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> They are not bad people. Very few people are "bad" people but the way you're describing it makes it pretty clear that they're making unethical choices, and t

> They are not bad people. Very few people are "bad" people but the way you're describing it makes it pretty clear that they're making unethical choices, and they're doing so consciously. Actions speak louder than words.

abbadadda 6y ago
The sad thing is, what are they going to do? Change it? Leave? Let's pretend each of these individuals are making $2M a year. They'll just be replaced with someone else that'll take the humongous paychecks. They could take a moral stand and leave, and I think continuing to work in that environment would be hard, but I don't fault the individual to the point I'd consider them a "bad person." Their complicity in these activities is not bad enough to warrant being angry at them, but I do feel a bit sorry for them. It is a hard choice they wouldn't have to make if there was a bit more oversight of these internet behemoths.
- rglover 6y ago
  If they're making that kind of money, they can not only afford to leave, but have plenty of time to figure out what to do afterwards. Unless, of course, their current lifestyle is beyond their means (one would hope not in that situation).
- Balgair 6y ago
  I don't know here. The choices aren't like those in a DoD company (we assume from the poster this is a FAANG company). You aren't actually building weapons platforms. It's a bit more like slot machine engineers here; people's lives are 'worse', but not 'over'. As such, I think it's very personal. If they are OK with building digital casino-like places, so be it. If they are not, then they should make a plan to leave. If they feel that the money is the only thing keeping them there, they have to look into their own mirrors.
runeks 6y ago
What’s the difference between a bad person and a person who consciously makes unethical choices?
- Inthenameofmine 6y ago
  Is that a rhetorical question? Because a person who makes conscious unethical choices is a bad person. Otherwise there would be no metric for "badness" and the word would be meaningless.
- perfmode 6y ago
  difference... bad... unethical... all of these are concepts in the mind. in truth, it is all simple ignorance and a case of mistaken identity. there is no bad... good... no ethics... no this or that. this is how the world will be until we all wake up. until then, we rest in compassion.
- xinsight 6y ago
  This was the one of the wonderful bit of insights from the suprisingly deep and insightful show "Bojack Horseman". Basically, there is is no such thing as "deep down inside i'm a good person". You are your actions.

abbadadda 6y ago

The sad thing is, what are they going to do? Change it? Leave? Let's pretend each of these individuals are making $2M a year. They'll just be replaced with someone else that'll take the humongous paychecks. They could take a moral stand and leave, and I think continuing to work in that environment would be hard, but I don't fault the individual to the point I'd consider them a "bad person." Their complicity in these activities is not bad enough to warrant being angry at them, but I do feel a bit sorry for them. It is a hard choice they wouldn't have to make if there was a bit more oversight of these internet behemoths.

rglover 6y ago
If they're making that kind of money, they can not only afford to leave, but have plenty of time to figure out what to do afterwards. Unless, of course, their current lifestyle is beyond their means (one would hope not in that situation).
Balgair 6y ago
I don't know here. The choices aren't like those in a DoD company (we assume from the poster this is a FAANG company). You aren't actually building weapons platforms. It's a bit more like slot machine engineers here; people's lives are 'worse', but not 'over'. As such, I think it's very personal. If they are OK with building digital casino-like places, so be it. If they are not, then they should make a plan to leave. If they feel that the money is the only thing keeping them there, they have to look into their own mirrors.

runeks 6y ago

What’s the difference between a bad person and a person who consciously makes unethical choices?

Inthenameofmine 6y ago
Is that a rhetorical question? Because a person who makes conscious unethical choices is a bad person. Otherwise there would be no metric for "badness" and the word would be meaningless.
perfmode 6y ago
difference... bad... unethical... all of these are concepts in the mind. in truth, it is all simple ignorance and a case of mistaken identity. there is no bad... good... no ethics... no this or that. this is how the world will be until we all wake up. until then, we rest in compassion.
xinsight 6y ago
This was the one of the wonderful bit of insights from the suprisingly deep and insightful show "Bojack Horseman". Basically, there is is no such thing as "deep down inside i'm a good person". You are your actions.