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Beware of the moral panic over data centers for AI
The article says fears over AI data centers are being exaggerated, echoing Stanley Cohen’s 1972 warning about overreaction.
- Journalist Brad Polumbo recently applied Stanley Cohen's 1972 concept of "moral panic" to current AI data center hysteria, as Heatmap polling shows support has plummeted over the past year among both Republicans and Democrats.
- Loudoun County, Virginia, has thrived using data center revenue to fund a $102 million recreation center, convert the estate of President James Monroe into a park for $22 million, and cut resident property taxes by about 30 percent.
- Heatmap reports Americans are now more likely to support building a coal power plant nearby than a data center, despite Masley writing that data centers will consume only 8% of the water currently used by the U.S. golf industry by 2030.
- Progressive activist David Hogg fueled opposition with a viral quip about building data centers in rich zip codes, prompting politicians in both parties to support construction bans despite economic benefits.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott expects a $1.3 billion revenue boost from data center taxes next year, though critics warn that while America stalls on development, China cheers as the U.S. potentially compromises its national security.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
fredericksburg.com+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
Beware of the moral panic over data centers for AI
Don't look now, but we seem to have a moral panic on our hands. The term moral panic, at least as a social science concept, is relatively modern. It was coined by Stanley Cohen in the 1972 book "Folk Devils…
·Cherokee County, United States
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The data center panic is winning while China cheers
“If these data centers are so essential to our national security and economy and have such amazing benefits they should prove it by building them in the richest zip codes in America first.” That quip from progressive activist David Hogg went viral and sounds like an extremely good point… if you know nothing about this […]
·Washington, United States
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Center
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources are Center
72% Center
L 21%
C 72%
Factuality
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