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> Take SV elites for example. Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Dorsey seem out of touch in a way Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Ford did not. You are not comparing like with

by dpwm 8y ago

> Take SV elites for example. Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Dorsey seem out of touch in a way Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Ford did not. You are not comparing like with like -- you even give it away in the tenses that you use. The first three are not like the last three. Rockefeller came after Ida Tarbell after she investigated his trust and exposed some of the methods used by Standard Oil. Carnegie went to extensive lengths to break worker unions. Ford allowed his name, negligently or otherwise, to be put against a series of antisemitic articles that were published in 1920s Germany. The first three have spent considerable money on philanthropic efforts that serve to bolster their names. The last three haven't yet. They've still got time. We may know what's made them unpopular now; we don't know what will make them revered in a hundred-years time when any controversies will be lost as little insignificant details in time.

programmarchy 8y ago
I chose those tenses to put the characters into the context of their time. Rockefeller oil, Carnegie steel, and Ford cars paved the way for the Industrial Revolution in America. They were building things in America, for Americans. Breaking worker unions and criticizing international elites were not considered anti-American activities in their time, despite our modern proclivities. They were viewed as titans who built up American might. The smear of "robber baron" didn't come until later when Matthew Josephson popularized the term. In contrast, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter are not building up American industry and making it stronger; they're mostly parasitic and toxic. Facebook has latched on to the desire of people to stay connected and become a tool to manipulate public opinion and serve advertisements. Amazon is essentially a giant middleman, which has helped demolish local mom and pops, by leveraging structural advantages granted by the state to operate at scale. Twitter has degraded public discourse to trolling and taken on the role of thought police. I could go on. Of course the Silicon Valley elites are out of touch. Their business models take advantage of the little guy, which is why they must show contempt towards the little guy. They are elites without any class. The industrialists were much more aligned with American interests. They were elites, but also had class.

by dpwm 8y ago

programmarchy 8y ago

I chose those tenses to put the characters into the context of their time. Rockefeller oil, Carnegie steel, and Ford cars paved the way for the Industrial Revolution in America. They were building things in America, for Americans. Breaking worker unions and criticizing international elites were not considered anti-American activities in their time, despite our modern proclivities. They were viewed as titans who built up American might. The smear of "robber baron" didn't come until later when Matthew Josephson popularized the term. In contrast, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter are not building up American industry and making it stronger; they're mostly parasitic and toxic. Facebook has latched on to the desire of people to stay connected and become a tool to manipulate public opinion and serve advertisements. Amazon is essentially a giant middleman, which has helped demolish local mom and pops, by leveraging structural advantages granted by the state to operate at scale. Twitter has degraded public discourse to trolling and taken on the role of thought police. I could go on. Of course the Silicon Valley elites are out of touch. Their business models take advantage of the little guy, which is why they must show contempt towards the little guy. They are elites without any class. The industrialists were much more aligned with American interests. They were elites, but also had class.