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I'm not sure how you can watch the parent's youtube link and still compare the two. They are in different leagues altogether, in my opinion, so I'm finding it h

by rashkov 11y ago

I'm not sure how you can watch the parent's youtube link and still compare the two. They are in different leagues altogether, in my opinion, so I'm finding it hard to relate to your comment. I think it's also pretty hard to define "social/public morals" in a way that is agreeable to most people. Would not linking to tiananmen square, or discussing China's stock market slide be a public good? Are you really comfortable with that kind of censorship?

JoeAltmaier 11y ago
Remember people are not mindless drones. These games are there to let you know how you're expected to behave (like tax incentives, street signs etc). This is different, sure. But not unprecedented.
- rashkov 11y ago
  What's different, however, is the level of coordinated surveillance that enables this scheme, as well as the centralized power of coercion that the state yields. Ad-tech companies, financials, silicon valley data silos, surveillance bodies, and most importantly the government are not legally able to coordinate on a level that would allow let them baldly track your purchasing history, your social media presence, as well as your private communications and then assign you an aggregate score! Besides the legal separation issues, their interests aren't nearly as aligned with each other as in the case of China so there are some checks and balances. Then to take that aggregate score and further coerce you by making loans scarce or jobs unavailable is a whole other level. What we're talking about is a totalitarian system of control over the population. Tweaked and targeted on an extremely personal level, and leveraging social pressure and shame. Say what you will about the malevolence of the US government and our capitalistic system but it is simply incapable of this scale of totalitarianism.
  - samstave 11y ago
    100% 1984 on steroids! It's nuts - and this is what people should revolt against. Fight club was a documentary :-)

by rashkov 11y ago

JoeAltmaier 11y ago

Remember people are not mindless drones. These games are there to let you know how you're expected to behave (like tax incentives, street signs etc). This is different, sure. But not unprecedented.

rashkov 11y ago
What's different, however, is the level of coordinated surveillance that enables this scheme, as well as the centralized power of coercion that the state yields. Ad-tech companies, financials, silicon valley data silos, surveillance bodies, and most importantly the government are not legally able to coordinate on a level that would allow let them baldly track your purchasing history, your social media presence, as well as your private communications and then assign you an aggregate score! Besides the legal separation issues, their interests aren't nearly as aligned with each other as in the case of China so there are some checks and balances. Then to take that aggregate score and further coerce you by making loans scarce or jobs unavailable is a whole other level. What we're talking about is a totalitarian system of control over the population. Tweaked and targeted on an extremely personal level, and leveraging social pressure and shame. Say what you will about the malevolence of the US government and our capitalistic system but it is simply incapable of this scale of totalitarianism.
- samstave 11y ago
  100% 1984 on steroids! It's nuts - and this is what people should revolt against. Fight club was a documentary :-)