Lav Davka

You asked: “The million-dollar question is: Why does the flip format make it kosher? If the content I am using would be okay on a flip phone, why is the rectangle-shaped phone not allowed”?

Answer:

The negative effects of a smartphone (especially on teens who’s brains are developing rapidly) is much more about the device than about the content being accessed. Smartphones are from the most addictive substances that exist today and is much more dangerous than the actual negative content.

For example, I was recently talking to someone who is on the board of a high school in a modern community in which all the parents have internet and smartphones. He told me that due to the extreme negative impact the smartphones were having on the students, the school enacted a strict ban on smartphones (including the girl school), often against the will of the parents. He told me that in his experience it is very unlikely for a teen with a smartphone (even if they only use it for Kosher content) to grow up frum, let alone a Ben Torah. He said that in that school they do not monitor the flip phones if they are filtered, and they are understanding if a student did not withhold a nisayon with a flip phone. They feel that the negative impact of smartphones, even filtered, are worse than unfiltered flip phones).

Here is another example: There are unlimited members of our community addicted to WhatsApp statuses to one degree or another. (The younger the person is, the more the negative effects of this addiction). This addiction is far less common by those who access WhatsApp on a tablet only, and it doesn’t exist by those who access it on a flip phone.

Even the non Yidishe world who allow their kids unlimited internet access are talking about banning smartphones for school age children and teens.

It is a shame that as you write “All I get is people yelling at me…I can’t explain it now. Smartphones are bad”, sometimes such an approach has the opposite effect, and this is something that is easily explainable.

@yechiell,

You mentioned the lies trump told today in his speeches. I think that the first on your list is very serious and I cannot believe how this is being overlooked. I still remember the day that our country had a functioning legal system and AG and Trump would have been impeached for something like this. I mean, if you use the term pardon for sentence commuting you have no place anywhere near the White House. I cannot believe that we actually have a president who claimed that Biden pardoned murderers when in fact he merely commuted their sentence. In a just legal system (such as the one we had in the past few years) he would be imprisoned for life for that (or at least sent to 10 years to the gulag).

Now your list of his lies today come after a long history of lies some may have forgotten. So taking your lead and using ChatGPT here is just a partial list of Trump’s past flat out lies:

Trump’s statement (2020): “Hunter Biden’s laptop is a disaster. It’s a disaster. It’s a criminal enterprise. It’s all right there.”
Associated Press (2020): “The laptop and the allegations surrounding it have been widely disputed. The claim that Hunter Biden used his father’s position to advance his business interests has been debunked, and no evidence has emerged to support such claims.”

Trump’s statement (2020): “The virus, it came from a lab. It’s pretty obvious.”
Associated Press (2020): “There is no evidence to support the claim that the virus originated in a lab. Most experts believe the virus was transmitted to humans from an animal.”

Trump’s statement (2018): “The FBI spied on my campaign. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
Associated Press (2018): “There is no evidence that the FBI spied on Trump’s campaign or acted with political bias in its investigation

Trump’s statement (2018): “The Steele Dossier is a complete fraud. It’s a hoax.”
Associated Press (2018): “The Steele Dossier, commissioned by a firm linked to Democrats, is largely unverified”

Trump’s statement (2020): “Big Tech is rigging the election. They’re censoring conservatives and influencing the outcome.”
Associated Press (2020): “There is no evidence to suggest that social media companies are manipulating election outcomes. Platforms are simply moderating content to prevent misinformation.”

Trump’s statement (2017): “The whole Russia thing is a hoax. It’s a witch hunt.”
Associated Press (2017): “U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russia interfered in the election to try to help Trump win”.

As you mentioned in your post, the importance of verifying political statements with credible sources to ensure an informed public discourse. These examples show once again that people should be relying on credible sources such as the AP.

@ yechiell, The only Nechama I have with the current situation is that at least people like yourself that don’t fall for the lies and follow the trusted sourced guidelines, are at least protected from Covid. I am sure you took the initial 2 doses and at least 3 boosters of the Covid Vaccine. And don’t forget that the CDC recommends the new 2024-25 vaccine for all those aged 6 months and older.