2 ms·

Now apparently I have the thought process of a three year old, but I think when you actively disagree with a particular product, so much as to post online and c

Now apparently I have the thought process of a three year old, but I think when you actively disagree with a particular product, so much as to post online and change images to remind you of how they are actively evil... yet continue to use it its almost masturbatory behavior. Look, I'm glad there are things people care about, but the correct way to care about things are not passive-aggressive image swaps but speaking with your dollars and eyeballs (at a minimum). I feel the same way about things like Darfur, it seems to be more fashionable to be outraged than to enact meaningful action.

mattmaroon 18y ago
He doesn't disagree with the product, he disagrees with one decision that the company that makes that product has made. When you're a political extremist, it's very hard to find a company that doesn't fit that bill. Yahoo does the same thing in China that Google does, and Microsoft is, well, Microsoft. Should he just not use any search engine? Instead he continues to use and support a company that does many good things while speaking out about the bad ones. That seems entirely reasonable to me. Maybe when you turn four, you'll understand :)
- cstejerean 18y ago
  What good does speaking out against a company do? Unless there is some impact on the bottom line why would a company ever change? If one is going to complain he/she should be willing to create a financial incentive for that company to do the right thing. In the case of Google one could start by not clicking on advertising, not using Google to advertise or not using AdSense (assuming of course that one is currently generating some sort of revenue for Google).
  - mattmaroon 18y ago
    It lets the company know that there are users who care, especially if you're doing it as publicly as he is. Companies will respond to that sort of stuff. I'd say his public articles have way more effect than his privately not clicking AdSense (which costs Google what, $15 per year?) ever would.
  - deleted 18y ago
    [deleted]
  - JabavuAdams 18y ago
    Or one could start by writing about the issue, and bringing people's attention to the problem. Writing convincingly about an issue you care about is probably the most effective thing you can do, unless you're already powerful in the domain you want to change.
ars 18y ago
I've heard people say: you can't complain about some bad thing x - you do bad thing y! I tell people I don't have to be perfect in order to make things better. Or the similar: what's the point in fixing X if Y is so bad. Same thing - you can make things better even if you can't make things perfect. It's like that for him. He can't do anything about what google does, so he does what he can do. He doesn't have to be perfect and avoid them completely - he did what he reasonably could. Politicians have this disease: they both agree that X needs fixing, but disagree on Y. So neither side will pass a bill with just X, because they want the bill to also have Y in it - their version of Y, which they can't agree on. So they do nothing. It's a disease. You can fix one thing without fixing everything. You do not have to be perfect in order to criticize someone! You can even do the thing you are criticizing and still criticize them (as long as you are aware, and mention, that you do it too).

mattmaroon 18y ago

He doesn't disagree with the product, he disagrees with one decision that the company that makes that product has made. When you're a political extremist, it's very hard to find a company that doesn't fit that bill. Yahoo does the same thing in China that Google does, and Microsoft is, well, Microsoft. Should he just not use any search engine? Instead he continues to use and support a company that does many good things while speaking out about the bad ones. That seems entirely reasonable to me. Maybe when you turn four, you'll understand :)

cstejerean 18y ago
What good does speaking out against a company do? Unless there is some impact on the bottom line why would a company ever change? If one is going to complain he/she should be willing to create a financial incentive for that company to do the right thing. In the case of Google one could start by not clicking on advertising, not using Google to advertise or not using AdSense (assuming of course that one is currently generating some sort of revenue for Google).
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  It lets the company know that there are users who care, especially if you're doing it as publicly as he is. Companies will respond to that sort of stuff. I'd say his public articles have way more effect than his privately not clicking AdSense (which costs Google what, $15 per year?) ever would.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
- JabavuAdams 18y ago
  Or one could start by writing about the issue, and bringing people's attention to the problem. Writing convincingly about an issue you care about is probably the most effective thing you can do, unless you're already powerful in the domain you want to change.

ars 18y ago

I've heard people say: you can't complain about some bad thing x - you do bad thing y! I tell people I don't have to be perfect in order to make things better. Or the similar: what's the point in fixing X if Y is so bad. Same thing - you can make things better even if you can't make things perfect. It's like that for him. He can't do anything about what google does, so he does what he can do. He doesn't have to be perfect and avoid them completely - he did what he reasonably could. Politicians have this disease: they both agree that X needs fixing, but disagree on Y. So neither side will pass a bill with just X, because they want the bill to also have Y in it - their version of Y, which they can't agree on. So they do nothing. It's a disease. You can fix one thing without fixing everything. You do not have to be perfect in order to criticize someone! You can even do the thing you are criticizing and still criticize them (as long as you are aware, and mention, that you do it too).