Jens Oliver Meiert

Politics

What if They Had Spent It on Peace?

Not only should we fight against civilian infrastructure intentionally being destroyed and entire civilian populations being displaced and killed—we must question the whole bias for violence.

#88 ·

The Violence Imperative

Violence is too severe to tolerate.

#87 · · philosophy, misc

On Lost Trust in European Leadership

If leadership masks complicity as solidarity, trust doesn’t just erode. A look at European silence and the cost of unconditional support for never-ending violence in the Middle East.

#86 ·

Israel and the USA Really Declared War on Everyone

No one is safe when countries act with brutality and impunity.

#85 ·

Yet Another War

Our handling of violence is broken: We need to become much more just and empathetic in deciding what violence we tolerate and what violence we fight and hold others accountable for.

#84 ·

Moving Away From US Services: A Few Favorites

On increasing the price for disrespecting international law and the international community, by changing our choices on who gets our attention and our money.

#83 · · development, misc

On Living in a World That Suffers and Burns

What helps us deal with this spiraling mess out there is understanding something about our model of the world, making conscious decisions about who we are, and being smart about how we bring about change.

#82 · · philosophy

A Secret

10 years ago—

#81 · · philosophy, misc

A Suggestion for Your Community Terms and Policies

Protect your community from including anyone realistically linked to war crimes or genocides, including former, current, and reserve members of the armed forces of implicated countries.

#80 · · misc

3 User-Friendly Technical Ways to Respond to Genocidistan

Imagine a country that colonizes another nation, attacks and murders their people, attacks other countries around them,—and no one stops them. What would you do? What could you do?

#79 · · development, misc

The Economy Is Important Because

A thesis.

#78 · · philosophy

Everyone Should Earn the Same

A thought experiment.

#77 · · misc

Millionaires and Billionaires

On being able to do amazing things for humanity and the planet, and doing the opposite.

#76 · · misc

The Other Problem With Not Helping an Entire People Being Murdered in a Genocide

On the consistency that seems needed for everyone to be safe.

#75 ·

No Islamophobia

On remaining vigilant against hatred.

#74 · · misc

Can We Condemn All Acts of Terrorism?

“No” to all violence—yet what if that ends up supporting oppression or worse? A scenario.

#73 ·

.htaccess: A Helper Script to Easily Block Website Traffic by Country

On making it easy to pull and customize IP ranges from IPdeny.

#72 · · tools, development

Tech Is Political: Take More Action Against Countries and Organizations Engaged in Wars, Genocides, and Misanthropy

As consumers, social media participants, and website owners, we can do a lot more to protest and increase consequences for crimes against minorities or humanity as a whole.

#71 · · development

The Great Disappointment

It’s 2025, and web development has never appeared more apolitical. On tech influencers, without a cause.

#70 · · development

A Chromium Browser Extension to Counter Warmongering, Genocidal, Misanthropic Actors

Block navigating to and loading from URLs, domains, and entire top-level domains with a user-configurable browser extension.

#69 · · tools, misc

German Holocaust Remembrance Culture Is Dead Inside

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

#68 ·

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.

#67 · · misc

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.

#66 · · misc

Ethics: On the Suspicion That Utilitarianism Is Failing Us

Utilitarianism isn’t inclusive. Focusing on responsibility, as one option, helps us better connect with everyone around us.

#65 · · philosophy

Lifeform User Story

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

#64 · · misc

Ethics in Tech: On an Issue Particularly Sensitive to Germans

When it’s about learning from your country’s crimes.

#63 · · misc

Connection to the Environment

On that feeling of being one with everyone and everything that we’re all experiencing.

#62 · · misc

Empathy

Lack of empathy is not a sign of strength, but a liability for all of us.

#61 · · misc

Prisoner’s Dilemma

On “tit for tat” with about 10% more forgiveness.

#60 · · philosophy, misc

On Deciding Who We Are

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

#59 · · philosophy, misc

On Making Sure Everyone Is Taken Care Of

For our own sake.

#58 · · philosophy, misc

Private Property

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

#57 · · philosophy, misc

Genocide Dilemma

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

#56 ·

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.

#55 ·

Growth

A rant.

#54 · · misc

What Germany May Not Have Learned From the Holocaust

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

#53 ·

On Disagreement

From discomfort that can lead to shortcuts to challenges that may yield transformations.

#52 · · misc

On Mass Unemployment

Could there be something like an AI employment apocalypse?

#51 · · ai

Highlights From “On Liberty” (John Stuart Mill)

“The fatal tendency of mankind to leave off thinking about a thing when it is no longer doubtful, is the cause of half their errors. A contemporary author has well spoken of “the deep slumber of a decided opinion.‘”

#50 · · philosophy

Highlights From “The Psychology of Revolution” (Gustave Le Bon)

“Men judge with their intelligence, and are guided by their characters. To understand a man fully one must separate these two elements.”

#49 ·

Sustainability Trap

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

#48 · · misc

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.

#47 · · philosophy

Give

On one-things and lack.

#46 · · philosophy, misc

Highlights From “The Social Contract” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)

“The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty.”

#45 · · philosophy

Highlights From “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” (Max Weber)

“The modern rational organization of the capitalistic enterprise would not have been possible without two other important factors in its development: the separation of business from the household, which completely dominates modern economic life, and closely connected with it, rational book-keeping.”

#44 · · philosophy

“The One With the Biggest Hammer Wins”

On a game we could stop playing.

#43 · · philosophy, misc

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.

#42 · · misc

The Choice to F Up

On the things we are doing and not doing, how these things are not and cannot be accidents, and how it all revolves around choice.

#41 · · philosophy, misc

People Care

It seems easy these days to lose faith in people. We’re destroying the planet, elect the least competent and least humane of our peers for presidents, kill our own people when we don’t kill people in other countries, &c.—and yet we all care.

#40 · · misc

On Disclosing Our Salaries

For a year now I’ve been toying with the idea of publicly disclosing my salary, as well as my financial assets. Not because of me, but because I’ve come to believe that this step, if taken by others, too, would be a step towards more transparency.

#39 · · misc