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πŸŽƒ π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

Halloween Special!

Pessimists Archive
Oct 31, 2021
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πŸŽƒ π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

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πŸ‘» Ghost in the Machine

In 1931 The San Francisco Chronicle ran a piece titled β€˜Weird, Ghostly and β€œSupernatural” Antics of the Radio’ exploring reports of supernatural phenomena prompted by the rise of radio. To celebrate halloween we had a voice actor perform the 30 minute article, take a listen.

LISTEN NOW

We also did an extensive deep-dive/analysis in the article below, which you’ll also find in your inbox:

Pessimists Archive Newsletter
πŸ‘» πŸ“» Radio was Treated as a Supernatural Force
Did the rise of 19th century technologies - such as radio - lead to an increase in reports of the supernatural? That’s the question Atlantic writer Derek Thompson asked on Twitter this week and it brought to mind a 1931 piece from the archive titled…
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a year ago Β· Pessimists Archive

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘¦β€πŸ‘¦ Thinking of the Children

The debate around Facebook and Instagram, after leaked internal research lead to senate hearings, sounded very familiar. Popular entertainment youth trends often cause unease among the adult population. When something emerges to rationalize that unease, adding some scientific and academic clout - a moral panic often ensues. Adding fuel to the fire, doctors are now being quoted as playing Tourette’s like symptoms on TikTok.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
Tell me we’re in a moral panic without telling me we’re in a moral panic
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2:46 AM βˆ™ Oct 19, 2021
51Likes8Retweets

Whatever you think of instagram and TikTok - one can’t ignore the historical parallels and red flags signaling moral panic. A similar pattern happened with novels, comic books, rock music and video games.

✍️ We did a run down of past hearings and government actions prompted by parental concern and moral panic.

Pessimists Archive Newsletter
All the Times Politicians 'Saved' Kids from Entertainment Technology
✍️ Written by Pessimists Archive Contributor Harry Pugh The US government has its hands full. Taxes. War. Infrastructure. Impeachments. Pandemics. Nevertheless, no matter the challenges facing the country, lawmakers have always found time for a moral panic about how children entertain themselves. Cartoons. Television. Raves. Why waste your time and rot y…
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a year ago Β· Pessimists Archive

🚲 Bicycle for the Mind

In current discussions about social media a common historical analogy is to compare Facebook to β€˜big tobacco’, few seem to be noting the similarities between the treatment of the comic book industry in the 1950s. The below clip from a 1950s show called β€˜Confidential File’ bares a striking resemblance to todays debates.

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Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
In 1955 the TV show β€˜Confidential File’ interviewed children about their comic book habits, their answers - tantamount to forced confessions - were used to legitimise moral panic around comic books.
12:11 PM βˆ™ Oct 26, 2021
55Likes20Retweets

The problem with insisting that β€œit is different this time” is it serves to render important historical lessons about unfounded moral panics, mute. A good example of this is when Tristan Harris insisted there was no moral panic when the bicycle started to become popular (there absolutely was.)

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
To rationally assess (and regulate) any new technology you can’t just ask β€œHow is it different this time?” You must also ask β€œHow is it the same?”
2:10 PM βˆ™ Oct 8, 2021
126Likes52Retweets

πŸš› What The Truck

Supply chains across the world are suffering from labor shortages, truck drivers are being offered large bonuses to get driving and only automated shipping ports are operating consistently. This is ironic - considering only last year Andrew Yang was promising truck drivers basic income to counter the threat of self-driving trucks.

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Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
How it started. How it’s going.
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11:32 AM βˆ™ Oct 20, 2021
37Likes5Retweets

Perhaps Andrew Yangs next campaign can promise to pay them $2000 a month if they return to truck driving.


🐐 Mechanical Scape Goat

In a sign that the Facebook debate might be getting a bit out of hand, a prominent Twitter user called for Mark Zuckerberg to be *literally* executed, which reminded us of when The New York Times alluded to similar sentiments the year he perfected the incandescent lightbulb. You can hear that article read aloud here.

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Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
A call for Zuckerberg to be executed. Some wanted Thomas Edison hanged in 1878 as referenced by The New York Times, who claimed he’d β€œinvented too many things” (Hear article read aloud here: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mr-edi…) πŸ’‘A year later Edison perfected the incandescent lightbulb. https://t.co/Dwq7f1OfVq
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Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) @IwriteOK
We need a new Nuremberg trial for Zuckerberg and folks like him. This is a rare instance where capital punishment is, in fact, justified. We know to a matter of perfect certainty that he is guilty. https://t.co/FBGA9WVuCE
5:58 PM βˆ™ Oct 27, 2021
12Likes10Retweets

Article Reading


😎🀳 How Do You Do Fellow Kids

Emmy nominated producer and rising TikTok star Cleo Abrams turned some of our archival finds into an awesome TikTok video. Check that out in the below tweet and make sure to follow her if you use TikTok.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
Awesome TikTok on moral panics by @cleoabram featuring clippings from our archive vm.tiktok.com/ZM8YM7avP/
3:47 PM βˆ™ Oct 14, 2021
32Likes6Retweets

Cleo also did a great series on unfounded fears about nuclear power you should check out.

Twitter avatar for @cleoabram
Cleo Abram @cleoabram
earlier this year, the Indian Point nuclear plant shut down. it was a victory for activists + politicians (Cuomo, AOC) who had advocated its closure for decades. here’s the problem: Indian Point generated more energy than all solar and wind in NY state.🧡youtu.be/KC7YD98HixM
youtu.beWhy nuclear plants are shutting downThe nuclear power dilemma, explained.Subscribe and turn on notifications πŸ”” so you don’t miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjOThe infamous Indian Point nucle...
1:12 PM βˆ™ Oct 1, 2021
238Likes79Retweets

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