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I don't know that there's anyone out there twisting an evil moustache, counting the profits from keeping anyone fearful. News do fear mongering for the same re

I don't know that there's anyone out there twisting an evil moustache, counting the profits from keeping anyone fearful. News do fear mongering for the same reasons people write click-bait article titles - it works. It works because humans are not that far removed from our ancestors - the primal buttons are the easiest to push and they work on the largest number of people. Anyone whose job it is to compete for people's attention, knows this very well. To pretend there's people far above who are 'bad', or 'good' is a coping mechanism to avoid seeings people and life for what it is :)

coldtea 9y ago
>I don't know that there's anyone out there twisting an evil moustache, counting the profits from keeping anyone fearful. Doesn't have to be some actual singular person. Businesses, media etc work as collective entities, alone and together, towards their goals, that is optimizing their environment for maximum profit -- similar to how our cells, which are living things in themselves, do. If profit is the basic measure of success for an organization, it will reward those individuals behaviors that help it grow -- to the point that a perfectly normal company, like WV, from seemingly decent people, will create execs that lie about their pollution emissions, bribe politicians, etc., and -- among tons of similar examples. Similarly, it would try to expunge those in the organization that do moral or consumer friendly stuff that costs the organization money. >Anyone whose job it is to compete for people's attention, knows this very well. To pretend there's people far above who are 'bad', or 'good' is a coping mechanism to avoid seeings people and life for what it is People that do "what works" because it brings money in, other considerations be damned, are bad, end of story. Everything else is a coping mechanism to avoid seeings people and life for what it is (and for them to rationalize to themselves that they "just do their job").
- alexashka 9y ago
  You're perfectly describing capitalism's essence, with a cherry on top, labelling it 'bad'. The point I was aiming for, is that people like what's easy, what's natural. You're saying 'they're bad'. That's actually the Christian axiom from what I understand, that people are inherently sinful and bad. I'd like to suggest that feeling that way is a dead end. In other words - I actually agree with everything you're saying, minus the 'bad' label. I label it 'I'd do it differently' which's subtle but very important. Labelling what most people around you are good with, bad, is simply going to make you a misanthrone [0] and that'll prevent you from leading the life you want :) The point regarding coping - labelling people bad and good is an extreme simplification used for children. Once you're an adult, it's much more helpful to understand that what another does, you do in other ways, maybe much more subtle, and let go of harsh judgements. Judgements separate people into us vs them, which's what leads to most of the behaviour you're labelling bad in the first place. It's a very subtle point, that most people endlessly miss. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misanthropy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misanthropy
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >You're saying 'they're bad'. That's actually the Christian axiom from what I understand, that people are inherently sinful and bad. Never said that "people are inherently sinful and bad". I said that (and I quote): "People that do what works because it brings money in, other considerations be damned, are bad, end of story". Which is a very different thing. >Labelling what most people around you are good with, bad, is simply going to make you a misanthrone Most people aren't profit seekers "other considerations be damned". And if they are, then they are bad -- doesn't even matter if they are the majority. You don't get a free pass on crapping on others because "most do the same". >The point regarding coping - labelling people bad and good is an extreme simplification used for children. Labelling a sad state of things as "natural" is an extreme perversion or an extreme manipulation. Human civilization is not based in whats natural. Some natural things and behaviors are good, others are bad. Civilization is all about making that distinction. >Judgements separate people into us vs them, which's what leads to most of the behaviors you're labelling bad in the first place. You gave me a $2 philosophy (and condescending at that, with the link to "misanthropy" to enlighten me of that "obscure" term), whereas I gave specific examples of behavior. People promoting fear from their media outlets because "it sells". People who lied about emissions in WV's case. Etc. Yes, we should absolutely separate people into "good" and "bad" for such offenses. I don't care if otherwise they are complex characters and "good people", e.g. great with their kids or tender to their adopted a one-legged pet hamster, when their actions hurt society for their benefit (be it money, promotions, esteem from their colleagues, etc).
rdiddly 9y ago
So you're saying fear-mongering "works." Specifically, in an attention-based market, this generates profits more successfully than other strategies. Or to put it another way, there's more money in keeping people fearful.

