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While it's not going to a be a popular oppinion, I do have first hand knowledge and experience and agree. As somebody who lived in SF for over five years, the l

While it's not going to a be a popular oppinion, I do have first hand knowledge and experience and agree. As somebody who lived in SF for over five years, the last couple of years especially there is a palatable distain for Americanism and patriotism at bay area companies. I'd even go as far as some people are flat out anti-American. There is an anti-authority ideology that permeates everything and a persistent skepticism.

techsin101 8y ago
Do you not think if an intelligent person looked at things objectively they would come to hate our frogein policy, 1% controlled government, and wealth inequality which is result of capitalism that has gone haywire? Budget of NASA is Tiny percentage of what we spend on WAR every year. Destroy elected governments, setup puppets, veto UN's majority decisions... Use automonus drones, use vaccination camps to recruit spies, kill doctors in war zone... It keeps going. List of atrocities grow every year sadly. How do you feel when you learn there is a billionaire who has not paid any tax in years or corporations owe billions in taxes. What about Verizon hijacking fcc?
marssaxman 8y ago
Yep. That's how it's been as long as I've been involved in the industry, and it's a good thing.
dmode 8y ago
I feel nationalism and patriotism are dangerous concepts that need to be challenged. We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. Not that I don't believe in nation status. But I never understood why should I like a person who falls on one side of that line more than a person on another side of that arbitrary line. As for being anti-American, I guess it depends on which America. Is it the one that professes the values of democracy and progress, leads in sciences and exploration, welcomes everyone with open arms ? I love that America. Or is it the America of wealth inequality, foreign wars, and global geopolitics. Not a fan of that America.
- beaconstudios 8y ago
  personally I believe that patriotism is based on loving one's cultural values, not the arbitrary land mass. Whenever I see Americans being patriotic it's usually around a pro-individual, anti-authority culture (though that gets pretty muddled because from my perspective, it seems like both sides of the political aisle are 50-50 on individualism vs authority). Republican patriots love their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech and to bear arms, as well as the US' culture of entrepreneurialism. Democrat patriots love their cultural melting pot and the values of free self-expression and acceptance. "Nationalism" as a term is murkier, because it not only encompasses patriotism but also isolationism, xenophobia, monoculture enforcement and so on. Over here in the UK it even includes Celtic nations' citizens' individual desires for independence from England.
- bassman9000 8y ago
  We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. How willing is the average russian citizen to do so, given its government stance? The chinese one? The iranian one? It's nice to have those sentiments when you can afford to have them. How are SV companies going to force that to happen in the aforementioned, and other countries? Until we're ready to speak as equals, si vis pacem, para bellum. Without actually getting into conflicts, the US should be ready to win them all. Thinking otherwise is naively dangerous. And the late position of some SV firms and their employees is borderline 5th columnist.
writepub 8y ago
Today's valley thinks in kosher/halal and Haram. Patriotism is Haram/non-kosher. "Merit" is a euphemism for white privilege, and equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity, is paramount. With such a strictly enforced & codified monoculture, you'll never convince the valley that patriotism can be a trait among normal, peace loving, humans. They will go out of their way to characterize patriotism, especially American, as toxic. And in different ways, they'll regurgitate the exact same moot points to put you in a camp of immortality, and themselves in a higher moral ground. A contrarian existence is an impossibility in their algorithm
KaiserPro 8y ago
This is an important subject. But I suspect that there are nuances that are getting missed here. Firstly, uncritical love of one's country is not patriotism. Its blind hero worship. Secondly, the USA has always been based on a blend anti-authority ideology, theology and trade imperialism(expansionism to the west coast <1860 the continent <1930 the world up to now) The very reason your president is currently dicking about with a budget shutdown is born from anti-authoritarianism constitution. You have a boat load of guns is a logical consequence of anti-authoritarianism. However through all of this, you still have a dysfunctional legislature and executive.
darkarmani 8y ago
> There is an anti-authority ideology that permeates everything and a persistent skepticism. Why are you calling this anti-american? If there is one American value, I would say it is rugged individualism. That's what drives the libertarians. And that's what drove the expansion into the west.

