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Your comment makes two distinct points. The main point, an assertion of hypocrisy, is not a valid disagreement, it's simply ad hominem tu quoque (which reminds,
by raganwald 15y ago
Your comment makes two distinct points. The main point, an assertion of hypocrisy, is not a valid disagreement, it's simply ad hominem tu quoque (which reminds, me, what's the latin for "things said in Latin aren't nearly as important as they seem?").
The second point, that "users are the product" is not a novel insight, makes perfect sense.
- icebraining 15y agoIt is a valid disagreement. It's not a valid argument, which is fine since I wasn't trying to make one from it, just calling the hypocrisy out.
- joebadmo 15y agoThis is a case in which the hypocrisy isn't just ad hominem, though. It's not just "you've done things you're now accusing others of!" The hypocrisy makes the author's argument apply to the author himself. That is, the argument the author is using to call Google into question applies to the author, thereby calling the author's authority and trustworthiness into question. It's not just that the author is a hypocrite (which he is). It's that his argument sort of invalidates or at least incites suspicion of itself. This is all aside from the point that the "you are the product" argument is a reductive, partisan talking point: http://blog.byjoemoon.com/post/9910020865/you-are-the-product http://blog.byjoemoon.com/post/9910020865/you-are-the-produc...
- thebigshane 15y agoquidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur "anything said in Latin sounds profound". A recent ironic Latin phrase to poke fun at people who seem to use Latin phrases and quotations only to make themselves sound more important or "educated". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28full%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28full%2...]