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I stared in shock as the red mist speckled my glasses. After a few moments I managed to stammer a response. "My god, that worker just fell in! Why haven't you
by RodgerTheGreat 7y ago
I stared in shock as the red mist speckled my glasses. After a few moments I managed to stammer a response.
"My god, that worker just fell in! Why haven't you stopped the machine? Why isn't anyone doing anything?"
The foreman who was leading my tour made a plaintive gesture and stared into space for a moment.
"It's complex, you see. The machine is certainly dangerous. That's the third worker this hour."
"The third?!"
"Every 10 minutes, like clockwork. But on the other hand, the machine is quite valuable. You must understand. Our competition all has machines just like it, and if we stopped ours, well, it wouldn't make much of a difference, would it? They're building more every day and we simply must keep up. That's the business."
"But those are people- human lives!"
The foreman looked tired. He'd given this speech many times.
"Our workers sign all the necessary releases. They're fully informed. Our legal team will assure you there's a great deal of paperwork involved, and we cross every T and dot every I. Totally above-board. I didn't build the damn machine, I just keep it running, and this is how it's done in the industry. Now, if you'll all follow me- just step over that mess for now, the cleanup crew are already on their way- I'll show you the way to our recruiting department. Turnover is a bit high here, but we've been working on some great new internship programs with elementary schools..."
- mLuby 7y agoDid you write that? It's reminiscent of Kafka's In the Penal Colony.
- Hydraulix989 7y agoIf you did write that, it's absolutely brilliant, and I hope to read more from you!
- RodgerTheGreat 7y agoYes, I wrote it. Thank you.
- simonebrunozzi 7y agoBrilliant. Thanks for sharing it with us!
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- Ididntdothis 7y agoI thought the same thing! First I really thought it was by Kafka. Kafka would have enjoyed writing about modern corporations!
- gherkinnn 7y agoNothing has changed. Der Prozess is just as relevant today as it was back then. In fact, I find many great classics to be timeless.
- dang 7y agoI was thinking Roald Dahl.
- jonas21 7y agoHow does this relate to the linked article?
- ceejayoz 7y agoFacebook's the machine?
- CompanionCuuube 7y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory
- wutbrodo 7y agoI don't think the parent comment misunderstand that it's an allegory, but is asking how the allegory applies. Facebook doesn't claim they want to step back from moderation "because that's how the industry works and they have to stay competitive" (as in the allegory). They're claiming that the costs of extending private control over political speech to _society_ are too high. (This obviously isn't entirely altruistic: knowing how deeply stupid most people are and how commonly public opinion is outraged by failure to meet two mutually-exclusive ends simultaneously, I wouldn't want to open that can of worms either)
- uoaei 7y agoApologists for Facebook's operational decisions, and Facebook's operational professionals themselves, are represented by the foreman.
- screye 7y agoGreat writing. Assuming it is an original. Some might call this a slippery slope argument, but over the years I have slowly started appreciating it as a fictional extreme of the idea the other person is trying to defend. It is easy to justify small movements in any direction, but trying to unveil the eventual destination casts arguments in different and much required light.