3 ms·

This is not a correct analogy. There are multiple legitimate and moral usages of ammunition. A better comparison would be to ask if I would hire someone who wo

by dpratt 5y ago

This is not a correct analogy. There are multiple legitimate and moral usages of ammunition. A better comparison would be to ask if I would hire someone who worked for the East German Stasi, or someone who had helped to build the systems used to identify, target and kidnap dissidents in mainland China. Edit: Additionally, no, I would not hire an ammunition manufacturer who produced ammunition knowing that the entirety of his output was exclusively purchased by a government for the exclusive purpose of assassinating those who were non-violently opposed to said government.

systemvoltage 5y ago
Good point, and the NSO example from OP is definitely extreme. But it rings alarm bells for me. It is year 2025 and there are distinct and two separate job markets. One cannot cross the line because your resume reflects your political choice. This kind of dystopia sucks and I am gonna push back as much as I can. OP's tone was definitely about activism and I can't stand behind it at all. Also ammunitions producers have no idea where the ammunitions are used. It could be for saving lives in a hostage situation or assassination. Don't blame Intel for making processors that are then mounted on missiles that kill people. This is exactly what's wrong with illiberal ideology.
- caf 5y ago
  Once the rockets are up Who cares where they come down? That's not my department Says Wernher Von Braun
dredmorbius 5y ago
Keep in mind that one mechanism for control is to slowly suck someone into a scheme over time. I'm sure this has a name, or many names, though I'm not aware of it. A friend had a professor at uni who'd been recruited to join a deep-sea scientific mission which was an absolutely incredible opportunity: a phenomenally well-appointed ship, newly constructed, a large scientific crew, and funding was completely assured. He went on the project, returned home, and read much later in the paper that he'd been part of the cover mission for the recovery of the sunken Soviet submarine K-129, aboard the Glomar Explorer. According to the professor, he'd had absolutely no inkling of that mission. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer That's one method. The one used by Saddam Hussein as he executed (so to speak) his 1979 coup was rather more direct, and is explained here by Christopher Hitchens: https://youtube.com/watch?v=CR1X3zV6X5Y https://youtube.com/watch?v=CR1X3zV6X5Y During WWII, numerous individuals turned on their own countrymen, comrades, and fellow Jews, as Quislings, collaborators, and capos, through a mix of threats and rewards. And of course, various paths toward corruption are seen all the time in gangs, business, government, institutions, and other contexts. That said, I'd have a very hard time working with anyone who is still working for a Facebook, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Palantir, AT&T, Verizon, or numerous other firms in the surveillance capitalism space today.

by dpratt 5y ago

systemvoltage 5y ago

Good point, and the NSO example from OP is definitely extreme. But it rings alarm bells for me. It is year 2025 and there are distinct and two separate job markets. One cannot cross the line because your resume reflects your political choice. This kind of dystopia sucks and I am gonna push back as much as I can. OP's tone was definitely about activism and I can't stand behind it at all. Also ammunitions producers have no idea where the ammunitions are used. It could be for saving lives in a hostage situation or assassination. Don't blame Intel for making processors that are then mounted on missiles that kill people. This is exactly what's wrong with illiberal ideology.

caf 5y ago
Once the rockets are up Who cares where they come down? That's not my department Says Wernher Von Braun

dredmorbius 5y ago

Keep in mind that one mechanism for control is to slowly suck someone into a scheme over time. I'm sure this has a name, or many names, though I'm not aware of it. A friend had a professor at uni who'd been recruited to join a deep-sea scientific mission which was an absolutely incredible opportunity: a phenomenally well-appointed ship, newly constructed, a large scientific crew, and funding was completely assured. He went on the project, returned home, and read much later in the paper that he'd been part of the cover mission for the recovery of the sunken Soviet submarine K-129, aboard the Glomar Explorer. According to the professor, he'd had absolutely no inkling of that mission. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer That's one method. The one used by Saddam Hussein as he executed (so to speak) his 1979 coup was rather more direct, and is explained here by Christopher Hitchens: https://youtube.com/watch?v=CR1X3zV6X5Y https://youtube.com/watch?v=CR1X3zV6X5Y During WWII, numerous individuals turned on their own countrymen, comrades, and fellow Jews, as Quislings, collaborators, and capos, through a mix of threats and rewards. And of course, various paths toward corruption are seen all the time in gangs, business, government, institutions, and other contexts. That said, I'd have a very hard time working with anyone who is still working for a Facebook, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Palantir, AT&T, Verizon, or numerous other firms in the surveillance capitalism space today.