Thompson: I want to re-circle something that you said because I think it’s so important. When I’m on social media, on Twitter, following the arguments among people who are building AI, I’ll often see them make this fact check where they’ll say, “There’s this popular claim about data centers using all of this water, but in fact, data centers use much less water than is commonly assumed.” But that fact check is often assumed to do the job of proving that anti–data center politics is based on a myth. And what your reporting, I think, does so well is it shows that the actual on-the-ground opposition to data centers is so much more complicated than just a single factoid about water use.This still caricatures the water issue even as it acknowledges there are other complaints.
I was very amused that he has just discovered that all of the people he followed on twitter might be arguing against a strawman! Surely all of those people with financial interests aren't just arguing their book! Much to consider about what it means if we get all of our information on X, the everything App, and generally ignore or denigrate any complaints because lefty NIMBYism or whatever.
On so many issues, and especially this one recently, the "left coded" argument on any subject is often only understood as caricature presented by its detractors.
"Following the arguments among," he says, not, "following the arguments between them and those who disagreed." You were just listening to two dumb bitches telling each other “exaaaaactlyyyy.”
You weren't following arguments! You were following one side of an argument by people using their platforms and power to stomp the other side! This is not a good faith debate pervert session!
This is, actually, how the "marketplace of ideas" works!