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The problem with cynical takes like this is they absolve Google of any responsibility. Are they profit seeking? Yes. Does every for-profit company engage in 4D
by uncomputation 5y ago
The problem with cynical takes like this is they absolve Google of any responsibility. Are they profit seeking? Yes. Does every for-profit company engage in 4D chess with its employees convincing them that unions are bad? No. This is a specific mea culpa of Google, not a flaw inherent in every company and we shouldn’t absolve them of fault because they’re “profit-seeking.”
> come ready for battle every day
On one hand, yes, it’s important to remember that you are only an employee at a company and to not get too doe-eyed about it. On the other hand, we shouldn’t have to come ready to fight misinformation from our own employer. Also, most people do find meaning and purpose from working, if they are working in the right career for them. It is an oversimplification to say the relationship between employer and employee is adversarial.
- nerdponx 5y agoNo, it does not absolve anyone of responsibility. Accepting that bad people exist and are bad and that their badness needs to be fought against, does not make the bad people somehow less-responsible for the badness.
- mandmandam 5y agoI'm with you on this one. But here's the thing: They're all (95+%) fucking terrible. No exaggeration, no drama; they're literally evil and for real killing us and the planet. Rs and Ds, judges and lawyers, Banks, Media Energy, Pharma, Guns, and Big Tech - all of them. People might think this comment isn't helpful - because they don't see the above as scum. But they are.
- nerdponx 5y agoI don't disagree. The sooner people can get wise to the idea that all relationships with government, employers, etc. are at least moderately adversarial by nature, the better. Power dynamics, etc. The one problem is that people use this "everyone is terrible" argument to justify selfish libertarianism. "All politicians are bad anyway, so I voted for the one that appeals to my personal beliefs." This seems to be more of a "right-wing" and/or "libertarian" phenomenon, to the point where it seems to be used as a dogwhistle in some circles. So I'm hesitant to promote it.
- mandmandam 5y agoYeah. There is that <5% baby in the bathwater that doesn't deserve to get lumped in with the thieves, ghouls and puppets, for sure. I don't know how they do it, but I sure hope we can grow more of them somehow.