5 ms·

So you're saying if I can make money doing something, then it is both ethical and smart?

• matz1 7y ago
  If that is your ethics then yes.
  • deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  • Retra 7y ago
    What a useless sentiment that is.
    • matz1 7y ago
      Maybe, but that is the reality.
      • Retra 7y ago
        The reality is that truths without relevance are no better than fantasies.
        • matz1 7y ago
          How is that not relevant? If making money is part of my ethics, which is for many people (including me) are, then the answer to your original question, is yes it is ethical.
          • Retra 7y ago
            I'm not asking if morality is subjective, I'm asking how to reconcile a difference between two moralities. Pointing out that people think differently on such matters is not only obvious, it is something I had to assume before even asking the question. What were you hoping to achieve with your comment?
            • matz1 7y ago
              Ok now you are asking different question. >how to reconcile a difference between two moralities What is there to reconcile? I simply do whatever I personally think its ethical. >What were you hoping to achieve with your comment Simply answering your question
              • Retra 7y ago
                Your entire comment history is filled with the same "I don't have to answer to anybody" style of argument. You were not simply trying to answer my question. You didn't even bother to try to understand it. You're on some kind of craven ideological power trip.
                • matz1 7y ago
                  I am answering your question as the best I can. If there is misunderstanding or something I misunderstood, you can simply point that out.
• sonnyblarney 7y ago
  I didn't say that. We all agree it's kind of dumb, pragmatically. Mostly what I'm trying to do is convey to some commenters here what seems to be a common lack of understanding in tech (maybe a good thing) as to how and why people buy goods and services. When one understand this, one understands why it's a 'good' business plan. Also - we - all of us - are woefully unaware of how poignant and powerful all of this is. It works on all of us and 100% of the consumer goods we buy - and even many 'tech goods' are brand and aspirationaly oriented. Tech is full of ridiculous fads and memes; when I go to tech conferences we play a game of 'count the allbirds' (shoes) as kind of a joke. But even for actual tech products: Google, FB, Snapchat, Apple (obviously), MS, to some extent Twitter - those are heavy brands, even if they weren't derived from a bunch of marketing people ... 'Do No Evil' ended up being an important lynchpin of Google branding efforts. Way way back in about the year 2000, Google was running ads on NPR and their ethos and manner was presented ultimately as quite different than other tech companies. It was part of their messaging, however authentic. So - no, I would not want to do this business, I would not want to support it, and I hope I never buy this ridiculous water. But I know my snowboarding brother and his friends will ...
  • Retra 7y ago
    If you start with the assumption that 100% of purchases are aspirational, it is no surprise that you reach this conclusion. But I will seriously question that assumption, simply because there are many other reasons to purchase a product. The vast majority of purchases I make are decided by distribution, not marketing. You seem to be measuring things in such a way as to never see the difference.