techsin101 8y ago

Do you not think if an intelligent person looked at things objectively they would come to hate our frogein policy, 1% controlled government, and wealth inequality which is result of capitalism that has gone haywire? Budget of NASA is Tiny percentage of what we spend on WAR every year. Destroy elected governments, setup puppets, veto UN's majority decisions... Use automonus drones, use vaccination camps to recruit spies, kill doctors in war zone... It keeps going. List of atrocities grow every year sadly. How do you feel when you learn there is a billionaire who has not paid any tax in years or corporations owe billions in taxes. What about Verizon hijacking fcc?

marssaxman 8y ago

Yep. That's how it's been as long as I've been involved in the industry, and it's a good thing.

dmode 8y ago

I feel nationalism and patriotism are dangerous concepts that need to be challenged. We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. Not that I don't believe in nation status. But I never understood why should I like a person who falls on one side of that line more than a person on another side of that arbitrary line. As for being anti-American, I guess it depends on which America. Is it the one that professes the values of democracy and progress, leads in sciences and exploration, welcomes everyone with open arms ? I love that America. Or is it the America of wealth inequality, foreign wars, and global geopolitics. Not a fan of that America.

beaconstudios 8y ago
personally I believe that patriotism is based on loving one's cultural values, not the arbitrary land mass. Whenever I see Americans being patriotic it's usually around a pro-individual, anti-authority culture (though that gets pretty muddled because from my perspective, it seems like both sides of the political aisle are 50-50 on individualism vs authority). Republican patriots love their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech and to bear arms, as well as the US' culture of entrepreneurialism. Democrat patriots love their cultural melting pot and the values of free self-expression and acceptance. "Nationalism" as a term is murkier, because it not only encompasses patriotism but also isolationism, xenophobia, monoculture enforcement and so on. Over here in the UK it even includes Celtic nations' citizens' individual desires for independence from England.
bassman9000 8y ago
We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. How willing is the average russian citizen to do so, given its government stance? The chinese one? The iranian one? It's nice to have those sentiments when you can afford to have them. How are SV companies going to force that to happen in the aforementioned, and other countries? Until we're ready to speak as equals, si vis pacem, para bellum. Without actually getting into conflicts, the US should be ready to win them all. Thinking otherwise is naively dangerous. And the late position of some SV firms and their employees is borderline 5th columnist.

writepub 8y ago

Today's valley thinks in kosher/halal and Haram. Patriotism is Haram/non-kosher. "Merit" is a euphemism for white privilege, and equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity, is paramount. With such a strictly enforced & codified monoculture, you'll never convince the valley that patriotism can be a trait among normal, peace loving, humans. They will go out of their way to characterize patriotism, especially American, as toxic. And in different ways, they'll regurgitate the exact same moot points to put you in a camp of immortality, and themselves in a higher moral ground. A contrarian existence is an impossibility in their algorithm

KaiserPro 8y ago

This is an important subject. But I suspect that there are nuances that are getting missed here. Firstly, uncritical love of one's country is not patriotism. Its blind hero worship. Secondly, the USA has always been based on a blend anti-authority ideology, theology and trade imperialism(expansionism to the west coast <1860 the continent <1930 the world up to now) The very reason your president is currently dicking about with a budget shutdown is born from anti-authoritarianism constitution. You have a boat load of guns is a logical consequence of anti-authoritarianism. However through all of this, you still have a dysfunctional legislature and executive.

darkarmani 8y ago

> There is an anti-authority ideology that permeates everything and a persistent skepticism. Why are you calling this anti-american? If there is one American value, I would say it is rugged individualism. That's what drives the libertarians. And that's what drove the expansion into the west.