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Asymmetric power is the engine that turns the world. Everyone on earth has asymmetric power in one context or another. Men and women, kings and peons alike. Th

Asymmetric power is the engine that turns the world. Everyone on earth has asymmetric power in one context or another. Men and women, kings and peons alike. There is no universality, despite some of the narratives out there Edit: seeing this comment have wide swings from upvotes and downvotes, wish the “most controversial” sorting was a thing

Dylan16807 4y ago
There are places where asymmetric power is fine, and there are places where it's too much and laws need to step in.
- hammock 4y ago
  Are laws not a form of asymmetric power? I’m not making a normative statement. It’s objective. As easily as what you said, one could say (and US allies like Saudi do say) “women’s rights are mostly fine, but there are places where they go too far and a husband must step in”
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    Sure? I don't really know what relevance this has to the previous conversation. But I would say that laws are much more likely to get things right than to let every powered individual make their own rules.
novantadue 4y ago
The context is the battle between capital and labor. Its (historically) very important and this is just one tiny instance of it. Another instance was on NPR today about the proposed railroad workers strike, apparently they don't get any paid sick days which is outrageous especially considering how lauded Warren Buffet is when he yaks about paying less tax than his secretary; well she doesn't spend $10m a year on tax lawyers and maybe Buffet could spare some sick days for the BNSF workers? Tech examples could include workers in China suffering under 9-9-6, or Google-Apple wage suppression collusion, or a common topic around here, how early startup employees lose their equity comp through some kind of legal slight-of-hand.
- hammock 4y ago
  You are right and we have allowed capital to outpace labor in power by supporting globalization and loose central bank policy since the closing of the gold window in 1971

Dylan16807 4y ago

There are places where asymmetric power is fine, and there are places where it's too much and laws need to step in.

hammock 4y ago
Are laws not a form of asymmetric power? I’m not making a normative statement. It’s objective. As easily as what you said, one could say (and US allies like Saudi do say) “women’s rights are mostly fine, but there are places where they go too far and a husband must step in”
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  Sure? I don't really know what relevance this has to the previous conversation. But I would say that laws are much more likely to get things right than to let every powered individual make their own rules.

novantadue 4y ago

The context is the battle between capital and labor. Its (historically) very important and this is just one tiny instance of it. Another instance was on NPR today about the proposed railroad workers strike, apparently they don't get any paid sick days which is outrageous especially considering how lauded Warren Buffet is when he yaks about paying less tax than his secretary; well she doesn't spend $10m a year on tax lawyers and maybe Buffet could spare some sick days for the BNSF workers? Tech examples could include workers in China suffering under 9-9-6, or Google-Apple wage suppression collusion, or a common topic around here, how early startup employees lose their equity comp through some kind of legal slight-of-hand.

hammock 4y ago
You are right and we have allowed capital to outpace labor in power by supporting globalization and loose central bank policy since the closing of the gold window in 1971