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German here: Angela Merkel (our chancellor) didnt even seem to care that the NSA had tapped her phone (1). The newly released cybersecurity strategy wants to ba

German here: Angela Merkel (our chancellor) didnt even seem to care that the NSA had tapped her phone (1). The newly released cybersecurity strategy wants to backdoor all encrypted services (2). Sure you can encourage your local politicians to do "something". You can "protest" and maybe the federal politicians will even "admire" your cause. But realistically, there's nothing to be done. (1): https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2019-02/abhoeraffaere-angela-merkel-nsa-us-geheimdienst?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2019-02/abhoeraffaer... (2): https://marketresearchtelecast.com/cyber-%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8Bsecurity-strategy-federal-government-relies-on-hackbacks-and-exploits/150599/ https://marketresearchtelecast.com/cyber-%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8Bs...

javajosh 5y ago
If people think there's nothing to be done, then indeed, nothing will be done. Wenn ein Mann denkt, dass nichts getan werden kann, dann kann nichts getan werden.
- gerthrowaway21 5y ago
  Well if you think reality is a Hollywood rhetoric where if youre determined enough you can accomplish anything regardless of obstacles - good luck. Just gonna leave this list of events where the villains were brought to justice: https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrociti...
  - javajosh 5y ago
    No right-minded person would claim that mere determination leads to success. You need a lot of other things, including knowledge, luck, and more. However, it is correct to assert the contra-positive: if you don't try, then you will fail 100% of the time. But, to empathize with you, I understand the concern. It is disheartening to think that your efforts may go to waste, and result in...nothing. Worse than nothing, because you've paid the opportunity cost of the attempt. This is real. The mitigation is to reduce your opportunity cost. Send a letter to your legislature, an email to a newspaper. Talk to your friends about the issue. The positive effect is that you're broadcasting a truth, and maybe someone will respond. (Also, chicks dig a guy who actually believes in shit.)
    - gerthrowaway21 5y ago
      "The mitigation is to reduce your opportunity cost (...) Also, chicks dig a guy who actually believes in shit." Man feels himself to be responsible, but he is not. He does not feel himself an object, but he is. He has been so well assimilated to the economic world, so well adjusted to it by being reduced to the homo economicus, in short, so well conditioned, that the appearance of personal life becomes for him the reality of personal life. Ellul, 1954
      - javajosh 5y ago
        "Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist-a master-and that is what Auguste Rodin was-can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is...and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be...and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply imprisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart...no matter what the merciless hours have done to her." - Heinlein And so it is with us, and our beautiful, human sense of morality, responsibility, and integrity, ravaged by time and the requirements of practicality.
        pasabagi 5y ago
        > He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart...no matter what the merciless hours have done to her." - Yeesh. I'm glad I've met a lot of 'girls' who are actually grownups, not teenagers in more wrinkly skin.
        javajosh 5y ago
        It is truly remarkable the effort people make to express outraged offense. It requires so much! It would not be enough to ignore the point, which is about hope in the face of political hopelessness, you then had to then ignore the gist of the quote, which is that beauty is obscured by time, never lost, and then the coup de' grace, manufacture an attack! All of this to rise up to defend women from that attack, speaking down to the cruel jackal(s) that would reduce divine womanhood to nothing more than a piece-of-ass in this abhorrent way! You, sir, are a true inspiration to anyone who ever searched for offense. You've shown clearly that all it takes is grit and determination, and you can find it, right there for the taking, that juicy plumb of outrage. Bravo, and well done!
markus_zhang 5y ago
Yeah I agree we are pretty much done here. All (major) countries are treating this "feature" of "must-have" and once you give the bureaucratic some power it is almost impossible to take it away from them.
relativ575 5y ago
> Angela Merkel (our chancellor) didnt even seem to care that the NSA had tapped her phone That's because she perhaps knows better than anyone that Germany also spy on the US; work with the US to spy on other countries; or in general, all intelligence agencies spy? https://www.dw.com/en/german-intelligence-spied-on-white-house/a-39365418 https://www.dw.com/en/german-intelligence-spied-on-white-hou...
- gerthrowaway21 5y ago
  Missed that info. Thank you!
rad_gruchalski 5y ago
Maybe she had nothing to hide :]

javajosh 5y ago

If people think there's nothing to be done, then indeed, nothing will be done. Wenn ein Mann denkt, dass nichts getan werden kann, dann kann nichts getan werden.

gerthrowaway21 5y ago
Well if you think reality is a Hollywood rhetoric where if youre determined enough you can accomplish anything regardless of obstacles - good luck. Just gonna leave this list of events where the villains were brought to justice: https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrociti...
- javajosh 5y ago
  No right-minded person would claim that mere determination leads to success. You need a lot of other things, including knowledge, luck, and more. However, it is correct to assert the contra-positive: if you don't try, then you will fail 100% of the time. But, to empathize with you, I understand the concern. It is disheartening to think that your efforts may go to waste, and result in...nothing. Worse than nothing, because you've paid the opportunity cost of the attempt. This is real. The mitigation is to reduce your opportunity cost. Send a letter to your legislature, an email to a newspaper. Talk to your friends about the issue. The positive effect is that you're broadcasting a truth, and maybe someone will respond. (Also, chicks dig a guy who actually believes in shit.)
  - gerthrowaway21 5y ago
    "The mitigation is to reduce your opportunity cost (...) Also, chicks dig a guy who actually believes in shit." Man feels himself to be responsible, but he is not. He does not feel himself an object, but he is. He has been so well assimilated to the economic world, so well adjusted to it by being reduced to the homo economicus, in short, so well conditioned, that the appearance of personal life becomes for him the reality of personal life. Ellul, 1954
    - javajosh 5y ago
      "Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist-a master-and that is what Auguste Rodin was-can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is...and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be...and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply imprisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart...no matter what the merciless hours have done to her." - Heinlein And so it is with us, and our beautiful, human sense of morality, responsibility, and integrity, ravaged by time and the requirements of practicality.
      - pasabagi 5y ago
        > He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart...no matter what the merciless hours have done to her." - Yeesh. I'm glad I've met a lot of 'girls' who are actually grownups, not teenagers in more wrinkly skin.
        javajosh 5y ago
        It is truly remarkable the effort people make to express outraged offense. It requires so much! It would not be enough to ignore the point, which is about hope in the face of political hopelessness, you then had to then ignore the gist of the quote, which is that beauty is obscured by time, never lost, and then the coup de' grace, manufacture an attack! All of this to rise up to defend women from that attack, speaking down to the cruel jackal(s) that would reduce divine womanhood to nothing more than a piece-of-ass in this abhorrent way! You, sir, are a true inspiration to anyone who ever searched for offense. You've shown clearly that all it takes is grit and determination, and you can find it, right there for the taking, that juicy plumb of outrage. Bravo, and well done!

markus_zhang 5y ago

Yeah I agree we are pretty much done here. All (major) countries are treating this "feature" of "must-have" and once you give the bureaucratic some power it is almost impossible to take it away from them.

relativ575 5y ago

> Angela Merkel (our chancellor) didnt even seem to care that the NSA had tapped her phone That's because she perhaps knows better than anyone that Germany also spy on the US; work with the US to spy on other countries; or in general, all intelligence agencies spy? https://www.dw.com/en/german-intelligence-spied-on-white-house/a-39365418 https://www.dw.com/en/german-intelligence-spied-on-white-hou...

gerthrowaway21 5y ago
Missed that info. Thank you!

rad_gruchalski 5y ago

Maybe she had nothing to hide :]