so influenced.

[Sampson]

27 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

A few years ago, this viewpoint would have been rejected out of hand by a lot of folks, or at least gotten a fair few pelters. 

 

How the times are changing. 

15 years ago I think many (myself included) would've told you the internet was the best invention inhuman history and would bring anout greater knowledge, greater empathy seeing more people's struggles and bring us a closer and economically more well off.

 

Now I think a lot of us have just realised that the internet does more harm than good. Most people feel worse off economically as they did in the mid-90s when the internet took off - there's fewer jobs and even the jobs that do exist change so frequently its muuch harder to build a stable career in one discipline now, it's also caused people to be way less social in real life and it be way harder to make genuine long lasting friends and romantic relationships, people have less friends, less sex. Which I thinks leads to so much of increasing mental health issues as people just feel lonelier.

 

Everyone feels watched all the time too, social media outrage culture (on both the left and right - of both virtue signalling and vice signaling) means you can't take risks and do stupid things and **** up and make mistakes anymore (which you're supposed to be able to do especially in your teens and twenties) without being piled on and have permanent posts about you easily googleable by employees -it's impossible to "make one heap of all your winnings, And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss" anymore.

 

I think the reason a lot of us are so fearful of AI is that its going to be all the negative sides of the internet on steroids and after the internet hasn't brought about the abundance promised, its hard not to be cynical that AI won't either.

Edited 23 August by Sampson

[leicsmac]

12 minutes ago, The Bear said:

I've said before but U18s shouldn't be allowed accounts on any SM unless they are via a parent or guardians sub-account. And they should be labeled U18 accounts and automatically have certain content restricted. 

 

Just now, Foxdiamond said:

Yet it was seen as a good idea to let 16 and 17 year olds vote as deemed mature enough. I agree that SM needs regulation but my goodness what a lack of moral compass and basic sensibilities some must have to be so influenced.

While the point about social media and U18's is a valid one, that age group is far from the only one that such media influences in a highly negative fashion, with highly negative results. And those groups vote too.

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, leicsmac said:

 

While the point about social media and U18's is a valid one, that age group is far from the only one that such media influences in a highly negative fashion, with highly negative results. And those groups vote too.

Yet a sensible line has to been drawn somewhere. I think one problem is that in the past a lot of us left school at 15 or 16 and entered full time work and naturally mixed with all ages and influences changed.

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Yet a sensible line has to been drawn somewhere. I think one problem is that in the past a lot of us left school at 15 or 16 and entered full time work and naturally mixed with all ages and influences changed.

It does, and that is a big topic that goes to the very heart of what the vote franchise means itself.

[Rubbersoul]

Im a grown man and pretty secure in my mental wellbeing but there’s a huge difference in how I feel mentally when I haven’t been on social media for a few days. 
 

So I can see how bad it can be for teenagers

[davieG]

It would seem one of the lads that died had been posting videos of him in car chases

 

Teen in A66 crash that killed seven people posted TikTok videos of his high-speed police chases

[Wymsey]

Wonder if the families of those involved could sue TikTok.

 

Also have TikTok released a statement yet mentioning how sorry they are and their plan to tighten its site regulations.

[Foxdiamond]

57 minutes ago, davieG said:

It would seem one of the lads that died had been posting videos of him in car chases

 

Teen in A66 crash that killed seven people posted TikTok videos of his high-speed police chases

Hard to have much sympathy for idiots who had so little regard for other people or even their own families. 18 is plenty old enough to understand personal responsibilities. If you want thrills there must be lots of legitimate activities to enjoy.

[davieG]

5 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Hard to have much sympathy for idiots who had so little regard for other people or even their own families. 18 is plenty old enough to understand personal responsibilities. If you want thrills there must be lots of legitimate activities to enjoy.

They need to go on something like the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Maybe even compulsory for those unemployed. 

 

Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is a youth development and achievement program for young people aged 14 to 24. Participants complete personal activities across progressive Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels, building life skills, confidence, and independence by volunteering, getting active, learning new skills, and going on expeditions.

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

They need to go on something like the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Maybe even compulsory for those unemployed. 

 

Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is a youth development and achievement program for young people aged 14 to 24. Participants complete personal activities across progressive Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels, building life skills, confidence, and independence by volunteering, getting active, learning new skills, and going on expeditions.

Can you imagine the outrage from some?