coldtea 9y ago

>I don't know that there's anyone out there twisting an evil moustache, counting the profits from keeping anyone fearful. Doesn't have to be some actual singular person. Businesses, media etc work as collective entities, alone and together, towards their goals, that is optimizing their environment for maximum profit -- similar to how our cells, which are living things in themselves, do. If profit is the basic measure of success for an organization, it will reward those individuals behaviors that help it grow -- to the point that a perfectly normal company, like WV, from seemingly decent people, will create execs that lie about their pollution emissions, bribe politicians, etc., and -- among tons of similar examples. Similarly, it would try to expunge those in the organization that do moral or consumer friendly stuff that costs the organization money. >Anyone whose job it is to compete for people's attention, knows this very well. To pretend there's people far above who are 'bad', or 'good' is a coping mechanism to avoid seeings people and life for what it is People that do "what works" because it brings money in, other considerations be damned, are bad, end of story. Everything else is a coping mechanism to avoid seeings people and life for what it is (and for them to rationalize to themselves that they "just do their job").

alexashka 9y ago
You're perfectly describing capitalism's essence, with a cherry on top, labelling it 'bad'. The point I was aiming for, is that people like what's easy, what's natural. You're saying 'they're bad'. That's actually the Christian axiom from what I understand, that people are inherently sinful and bad. I'd like to suggest that feeling that way is a dead end. In other words - I actually agree with everything you're saying, minus the 'bad' label. I label it 'I'd do it differently' which's subtle but very important. Labelling what most people around you are good with, bad, is simply going to make you a misanthrone [0] and that'll prevent you from leading the life you want :) The point regarding coping - labelling people bad and good is an extreme simplification used for children. Once you're an adult, it's much more helpful to understand that what another does, you do in other ways, maybe much more subtle, and let go of harsh judgements. Judgements separate people into us vs them, which's what leads to most of the behaviour you're labelling bad in the first place. It's a very subtle point, that most people endlessly miss. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misanthropy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misanthropy
- coldtea 9y ago
  >You're saying 'they're bad'. That's actually the Christian axiom from what I understand, that people are inherently sinful and bad. Never said that "people are inherently sinful and bad". I said that (and I quote): "People that do what works because it brings money in, other considerations be damned, are bad, end of story". Which is a very different thing. >Labelling what most people around you are good with, bad, is simply going to make you a misanthrone Most people aren't profit seekers "other considerations be damned". And if they are, then they are bad -- doesn't even matter if they are the majority. You don't get a free pass on crapping on others because "most do the same". >The point regarding coping - labelling people bad and good is an extreme simplification used for children. Labelling a sad state of things as "natural" is an extreme perversion or an extreme manipulation. Human civilization is not based in whats natural. Some natural things and behaviors are good, others are bad. Civilization is all about making that distinction. >Judgements separate people into us vs them, which's what leads to most of the behaviors you're labelling bad in the first place. You gave me a $2 philosophy (and condescending at that, with the link to "misanthropy" to enlighten me of that "obscure" term), whereas I gave specific examples of behavior. People promoting fear from their media outlets because "it sells". People who lied about emissions in WV's case. Etc. Yes, we should absolutely separate people into "good" and "bad" for such offenses. I don't care if otherwise they are complex characters and "good people", e.g. great with their kids or tender to their adopted a one-legged pet hamster, when their actions hurt society for their benefit (be it money, promotions, esteem from their colleagues, etc).

rdiddly 9y ago

So you're saying fear-mongering "works." Specifically, in an attention-based market, this generates profits more successfully than other strategies. Or to put it another way, there's more money in keeping people fearful.