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Samizdata quote of the day – The assault on Gen Z’s free thought

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The establishment never sleeps, does it? At the beginning of last year Channel 4, came up with a glossy report dressed up as concern for the youth. “Gen Z: Trends, Truth and Trust,” they called it, a title that drips with the sort of paternalistic sanctimony you’d expect from a broadcaster that’s long been the darling of the liberal elite. Delivered in a keynote speech that was part TED Talk, part sermon, then CEO, and recently gonged Alex Mahon CBE painted a picture of Britain’s young people as lost souls adrift in a sea of misinformation, desperately in need of rescue by surprise, surprise. the very institutions that have spent decades alienating them. What is concerning is that some of her predictions are coming to pass.

But let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t a fair-minded attempt to help Gen Z navigate the news. It’s a brazen power grab, a sly manoeuvre by the modern establishment to control what young people read, watch, and believe. Through a highly sceptical lens, one that sees through the veneer of altruism, this report reeks of desperation. The old guard is panicking because Gen Z isn’t buying their narrative anymore. And why should they? These kids have grown up in a world stacked against them, jobs vanishing to AI, a housing market that’s a sick joke, student debts piled high by a system that promises opportunity but delivers chains. They’re not falling for “fake news”; they’re spotting the real biases in the so-called trusted sources. Mahon’s call? Rein in the wild west of the internet, slap labels on “reliable” content, and let the state play gatekeeper.

Freedom of speech? That’s so last century.

Gawain Towler

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gangsterofboats
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In the New Year, We Will Hear Even More Environmental Doom Because the Doomsday Industry Never Rests

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A wearisome part of modern life is the incessant chants of “doomsday” from intellectual, academic, political, and media elites. That their six decades of predictions all have been wrong only leads them to double down on the volume of their claims.
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Embracing Austrian Economics: A Path Forward for Zimbabwe

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Ever since independence more than 40 years ago, Zimbabwe has been wracked with socialism, inflation, and corrupt political leadership. Yet, there is a way forward for the nation, if Austrian Economics can be in its future.
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American Indians: Separating Truth from Fiction

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Depending upon the narrative, American Indians were either noble creatures who were victims of a genocide by rapacious European settlers or were bloodthirsty savages. The truth is more nuanced.
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Democrats Confused Why Venezuelans Cheering Downfall Of Nice, Warm Collectivism

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U.S. — Bewildered Democrats watched in utter confusion today as Venezuelans cheered the downfall of warm, cozy collectivism.

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Classic: Trump Has Delta Force Operators Tell Maduro ‘You’re Fired’

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CARACAS — In a classic Trump move, the President ordered the Delta Force operators who captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to say "You're fired" upon deposing him.

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