[MaidstoneFox]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

It would seem one of the lads that died had been posting videos of him in car chases

 

Teen in A66 crash that killed seven people posted TikTok videos of his high-speed police chases

This is what happens when you give every idiot the opportunity to film and upload to a worldwide audience, with no filtering mechanism in between. These lads think they are the equivalent of wild west gunslingers, but they are chasing likes and views instead. It's tragic how small your life must feel that you need this level of risky behaviour to achieve some sort of self-esteem and worth.

 

There's all sorts of stuff on Tiktok, that I've seen my teenage son watching - shoplifting, stunts, running an railway lines - he just watches fortunately, but a lot of other kids are easily influenced.

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3040pn8lmmo

 

Elbows up, Canucks. 

 

Perhaps Burnham and Albanese, among others, could offer some on record support for their Commonwealth companion. 

 

Edit: just watch out for any double-dealing Albertans. 

Edited 23 August by leicsmac

[Corky]

1 hour ago, Foxdiamond said:

Hard to have much sympathy for idiots who had so little regard for other people or even their own families. 18 is plenty old enough to understand personal responsibilities. If you want thrills there must be lots of legitimate activities to enjoy.

Yeah, surely you know how dangerous this is from a very young age, well before 18?

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, Corky said:

Yeah, surely you know how dangerous this is from a very young age, well before 18?

Yep. 

 

But then you have luminaries on social media telling you that you should do it anyway. 

 

Which leads to an age-old dilemma about accountability when such horrible things occur. 

[Foxdiamond]

Two of the idiots were 23. Mind boggles

[davieG]

Here's what we know:

• The crash, involving a marked police car and a Volkswagen Passat, occurred on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, at about 03:39 BST on Saturday
• Two police officers - Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38 - were killed in the crash
• The five occupants of the Passat - Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 16, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18 - also died
• Police say the crash occurred as the Passat was driving the wrong way on the A66
• The BBC understands a police pursuit of the Passat had taken place but ended before the collision - and the police car involved in the crash was not part of the pursuit
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident, as is mandatory in instances where "someone dies following police contact"

[The Bear]

4 hours ago, leicsmac said:

 

While the point about social media and U18's is a valid one, that age group is far from the only one that such media influences in a highly negative fashion, with highly negative results. And those groups vote too.

At least if they're over 18 they can be tried as adults and face the full consequences of any stupidity. And maybe, just maybe learn a valuable lesson. 

[Free Falling Foxes]

3 hours ago, davieG said:

It would seem one of the lads that died had been posting videos of him in car chases

 

Teen in A66 crash that killed seven people posted TikTok videos of his high-speed police chases

I was saying to Mrs. FFF a little earlier, I expect there will be something on one of the lads phones relating to this very tragic incident.

Video of the speedo, laughing and joking leading up to the incident and so on.

 

Terrible and worrying times and what for? So you can get some 'likes' on Tik Tok or whatever.

[Foxdiamond]

14 minutes ago, The Bear said:

At least if they're over 18 they can be tried as adults and face the full consequences of any stupidity. And maybe, just maybe learn a valuable lesson. 

In the past moronic behaviour of various types that makes life a misery for others has been dismissed as youth hijinks 

[LCFCJohn]

58 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Two of the idiots were 23. Mind boggles

Incredible. I was buying my house at that age and older generations will no doubt tell of what they had done with their lives by that age.

 

To be blunt, these 5 were never going to add any value to society. We’d have ended up paying for them one way or another via benefits or their accommodation at HMP. 

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, The Bear said:

At least if they're over 18 they can be tried as adults and face the full consequences of any stupidity. And maybe, just maybe learn a valuable lesson. 

In theory, at least. 

[FoxesDeb]

20 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Yeah I do agree. I know things like this can go beyond parenting itself and be down to crowds young people get in with and of course social media. 
 

It must be the most awful thing and I’m conscious who I am speaking to in yourself Deb and what you have gone through so it’s not a subject I would want to come across as insensitive about due to the anger about the circumstances behind this incident. As FoxDiamond says above, as with the case in Ireland, the hate that will inevitably be aimed towards the individuals themselves will be more difficult for the families to digest as they will carry the shame that those actions have also taken 2 innocent lives.

I appreciate the sensitivity, thank you.

 

And yes although different circumstances, maybe my situation affects my feelings about this type of thing, I don't know. I do think women feel more sympathy than men with these kinds of things, that's not a criticism just an observation. 

 

But yes I think we can all agree it's just a fvcking tragedy for all concerned, and very difficult for everyone involved.