Jens Oliver Meiert

Activism

German Holocaust Remembrance Culture Is Dead Inside

We do not stop genocides by cherry-picking which ones to regret.

#52 · ·

My War, Genocide, and Misanthropy Policy

If our countries don’t take meaningful action to put an end to large-scale crimes, it doesn’t mean we have to just watch.

#51 · ·

This Is My Child

It should not be alive and well only because his parents are white people living in a European democracy not governed by fascists.

#50 · ·

Lifeform User Story

On sentient beings of all species being dominated and their habitats destroyed.

#49 · ·

A Moratorium on Men Making Major Decisions

On the many news you’ve read today about a woman or a non-binary person invading another country, driving into a crowd, firing workers to maximize profits, raising taxes for low-income people, denying help, cutting benefits, beating someone up, setting a homeless person on fire, raping someone, making the life of a minority hell, endorsing or escalating a genocide, slashing education funding, or doing other WTF.

#48 · ·

On Deciding Who We Are

When a country cannot agree to “advancing a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine” (or other countries).

#47 · · ,

On Making Sure Everyone Is Taken Care Of

For our own sake.

#46 · · ,

Private Property

A quote, from Daniel Loick, that isn’t new, that isn’t all.

#45 · · ,

Genocide Dilemma

On what it means that we’re still committing and accepting genocides.

#44 · ·

When You Are Rich

On what you do as a person who is very rich.

#43 · ·

3 Things to Note About Democracy

If we think democracy can do without education, constructive intentions, and quality candidates, I believe we’re not getting democracy—and risk it.

#42 · ·

Growth

A rant.

#41 · ·

What Germany May Not Have Learned From the Holocaust

No matter who is being violated, learning from a genocide means fighting against any genocide.

#40 · ·

Calling Someone “Too Old” Is Ageist

The “too old” thing needs to stop.

#39 · ·

3 Good Reasons for Vegan and Vegetarian “Substitute” Products

On acknowledging forms, maintaining connection, and making it easier to live empathically and sustainably.

#38 · ·

The Essence of Veganism

On not having anyone suffer or die for us.

#37 · ·

Sustainability Trap

On the need to take and at the same time reassign responsibility for consumption and pollution.

#36 · ·

Exploitation

What and who is easiest to take advantage of and exploit, how is that being justified, and what can be done about it? On one piece of the puzzle what the fewest things are that need changing, to change everything.

#35 · · ,

Give

On one-things and lack.

#34 · · ,

On Ageism

One may argue that the big “-isms” go back to speciesism, the idea that one was “better” than other living beings, or that others were inferior. With that idea warranting a post by itself, there are two things that make ageism particularly stupid.

#33 · ·

The Reverse A-Hole Rule of Social Media

A delayed note about that point at which our defense against disagreeable viewpoints and people becomes an offense.

#32 · ·

Vegan Web Developers

If you’re a vegan and a web developer, why not join us on a humble list of vegan web developers?

#31 · · ,

“The One With the Biggest Hammer Wins”

On a game we could stop playing.

#30 · · ,

Reasons to Listen to Whom You Don’t Agree With

Our culture has become one of canceling, of reacting to what we disagree with and whom we dislike by ignoring, unfollowing, blocking, banning, ostracizing. Camouflaged as non-violent protest, it can well be passive-aggressive intolerance of views and people.

#29 · ·

On Codes of Conduct

On the idea, the wish, the vision of us treating each other well.

#28 · ·

What Happens When You Email the Companies That Are Responsible for 71% of All Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A few months ago I ran into an article referring to data from the Carbon Disclosure Project. I realized that the data may have been inaccurate and incomplete but also that it presented an avenue for us to actually do, a little.

#27 · ·

What Happens When You Email Each of the 1,380 Members of the German and European Parliaments

Over the last couple of months I have emailed, each individually, all the 631 members of the (departing) German Bundestag as well as 749 members of the European Parliament (I was short two MEPs).

#26 · ·

Freedom = ƒ(Money)?

No, this question is not new. However it’s one I want to ponder with you because it much seems like something truly terrible has happened over the centuries.

