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This kind of “journalism” that drips with judgement in every sentence makes Wired look like a cheap tabloid.
by orasis 6y ago
This kind of “journalism” that drips with judgement in every sentence makes Wired look like a cheap tabloid.
- techslave 6y agowell if the shoe fits ... i can’t imagine what you were expecting
- SI_Rob 6y agoprobably not related except by irony, but Wired's original print format used a large tabloid-like page dimension.
- lidHanteyk 6y agoDropshippers are literally rent-seeking [0] middlemen, though, and their actions are contemptuous on the surface, for the harm done to consumers. In addition, it seems like their relative wealth is creating wealth inequality in some Southeast Asian locales, which is the calling card of neocolonialism [1]. I don't see why we shouldn't judge marketers harshly, in general, and these folks in particular seem particularly unctuous. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism
- ryanwaggoner 6y agoDrop-shipping is not rent-seeking, any more than any retailer or wholesaler is rent-seeking. Is anyone you buy from other than the direct manufacturer a rent-seeker? From WP: Rent-seeking is an attempt to obtain economic rent (i.e., the portion of income paid to a factor of production in excess of what is needed to keep it employed in its current use) by manipulating the social or political environment in which economic activities occur, rather than by creating new wealth. Rent-seeking implies extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity. Drop-shippers don't manipulate the social or political environment, and the value they provide is the same as any retailer. They just don't take on as much risk or physically handle the goods. It's a sales and marketing business only, and margins are both more volatile and slimmer on average as a result.
- lidHanteyk 6y agoI think that you're overestimating what dropshippers actually provide to the economy. Like Instagram-style influencers, dropshippers are ultimately advertisers; they create consumerist desires where none previously existed. To quote from "Office Space": > Bob: So, what would you say you do here? > Tom: Well look, I already told you! I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people? Just like Tom, dropshippers are redundant at best and harmfully interfering at worst.
- heliheliheli 6y agoThere's value in advertisement. No more behaviorist mumbo-jumbo for you, the mind creates desires, external circumstances do not.
- blast 6y agoPart of why they seem particularly unctuous is that the article is written specifically to make them seem that way.
- cookie_monsta 6y ago> it seems like their relative wealth is creating wealth inequality in some Southeast Asian locales Yes, because that didn't exist before. And what's with the wiki links to the commonly-understood terms? Condescending much?
- lidHanteyk 6y agoSadly, HN regulars neither understand nor respect the concept of neocolonialism. The typical HN user seems in denial about the existence of the American Empire [0], and it's not obvious that American expats form a network of global influence, from operating PMCs [1] to OFCs [2], unless one either does the hard work of reading, or one gets linked directly to the relevant articles. Additionally, HN is not built on very good software. On higher-quality fora, like Lobsters [3], hyperlinks can be embedded directly into paragraphs and do not disrupt the flow of text. HN is a backwards and primitive site in comparison. Imagine if the regulars were willing to tackle ideas like the concept that the USA itself is a tax haven [4]! No way would people be able to talk about that. So we must take it slowly and carefully introduce folks to these ideas. Edit: [5] just broke within the hour. Here's a story of an American expat engaging in bad conduct abroad. I didn't even have to go searching for this; it showed up on Imgur while I was trying to forget the fact that I am being downvoted, yet again, for being a leftist with facts. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_military_company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_military_company [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_financial_centre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_financial_centre [3] https://lobste.rs/ https://lobste.rs/ [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_as_a_tax_haven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_as_a_tax_haven [5] https://twitter.com/JackHHazlewood/status/1256183497762406405 https://twitter.com/JackHHazlewood/status/125618349776240640...
- wdutch 6y agoAnd what credit this lobste does to the Republic of Serbia. I hope they pay their taxes there.
- 55555 6y agoThe largely white people dropshipping in SEAsia are a drop in the wealth inequality bucket compared to uber rich SEAsians living in their own countries.
- DogOnTheWeb 6y agoWired is a lifestyle magazine, not a wire service. Editorial voice is part of the appeal.