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If the difference between a State and a Corporation is that muddled in your mind it's your issue not the rest of ours. It's a critical part of being a discerni

If the difference between a State and a Corporation is that muddled in your mind it's your issue not the rest of ours. It's a critical part of being a discerning person to be able to BOTH say how things are similar and how they differ. You seem to have no test for discerning how Coca Cola and the Russian government differ.

vkou 7y ago
For someone who doesn't live in Russia, the difference is academic, and they are far more similar, than they are different. Actually, now that I think about it - one key difference is that shitty sugary drinks have killed more Americans then the Russian government did. Another is that corporations buying candidates, by virtue of sponsoring their political campaigns have done more to undermine, subvert, and corrupt democracy than the Kremlin could ever dream of. You say the Russians have improperly 'influenced' elections? China astroturfs their global image? Please contrast that to to both the effort expended by, and the rewards gained by the fossil fuel industry, in 'influencing' elections, and astroturfing its global image. Everyone's getting their knickers in a twist because some Trump staffer had some meetings with the Russian government - yet half the politicans in Washington are regurgitating talking points straight from a corporate press release. But I suppose propaganda from the former is kosher, because they have a clear profit motive for it, eh?
- cameronbrown 7y ago
  > Actually, now that I think about it - one key difference is that shitty sugary drinks have killed more Americans then the Russian government did. The difference is agency. The people that chose to drink those drinks were able to make that decision, not helpless to some corporation. You don't get to choose not to be assassinated by a Russian agent.
  - vkou 7y ago
    That's a load of crock. By that same argument, since you have the agency to think for yourself and vote however you want, foreign propaganda should have zero impact on our elections. I also don't have any choice in whether or not I personally get to deal with the negative social impacts of overconsumption of sugary drinks, overextraction of fossil fuels, or politicians bought by the healthcare cartels. I have to live with all of it.
    - cameronbrown 7y ago
      Partially, yeah. I do think that. Responsibility stops with the voter. The way we combat misinformation is with more information (like fact checks and advertiser transparency) and never censorship.

vkou 7y ago

For someone who doesn't live in Russia, the difference is academic, and they are far more similar, than they are different. Actually, now that I think about it - one key difference is that shitty sugary drinks have killed more Americans then the Russian government did. Another is that corporations buying candidates, by virtue of sponsoring their political campaigns have done more to undermine, subvert, and corrupt democracy than the Kremlin could ever dream of. You say the Russians have improperly 'influenced' elections? China astroturfs their global image? Please contrast that to to both the effort expended by, and the rewards gained by the fossil fuel industry, in 'influencing' elections, and astroturfing its global image. Everyone's getting their knickers in a twist because some Trump staffer had some meetings with the Russian government - yet half the politicans in Washington are regurgitating talking points straight from a corporate press release. But I suppose propaganda from the former is kosher, because they have a clear profit motive for it, eh?

cameronbrown 7y ago
> Actually, now that I think about it - one key difference is that shitty sugary drinks have killed more Americans then the Russian government did. The difference is agency. The people that chose to drink those drinks were able to make that decision, not helpless to some corporation. You don't get to choose not to be assassinated by a Russian agent.
- vkou 7y ago
  That's a load of crock. By that same argument, since you have the agency to think for yourself and vote however you want, foreign propaganda should have zero impact on our elections. I also don't have any choice in whether or not I personally get to deal with the negative social impacts of overconsumption of sugary drinks, overextraction of fossil fuels, or politicians bought by the healthcare cartels. I have to live with all of it.
  - cameronbrown 7y ago
    Partially, yeah. I do think that. Responsibility stops with the voter. The way we combat misinformation is with more information (like fact checks and advertiser transparency) and never censorship.