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A lot of FUD, but no evidence that Saudi investors are using their influence to make tech companies do bad things. If you follow the money, you'll likely find

A lot of FUD, but no evidence that Saudi investors are using their influence to make tech companies do bad things. If you follow the money, you'll likely find a questionable source. Americans benefit from US military raining drone strikes in other countries. By being an American citizen, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. By paying taxes that fund drone strikes, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. Taking Saudi investment is not tacit approval of their atrocities. There's certainly a higher level of geopolitical tension there, though. I don't really know what the US could to answer (make more money?), but I don't think the tech companies themselves can do much about this, they're mostly pawns in a larger game of chess. If the US wants to regulate these investments, then by all means. Lobby for that if you're really worried.

wffurr 7y ago
Actually, paying taxes that fund drone strikes on civilians means you have blood on your hands. I wish more people realized that...
- prewett 7y ago
  That's a pretty unhelpfully polarizing statement for something that is a matter of opinion, or at least situational. Suppose you are a citizen of a country (through no choice of your own) that uses public taxes to <immoral action>. Further suppose that you have no ability to influence how your taxes are spent. You have to pay taxes, but it's not at all clear that you are morally complicit for the immoral actions taken with them. You could argue "well you shouldn't pay taxes". Well, then you lose your liberty via jail or worse. Is that better than being arguably morally complicit? And, are you putting your actions where your words are? Are you not paying your taxes, or are you accepting blood on your hands?
  - wffurr 7y ago
    I am voting against politicians who are pro-war, which is sadly almost all of them.
- ibeckermayer 7y ago
  That’s not true, you’re forced to pay your taxes by threat of violent force. It’s difficult enough to resist state-mandated injustice from outside of prison, taking your position to its logical conclusion would mean that all ethical people should be martyring themselves, which would only lead to even worse outcomes.
eduren 7y ago
>By being an American citizen, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. By paying taxes that fund drone strikes, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. To me, the answer to those questions is not as clear cut as you are portraying. My gut reaction to those questions is to answer that, yes, those attributes in a vacuum imply tacit approval. That is not to say of course anything about guilt or moral judgement. It is relatively easy to dissuade someone from assuming that approval by speaking against drone strikes. For an American taxpayer, absent any opposition (private or public) the tacit approval is a default assumption. Not a strong one though.

wffurr 7y ago

Actually, paying taxes that fund drone strikes on civilians means you have blood on your hands. I wish more people realized that...

prewett 7y ago
That's a pretty unhelpfully polarizing statement for something that is a matter of opinion, or at least situational. Suppose you are a citizen of a country (through no choice of your own) that uses public taxes to <immoral action>. Further suppose that you have no ability to influence how your taxes are spent. You have to pay taxes, but it's not at all clear that you are morally complicit for the immoral actions taken with them. You could argue "well you shouldn't pay taxes". Well, then you lose your liberty via jail or worse. Is that better than being arguably morally complicit? And, are you putting your actions where your words are? Are you not paying your taxes, or are you accepting blood on your hands?
- wffurr 7y ago
  I am voting against politicians who are pro-war, which is sadly almost all of them.
ibeckermayer 7y ago
That’s not true, you’re forced to pay your taxes by threat of violent force. It’s difficult enough to resist state-mandated injustice from outside of prison, taking your position to its logical conclusion would mean that all ethical people should be martyring themselves, which would only lead to even worse outcomes.

eduren 7y ago

>By being an American citizen, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. By paying taxes that fund drone strikes, are you tacitly approving drone strikes? No. To me, the answer to those questions is not as clear cut as you are portraying. My gut reaction to those questions is to answer that, yes, those attributes in a vacuum imply tacit approval. That is not to say of course anything about guilt or moral judgement. It is relatively easy to dissuade someone from assuming that approval by speaking against drone strikes. For an American taxpayer, absent any opposition (private or public) the tacit approval is a default assumption. Not a strong one though.