10 ms·

That false comparison has always bothered me. Preying on the weak for fun instead of profit doesn't make you right, it makes you sound like a sociopath.

seats 15y ago
Preying on the weak for fun Preying on the weak for profit They both kind of have a sociopath sound to them
- bxr 15y ago
  But, only one of them is the foundation of our society.
  - danielharan 15y ago
    Which one?
  - burgerbrain 15y ago
    I'm not sure which one you think it is, but I sure hope it's the one that does it for fun. A society driven by preying on the weak for profit is far more distressing.
    - bethling 15y ago
      As sad as it sounds, I really think it's preying on the weak for profit. So much of society/economy/whatever very much depends on taking advantage of those who are don't have much other choice in the matter. I don't think it's as visible to us as it used to be, but I think it's still very much there.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - JoshCole 15y ago
      You guys do realize that the bit about preying on the weak for profit is just a bit of rhetoric? It isn't really true. The person who is weak in this case is a customer. This customer is lacking in skills related to computer security. The person who is preying on the weak is someone who invested time into learning about the skills that the customer does not know. Let's say this customer was a farmer. He is using the money he too got from preying on the weak non-farmers to purchase protection. In the case of preying on the weak for fun we also have some things being hidden behind the words. For example, fun in this case means stealing identities, trying to ruin relationships, and sending dildos to innocents. It's cool though for the author because by having things written in these terms its easy for people to talk past each other. They don't realize the context in which he has placed the words in the article. When other people see the terms its easy to think that maybe "preying on the weak for profit" is referring to blackhats instead of capitalism. Another thing worth pointing out is that the person who is volunteering to give away the information for free is actually someone who also put in a lot of time to learn all the things that the customer didn't know. So when he says "I could teach it to him quickly" he is really saying "I will provide the same service in exchange for you're weekend." The thing is that when these two "companies" compete only the one charging money is going to stay afloat. So the dildo sending altruist who wants fun to be the basis of society goes back to sending dildos while the guy who charged the money actually does the job.
    - CWuestefeld 15y ago
      See: "Invisible Hand" In economics, the invisible hand, also known as invisible hand of the market, is the term economists use to describe the self-regulating nature of the marketplace. This is a metaphor first coined by the economist Adam Smith in The Theory of Moral Sentiments... For Smith, the invisible hand was created by the conjunction of the forces of self-interest, competition, and supply and demand, which he noted as being capable of allocating resources in society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand
  - yters 15y ago
    You mean the foundation of Taliban and Mafia society. You know, it is quite possible to make money by being good. It just doesn't grab headlines as effectively.
    - jarek 15y ago
      And quite trivial to make more money preying on the weak than being good.
      - yters 15y ago
        At least in the short term. But, that's definitely not the foundation for any functional society.
- SonicSoul 15y ago
  I suppose this is a matter of phrasing. Do car mechanics pray on weak for profit because not everyone learned how to fix their car? They trust mechanics because they devoted many years of their life at becoming good at what they do. Does that make them sociopaths? logic fail. You could also say that white hat hackers provide a service of security for the benefit of those that spend their time creating other things.
nihilocrat 15y ago
I think everything else said in the post proves they are sociopaths. They don't seem to place value in "peons", "lulz lizards", or really any kind of human beings.
- dclowd9901 15y ago
  It's always been posited that, at some point, the Internet would create a generation of pseudo-sociopaths who are so disconnected from fellow human beings, they lack empathy, much the same as someone with the clinical diagnosis. Mayhap that time has arrived.
  - moxiemk1 15y ago
    Just like with violent video games, the internet doesn't make people feel disconnected, or turn them into sociopaths. It enables people who would rather be disconnected to disconnect themselves, and gives sociopaths the ability to do far more. The internet doesn't create people without empathy, it reveals that deep down, a lot of humanity didn't have it to begin with. The way society is starting to structure itself, though, lets that shine through more clearly.
    - sradnidge 15y ago
      Well said.
    - yters 15y ago
      Just like advertisements don't convince people to buy stuff.
    - scythe 15y ago
      >The internet doesn't create people without empathy, it reveals that deep down, a lot of humanity didn't have it to begin with. The way society is starting to structure itself, though, lets that shine through more clearly. A lot? I doubt LulzSec is more than five people. For every pathological script-kiddie there are ten Free Software hackers. The Internet has revealed new ways for people to be destructive, but it has also revealed more ways that they can be constructive. Compare: http://www.quantcast.com/github.com http://www.quantcast.com/github.com http://www.quantcast.com/4chan.org http://www.quantcast.com/4chan.org

