Decency has no barrier to entry
On AI slop, natural curiosity, and the hazard of letting bad people become powerful influencers
Concerns about the “brain rot” plaguing social media are not unfounded, especially as attention spans for complex topics are challenged by algorithmic feeds and endless scrolling. The ease with which people can be drawn in by pointless material so devoid of redeeming qualities that it can be synthesized as AI slop ought to discomfort us all. Life is short and precious and should be more than just a commodity that people commoditize and sell to the highest bidder for “engagement”.
■ But we ought to be even more concerned about the proliferation of soul rot, as conspiracy theorists, chauvinists, racists, and other deeply unfit individuals find their way into circumstances of influence. Nobody has to be smart to be good. There is no barrier to entry for common decency or good character -- they are open to all. We should instead be swift to ostracize those who choose not to demonstrate those basic virtues, unapologetically and even ruthlessly cutting them off from polite society as a reflection of their own choices.
■ People should conduct themselves so that if an accusation is made against them, the reflexive response comes back something like, “That doesn’t sound like them at all”. Our society makes a giant mistake when it elevates or enriches people who profit by degrading others, seek high office despite obvious deep character flaws, or who profit by exploiting the public trust.
■ Brain rot is a real problem, to be sure, but it’s less corrosive in the long run than the kind of social decay that follows from letting truly indecent behavior become a road to enrichment. In the long run, natural curiosity will push back against the brain rot as people discover the fulfillment found in better things. But if the soul rot goes unchecked for too long, it will spread as people construct ways to rationalize joining in the bad behavior as the only way to get ahead. We don’t have to be smart to be good, but we would have to be pretty stupid to let the bad get ahead without consequences.