The Internet Sucks - And It's On Purpose

"Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment" (evanmcm)
12/03/2016 at 21:57 • Filed to: None

I remember back in the day, one could go on the internet to learn about whatever they wanted, and escape the idiocy of conventional politics.

No longer.

Nearly every site I go to now has become a comment section on Donald Trump, and I’m fucking exhausted with it. I have no interest in the idiotic GOP vs DNC debate that is largely US politics. Most people seemingly have no clue how to properly analyze the complex system that is our country, and so we must constantly give in to this bullshit, binary identity politics circus every year. And it’s getting worse.

My views would be considered extreme, at best, in most generally popular internet comment sections. Of course, that’s assuming I go to any website to spend my day arguing about politics with people who think the Democrats and the Republicans are the only two groups that matter in the entire universe. I don’t. And never will. However, it’s annoying that this is about all we have now.

The rather depressing part of this whole tragedy is that it’s seemingly done on purpose by bloggers & site managers/editors/writers that have decided they need to make a political point with every line they approve or write. And it’s ruining the internet. Every single space is now dominated by 60 IQ-level political hacheting, including this site. And it’s getting worse almost by the month. Seems to show no sign of stopping either.

Oppo seems fine, because we make our own content, and shocker, we are here for the cars, not for any of the other bullshit topics that we are told matter. And that’s what I wish the whole site was like. I rather miss that.

Here’s to keeping Oppo (mostly) sane and free of the political soapboxing.

DISCUSSION (19)

Phatboyphil > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 22:06

OMG your just too much a privileged shitlord, to not care about politics!

I’m sorry, I hate that line just as much as you probably do.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 22:10

Don’t worry it’s just going to get worse as net neutrality dies in the next few years.

wiffleballtony > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 22:12

Yeah, I agree with you. It’s hard to find safe haven anymore.

yamahog > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 22:20

At the time of posting, this and the Cuban jeep breaking down are the only vaguely political things on Oppo for over 2.5 hours. Congrats on doing the thing you’re complaining about?

dogisbadob > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/03/2016 at 22:27

Yeah, I’m surprised this isn’t being mentioned more. And net neutrality has been under siege even before Trump :(

fintail > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 22:31

Just wait til the Breitbart empire expands.

That swamp, it’s a drainin’!

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > yamahog
12/03/2016 at 22:37

I think he specifically stated that oppo was not part of the problem...

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 23:11

Oppo is 95+% good. I just want to be somewhere where I can post about stupid shit and not be shat of for liking old Coronas.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/03/2016 at 23:19

I voted for an independent in the last federal election. There were six candidates on my ballot, and I thought he was the best, not the least-worst.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > dogisbadob
12/03/2016 at 23:50

It has but they have been attempting to but nails in a coffin. The Trump administration is just going to use the hammer to bludgeon it in the face.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > dogisbadob
12/04/2016 at 00:00

Seems to pop up every year.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/04/2016 at 00:03

Caddy as a hat tip :)

Kinja'd!!!

RallyWrench > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/04/2016 at 01:13

Boy have I got a Corona wagon to show you... next time I see it around, and that happens regularly, I’ll get pics.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyWrench
12/04/2016 at 01:27

I don’t have time for your hurtful LIES

RallyWrench > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/04/2016 at 01:36

Oh YEAH?!? I’ll bet your so called Toyotas don’t even have US titles! Coronaghazi!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyWrench
12/04/2016 at 01:39

With legal title come great responsibilities — or in my case, rust.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment
12/04/2016 at 02:20

Corporations are by nature unintelligent—their mission is to maximise profit.

Media corporations only know one way to do that—view count as a measure for ad sponsorship.

Media only knows one way to increase view count—sensationalism.

I wouldn’t say that the media is the cause of lowest-common-denominator, party-based (rather than candidate-based, policy-based or results-based), black/white, left/right, right/wrong political discourse, but it’s definitely a contributor and an aggravator. Social media is a major new culprit.

Most people are loath to process actual facts and exercise critical thinking. Rather than formulate their own, they would rather have two opinions presented to them and choose one.

Social media allows these non-thinking people 1) an easy platform for them to spread their agenda, and 2) find, be found or be marketed to by others who exclusively agree with their agenda.

There was a recent article about the shocking difference (see what I did there?) between a Democrat supporter’s Facebook feed and that of a Republican supporter.

The best remedy is to get off the web—it’s a cesspool of Internet Tough Guys, SJWs and cyber-bullies who want attention but aren’t getting any in real life.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/04/2016 at 08:37

I kind of feel like they won’t because they won due to neutrality. They didn’t have to spend money and the alternative media didn’t have to spend money. If you had to pay for access, the democrats had/have all the cash - look at the spending of both campaigns.

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
12/06/2016 at 01:54

I try to keep all my political interactions limited to those who specifically don’t react in extreme ways, on either side. Of course my views, while not fitting into any predefined box, are fairly well-defined so I don’t ever feel “under attack” or anything silly like that...it’s just rather annoying to have to crawl through pages of shit to find good content on what used to be fairly neutral sites. There was always a tinge of politics on Jalopnik, in the early days it was good-natured. Now, it’s just insane.

Of course I know why this is all happening, just felt like venting and perhaps seeing if anyone felt the same way.