seats 15y ago

Preying on the weak for fun Preying on the weak for profit They both kind of have a sociopath sound to them

bxr 15y ago
But, only one of them is the foundation of our society.
- danielharan 15y ago
  Which one?
- burgerbrain 15y ago
  I'm not sure which one you think it is, but I sure hope it's the one that does it for fun. A society driven by preying on the weak for profit is far more distressing.
  - bethling 15y ago
    As sad as it sounds, I really think it's preying on the weak for profit. So much of society/economy/whatever very much depends on taking advantage of those who are don't have much other choice in the matter. I don't think it's as visible to us as it used to be, but I think it's still very much there.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - JoshCole 15y ago
    You guys do realize that the bit about preying on the weak for profit is just a bit of rhetoric? It isn't really true. The person who is weak in this case is a customer. This customer is lacking in skills related to computer security. The person who is preying on the weak is someone who invested time into learning about the skills that the customer does not know. Let's say this customer was a farmer. He is using the money he too got from preying on the weak non-farmers to purchase protection. In the case of preying on the weak for fun we also have some things being hidden behind the words. For example, fun in this case means stealing identities, trying to ruin relationships, and sending dildos to innocents. It's cool though for the author because by having things written in these terms its easy for people to talk past each other. They don't realize the context in which he has placed the words in the article. When other people see the terms its easy to think that maybe "preying on the weak for profit" is referring to blackhats instead of capitalism. Another thing worth pointing out is that the person who is volunteering to give away the information for free is actually someone who also put in a lot of time to learn all the things that the customer didn't know. So when he says "I could teach it to him quickly" he is really saying "I will provide the same service in exchange for you're weekend." The thing is that when these two "companies" compete only the one charging money is going to stay afloat. So the dildo sending altruist who wants fun to be the basis of society goes back to sending dildos while the guy who charged the money actually does the job.
  - CWuestefeld 15y ago
    See: "Invisible Hand" In economics, the invisible hand, also known as invisible hand of the market, is the term economists use to describe the self-regulating nature of the marketplace. This is a metaphor first coined by the economist Adam Smith in The Theory of Moral Sentiments... For Smith, the invisible hand was created by the conjunction of the forces of self-interest, competition, and supply and demand, which he noted as being capable of allocating resources in society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand
- yters 15y ago
  You mean the foundation of Taliban and Mafia society. You know, it is quite possible to make money by being good. It just doesn't grab headlines as effectively.
  - jarek 15y ago
    And quite trivial to make more money preying on the weak than being good.
    - yters 15y ago
      At least in the short term. But, that's definitely not the foundation for any functional society.
SonicSoul 15y ago
I suppose this is a matter of phrasing. Do car mechanics pray on weak for profit because not everyone learned how to fix their car? They trust mechanics because they devoted many years of their life at becoming good at what they do. Does that make them sociopaths? logic fail. You could also say that white hat hackers provide a service of security for the benefit of those that spend their time creating other things.

nihilocrat 15y ago

I think everything else said in the post proves they are sociopaths. They don't seem to place value in "peons", "lulz lizards", or really any kind of human beings.

dclowd9901 15y ago
It's always been posited that, at some point, the Internet would create a generation of pseudo-sociopaths who are so disconnected from fellow human beings, they lack empathy, much the same as someone with the clinical diagnosis. Mayhap that time has arrived.
- moxiemk1 15y ago
  Just like with violent video games, the internet doesn't make people feel disconnected, or turn them into sociopaths. It enables people who would rather be disconnected to disconnect themselves, and gives sociopaths the ability to do far more. The internet doesn't create people without empathy, it reveals that deep down, a lot of humanity didn't have it to begin with. The way society is starting to structure itself, though, lets that shine through more clearly.
  - sradnidge 15y ago
    Well said.
  - yters 15y ago
    Just like advertisements don't convince people to buy stuff.
  - scythe 15y ago
    >The internet doesn't create people without empathy, it reveals that deep down, a lot of humanity didn't have it to begin with. The way society is starting to structure itself, though, lets that shine through more clearly. A lot? I doubt LulzSec is more than five people. For every pathological script-kiddie there are ten Free Software hackers. The Internet has revealed new ways for people to be destructive, but it has also revealed more ways that they can be constructive. Compare: http://www.quantcast.com/github.com http://www.quantcast.com/github.com http://www.quantcast.com/4chan.org http://www.quantcast.com/4chan.org