#25 · ·

The Simple Answer to Our Terrorism Problems

How about we stop invading countries and murdering people. How about we allow those who are too afraid to live in freedom to live in supermax prisons (for free). And how about we finally remove from office who ever proposes to violate a human right.

#24 · ·

Foreigners Are Heroes

Foreigners to our countries—expats, immigrants, refugees—are heroes. Foreigners, people like you and I, add to our lives and our cultures. Foreigners deserve our respect and our support.

#23 · ·

A Digital Charta

When we think about it, although we live in a time of rights violations we don’t lack good intent, nor good law. That leads us to a particular initiative, the Digital Charta.

#22 · ·

Privacy, Obscurity: Randomizing New Tabs

You want to leave a less predictable online trail? I wrote a little browser extension for Chrome that accomplishes that: the New Tab Traffic Randomizer. The extension requests a random URL every time a new tab is opened…

#21 · ·

198 Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Action

Just when one wonders how many options there are exactly.

#20 · ·

Humanity and “The Other Manifesto”

On a wish for more work on a vision, on values, on principles, on goals actually worth striving for, on utopias, on a good future, a good cause, a good world for all of us.

#19 · · ,

Endless Peace

Amidst all the wars we never wanted but our governments and industries wage and participate in regardless of our will, we threaten to lose sight of our goal. That goal, surely, is peace. That goal, clearly, is durable peace. That goal, indeed, is endless peace.

#18 · ·

Rules for the Media: Independence, Transparency, Accountability, Comparative Reporting

I’ve suggested to opt out of following news for the simple reason that news rarely constitute reliable and actionable information, and in the spirit that even ignorance may be preferable so to at least keep an open mind. Now, what would make me change this view?

#17 · ·

Media: The Choice Between Misinformation and Uninformation

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”—Our media, generally speaking, are not trustworthy. They are not trustworthy because of conflicts of interest…

#16 · ·

On Science Experimenting on Life

There are boundaries, and some boundaries must be non-negotiable.

#15 · ·

On Conspiracy Theories

These days, many a serious inquiry into significant events leads to something marked a “conspiracy theory.” Use of the expression “conspiracy theory” has gone as far as to be used as a blanket dismissal…

#14 · ·

Loving Technology

I love the idea of caring, of loving technology. I believe we need technology that is loving. I think we have ample opportunities to envision and build technology that is loving. Here I’ll be brief and merely bring up the concept.

#13 · ·

Business Practices, Reframed

Ideas for the next performance review.

#12 · ·

The 1% Hypothesis of Mass Surveillance

A few weeks back I read this security article about how it’s odd that no one has ever suspected and detected anything related to all that mass surveillance we learned about through Edward Snowden. In particular, physical manipulation of devices…

#11 · ·

No

Have we stopped killing yet?

#10 · ·

News Headlines I Want to Read

A brainstorming with assumptions and implications. We shouldn’t use our creativity to come up with ever horrid scenarios; we could use it to envision awesomeness.

#9 · ·

On Taking Life

We cannot accept killing. The default must be to respect, to cherish life. We should get help to those who suggest to take lives. Eight theses on a most critical matter.

#8 · ·

On Age

Age is wonderful. Aging is wonderful. Age is wonderful for in a life reasonably lived, in a life not exclusively spent idly or hedonistically, age signifies the accumulation of experience and knowledge, and perhaps even wisdom.

#7 · ·

Electronic Data as Evidence

We need better defenses against assaults on our rights and privacy. In a world in which most happens electronically, one such defense gets surprisingly little attention: Everything electronic can be forged.

#6 · ·

On Net Neutrality

We need net neutrality, and we need to insist on net neutrality. Everywhere, not just in the United States. Throttling internet access, or charging select content providers extra, much appears like a brazen combination of profiteering, extortion, and, effectively, censorship.

#5 · ·

On Privacy

A few theses on a critical subject. The most important ones: One cannot be free without privacy, all living beings have a right for privacy, and we shall punish intentional violations of privacy.

#4 · ·

The Art of Saying Thank You, One Thousand Times

But not here, on onethousandthankyous.org.

#3 · ·