You Slipped Up, Madam Secretary...
Did White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki make a bigger mistake than most are pointing out?
It would seem that Press Secretary Jen Psaki may have inadvertently slid herself and the people she speaks on behalf of into the proximity of slimy, noxious tentacles of the classic double-bind. In the study of philosophy and argumentation, Lehrer, Cornman and Pappas all take the time to explain precisely why the double-bind, sometimes referred to as 'The Kafka Trap' or a 'Catch-22' for the literary sorts, is such a gross thing to employ in any meaningdful dialogue.
David Foster Wallace's 'A Fun Thing I'll Probably Never Do Again' highlights it perfectly and humourously, too. Just read about the poor little boathands who have to hold in their heads "The Customer is Always Right" and "The Customer doesn't carry their bags". Poor devils.
Deploying the double-bind is ethically murky, at best, so I'm not enthused about using it. One side of a conflict abusing tactics that are morally or ethically gray does NOT justify using them oneself. I'm about to commit a hypocrisy by doing so, and if this reduces my standing in the eyes of any readers, I must simply accept that.
Secretary Psaki:
By informing the public that you are assisting Facebook identify 'potentially problematic material', you are confessing that there is a beneficial partnership between the corporate power and state power, which is the definition of fascism, especially since you don't seem to be offering this assistance with any OTHER social media company.
Unless, of course, your argument is that Facebook, being so ubiquitous among the public, is a new form of public square....
Which the federal government is supposed to protect access to...
And not infringe upon the rights of peoples within...
So, are you fascists? Or is Facebook supposed to be treated like the public square?
I'll wait to hear back from you, Secretary Psaki....