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Comment by moltopoco

1 day ago

It seems that no modern comment section is complete without the complaint "too much politics", then followed by "but everything is political". Some talks do not even try to draw a line from politics to computers, and I think that is what people feel unhappy about.

https://fahrplan.events.ccc.de/congress/2025/fahrplan/event/...

https://fahrplan.events.ccc.de/congress/2025/fahrplan/event/...

https://fahrplan.events.ccc.de/congress/2025/fahrplan/event/...

The first two talks are in the "Ethics, Society & Politics" category, and the third in the "Art & Beauty" category. Why would they need to be about computing?

It's a big organisation, and politics is wrapped up in what they do, along with the post-WWII Antifaschism culture in Germany.

Even if it weren't the case, I don't get why attack them for helping stand up for democracy, something in dire need of advocacy these days

Unrelated to this conference I've often heard the "everything is political" argument, and mostly with a passive-aggressive "or else.." (you're up for a political fight) undertone. I once enquired on very mundane things in life, and yes "those too are political act". Well, if everything is bleakly political in that sense, we may make it universal, just call it Newspeak.

  • Definition of politics: whenever two agents have conflicting goals and a resolution is reached (peacefully or otherwise). Or more succinctly, multi-agent dynamics. Yes, almost everything is politics, and this is not diluting the word, any more than saying that almost everything is made of atoms is diluting the meaning of the word "atoms".

    (Parent comment was edited to remove the part about diluting meaning)