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This is a pathetic article and I'm ashamed to see it on a news site I respect. This leftist ideology is HN's Achilles heel.

tomjen3 16y ago
True, that guy is so far out. The poor aren't responsible for production, they can afford more than a needle and a hammer. When was the last time a poor person build a railroad, a factory or a library? Edit: cleaned up.
- EarthLaunch 16y ago
  Sarcasm is useless for real discussions; I have no idea what you're trying to say.
kitsune_ 16y ago
Just like communism, capitalism is mainly a lofty idea which breaks down as soon as it is confronted with reality. This is true for every sociological model, including capitalism. Just like "real socialism" there is the de facto "real capitalism" which clashes with the theoretical model proposed by the theoreticians and its proponents.
- EarthLaunch 16y ago
  Communism is a terrible idea, not a lofty one. Capitalism is a lofty idea that is misunderstood both in theory and practice.
  - kitsune_ 16y ago
    I didn't use "lofty" with a qualititative judgement about the morality of communism. "lofty" has a Germanic origin, "luft", which means "air". It can be used to describe idealistic but unrealistic endevaours or ideas. One man's idealist is another man's tyrant. "Capitalism is a lofty idea that is misunderstood both in theory and practice." - what does that even mean? It definitely doesn't say much in my opinion. Capitalism can be defined in many ways. If you attack capitalism you first have to define which definition of capitalism you mean. Now, there certainly exists a public discourse about what capitalism is and means. Certain definitions are loudly being trumpeted from the roof tops. As someone with an advertisement background, I can assure you that the form of delivery and the presentation of a message usually clash with its intentended meaning. This is not about conspiracies, it's the modus operandi of people. How often are you truly open and honest in your daily interactions with other people? How often do you lie? In this regard, a-Joon Chang’s talk would probably have been pretty interesting, because it seems to analyse certain assumptions and notions that inevitably come up when people talk about capitalism, especially in a western context.
  - RuadhanMc 16y ago
    A true believer in communism would also say that it is misunderstood in both theory and practice.
utoku 16y ago
My leftist friends think I am a hardcore capitalist. My rightist friends think I am an irrevocable socialist or communist. They don't put me in the middle ground. Hackers like to point out the flaws in all kinds of systems. So be prepared to be ashamed at least some of the time. Some people just like to think about how to improve the systems.
- EarthLaunch 16y ago
  The middle ground between right and wrong is wrong. Anyway, neither of those alternatives is right. I like hackers who point out flaws in any system, but this article does not do that.

tomjen3 16y ago

True, that guy is so far out. The poor aren't responsible for production, they can afford more than a needle and a hammer. When was the last time a poor person build a railroad, a factory or a library? Edit: cleaned up.

EarthLaunch 16y ago
Sarcasm is useless for real discussions; I have no idea what you're trying to say.

kitsune_ 16y ago

Just like communism, capitalism is mainly a lofty idea which breaks down as soon as it is confronted with reality. This is true for every sociological model, including capitalism. Just like "real socialism" there is the de facto "real capitalism" which clashes with the theoretical model proposed by the theoreticians and its proponents.

EarthLaunch 16y ago
Communism is a terrible idea, not a lofty one. Capitalism is a lofty idea that is misunderstood both in theory and practice.
- kitsune_ 16y ago
  I didn't use "lofty" with a qualititative judgement about the morality of communism. "lofty" has a Germanic origin, "luft", which means "air". It can be used to describe idealistic but unrealistic endevaours or ideas. One man's idealist is another man's tyrant. "Capitalism is a lofty idea that is misunderstood both in theory and practice." - what does that even mean? It definitely doesn't say much in my opinion. Capitalism can be defined in many ways. If you attack capitalism you first have to define which definition of capitalism you mean. Now, there certainly exists a public discourse about what capitalism is and means. Certain definitions are loudly being trumpeted from the roof tops. As someone with an advertisement background, I can assure you that the form of delivery and the presentation of a message usually clash with its intentended meaning. This is not about conspiracies, it's the modus operandi of people. How often are you truly open and honest in your daily interactions with other people? How often do you lie? In this regard, a-Joon Chang’s talk would probably have been pretty interesting, because it seems to analyse certain assumptions and notions that inevitably come up when people talk about capitalism, especially in a western context.
- RuadhanMc 16y ago
  A true believer in communism would also say that it is misunderstood in both theory and practice.

utoku 16y ago

My leftist friends think I am a hardcore capitalist. My rightist friends think I am an irrevocable socialist or communist. They don't put me in the middle ground. Hackers like to point out the flaws in all kinds of systems. So be prepared to be ashamed at least some of the time. Some people just like to think about how to improve the systems.

EarthLaunch 16y ago
The middle ground between right and wrong is wrong. Anyway, neither of those alternatives is right. I like hackers who point out flaws in any system, but this article does not do that.