4 ms·

If you want to go that route, money is immoral because it doesn't exist unless people are threatened by force to use it. When you need to pay the king's taxes

If you want to go that route, money is immoral because it doesn't exist unless people are threatened by force to use it. When you need to pay the king's taxes with the king's money as otherwise the king's men will beat you up, which is why you'll give the king's soldiers food in exchange for the king's money. > companies often ensure reviewers LOL! Of course they do! Companies pick reviewers who give good reviews, and spurn those who are critical. You every wonder why most game reviewers are so fawning? Consumer Reports knows this, which is why they buy their products on the market, which is why they can't have reviews with the product first comes out. Which is why when a product is first released you'll rarely find honest negative reviews. Who rates the reviewers? Are they shilling for the manufacturer? Are they the marketing arm of the manufacturer? How do you know?

mike_hearn 1y ago
Nobody is threatened into using cryptocurrencies, yet they exist and can be used as money. Yes, companies can choose who gets to review pre-release products. Negative pre-release reviews come out anyway, and if you don't trust them you can wait, as you say. Reviewers who aren't trusted by people looking for reviews rapidly lose their audience and stop being given product access. You guys are talking as if product reviews are some theoretical thing that don't exist today, that only a government can supply. Reviews obviously do exist and billions of people rely on them every month. There is just no problem that specifically requires the US government to step in here.
- eesmith 1y ago
  > and can be used as money Yes, and so can Canadian Tire money, but try paying your taxes in scrip or Bitcoin. > and if you don't trust them you can wait Nope. Models numbers are cheap. Each chain can get their own model number, updated every six months. You wait and the numbers all change. > Reviewers who aren't trusted by people You're smoking the good stuff! "Up to 30% of online reviews are fake and consumers can't tell the difference", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33472922 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33472922 "Big media publishers are inundating the web with subpar product recommendations", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39433451 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39433451 See also the comments of HNers who find it hard to find trusted reviewers. How do you find a trusted reviewer for air purifiers, which that last link concerns?

mike_hearn 1y ago

Nobody is threatened into using cryptocurrencies, yet they exist and can be used as money. Yes, companies can choose who gets to review pre-release products. Negative pre-release reviews come out anyway, and if you don't trust them you can wait, as you say. Reviewers who aren't trusted by people looking for reviews rapidly lose their audience and stop being given product access. You guys are talking as if product reviews are some theoretical thing that don't exist today, that only a government can supply. Reviews obviously do exist and billions of people rely on them every month. There is just no problem that specifically requires the US government to step in here.

eesmith 1y ago
> and can be used as money Yes, and so can Canadian Tire money, but try paying your taxes in scrip or Bitcoin. > and if you don't trust them you can wait Nope. Models numbers are cheap. Each chain can get their own model number, updated every six months. You wait and the numbers all change. > Reviewers who aren't trusted by people You're smoking the good stuff! "Up to 30% of online reviews are fake and consumers can't tell the difference", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33472922 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33472922 "Big media publishers are inundating the web with subpar product recommendations", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39433451 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39433451 See also the comments of HNers who find it hard to find trusted reviewers. How do you find a trusted reviewer for air purifiers, which that last link concerns?