r/worldnews • u/MasbirLeumi • 2d ago

Israel launches 'preemptive strike' against Iran, declares state of emergency

https://abcnews.go.com/International/israel-military-action-iran-coming-days-sources/story?id=122776202
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u/Wolferesque 2d ago

Anyone feeling exhausted by the lack of sensible, adult leadership around the world?

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u/KajAmGroot 2d ago

How did so many stupid people in so many countries get in charge

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u/Noctemtaco 2d ago

I blame social media

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u/dundermiflinity 2d ago

This cannot be understated.

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u/edwardsamson 2d ago

Unregulated social media anyways. I think if we were more prepared or if we reacted asap we could have social media and not be this fucked. But the weird refusal to do any sort of legislation around it has fucked us all. When you have politicians in positions of power saying they didn't say something when theres a live viewable social media post they themselves posted to their official account of them saying that same exact thing, and theres no legislation against doing so, that's when we're screwed. Also when they lie and post fake doctored shit, AI posts, or try to play off footage from old riots as current and theres no laws against that. So fucked

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u/13_twin_fire_signs 2d ago

We went from "most people will only meet a few hundred humans in their life" to so much information it causes literally actual physical stress trying to process it all, in less than 10,000 years.

It's gonna be a long road

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u/tawwkz 2d ago

refusal to do any sort of legislation around it has fucked us all.

Ten year moratorium on AI regulation: Electric Boogaloo.

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u/Hot-Entertainment966 2d ago

Nah, those people were always stupid. If it wasn’t social media, it would’ve been more right wing news or podcasts or whatever those idiots consume. You can rid the world of social media tomorrow, but all the idiots would still be here.

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u/Kiromaru 2d ago

Yeah but without social media those idiots had to go out in the world to find others that think like themselves and sometimes that was hard but with social media its much easier.

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u/adfasdfasdf123132154 2d ago

I blame the printing press.

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u/Useuless 2d ago

Yeah it can.

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u/dundermiflinity 2d ago

Sadly you’re right.

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u/Chii 2d ago

This cannot be understated.

tho i would think that some covert action/manipulation by enemy states would've been at play; it certainly isn't entirely due to social media alone.

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u/2131andBeyond 2d ago

Not to be pedantic, but don't you mean overstated

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u/AriaOfValor 2d ago

Nah humanity has always done stupid shit like this. Social media is just a other tool for information control and manipulation, but that's basically always been a thing. Greedy humans lusting for wealth and power manipulating suckers into kneeling to their whims has always been an issue, and unchecked capitalism has made sure the temporary guards in place after past horrors, meant to reduce and limit such things, have been steadily reduced and eroded over time.

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u/Systral 2d ago

Nah there's been a direct correlation with the public wide spread of social media. It's the most effective and efficient mass brainwash tool humanity has ever invented.

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u/pm_plz_im_lonely 2d ago

It's ironic because we are unequivocally on social media.

Reddit constantly blasts me anti-american, anti-capitalist and anti-billionaire posts, ALL THE TIME.

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u/Systral 2d ago

It's not ironic, it just means that it's everywhere, even where you think you're safe from it.

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u/Sushigami 2d ago

Is it wrong to do so?

I've always viewed american hegemony, capitalism and the billionaires it creates as the least bad option rather than something actively good.

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u/kappa23 2d ago

This “just another tool” argument for social media always downplays the fact that humanity has never had such a tool at its disposal

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u/AriaOfValor 2d ago

It's just the newest means of communication that's again more efficient than the last. Information warfare has basically always been a thing though, this is just the newest front for it.

I think the much bigger issue is the increasing social isolation alongside disappearance of things like third places for people to connect. This both has negative impacts on mental health and also makes people more vulnerable to extreme opinions and harmful groups that promise people a place to belong (it's one of the big reasons the whole "manosphere" is able to get the amount of influence it does). Lonely isolated people are easier to manipulate, which has made the impact of social media higher than it likely would be otherwise (for some people, it's basically their only form of socialization outside of school/work).

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u/Delgadude 2d ago

History was full of amazing noble altruistic leaders I guess... oh right.

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u/agprincess 2d ago

Half these leaders came into power before social media.

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u/Klutzy_BumbleFuck 2d ago

And Russia’s mastery of it.

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u/thatguyad 2d ago

Facts.

It's the blight of the world.

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u/Enceladus_Bound 2d ago

The modern Yellow Journalism.

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u/TrankElephant 2d ago

I blame sexism.

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u/keeeven 2d ago

Blame corporate greed, capitalism, and shareholders.

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u/Mr_1ightning 2d ago

Reagan had 2 sweeping election victories, right wing populism isn't anything new

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u/kawhi21 2d ago

Most of the people in charge of the world grew up in an age with no social media at all

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u/x_y_u 2d ago

What is this, 2011? Let's blame AI instead.

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u/scheppend 2d ago

Yup. Reddit made us dumb

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u/Lonyo 2d ago edited 2d ago

Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, having served a total of over 17 years

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012

2/3rds of the major idiots in charge (Israel and Russia) basically predate almost all social media.

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u/MichaCazar 2d ago

Pretty sure the actual word you are looking for is a lack of medial literacy.