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Making a dent is possible, but to take on power you need other powerful people/networks backing you. Most whistleblowers don't do enough homework. They just wan

by lwo32k 1y ago

Making a dent is possible, but to take on power you need other powerful people/networks backing you. Most whistleblowers don't do enough homework. They just want to dump things out there and hope for the best. That's never good enough.

FirmwareBurner 1y ago
> but to take on power you need other powerful people/networks backing you. Most whistleblowers don't do enough homework. Doing your homework and having powerful people behind you are orthogonal. You can do all the homework you want but powerful people got in power and staid in power for playing for those in power, they're not gonna throw away all that to die on your hill with you. You might think you can get away by playing one political side against the other for your protection and rally support, but when it comes to national security, military industrial complex, the ultra wealthy elites, etc, those tend to be part of and fund both sides so it won't work out in your favor as you might expect. >They just want to dump things out there and hope for the best. What's the alternative? Once you start "doing your homework" those in power will already find out you're rocking the boat and will lock you up under the usual $ESPIONAGE, $TERRORISM, $PATRIOT laws before you manage to send a text, so your safest bet is to release all info quickly to the public/press while you're still able to. Time works against you here. The longer you're in possession of dirt that can get those at the top in trouble, the more you risk finding yourself "Epsteined".
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > Doing your homework and having powerful people behind you are orthogonal In the way sifting flour and beating eggs are orthogonal steps in cake making. You need to do both, and not necessarily in any order. > You might think you can get away by playing one political side against the other for your protection and rally support “Sides” are an abstraction. The first rule of power is its quantum are people. You need people on your side to have power. Not abstractions. > Once you start "doing your homework" those in power will already find out you're rocking the boat and will lock you up No they won’t. Even these whistleblowers were publicly tried to scandalous effect for the impacted agencies. The step most whistleblowers fail to take is the simplest one when confronting a powerful entity: consulting a lawyer. > longer you're in possession of dirt that can get those at the top in trouble, the more you risk finding yourself "Epsteined" This is nonsense and worse, a self-defeating argument. You think the people Epstein had dirt on didn’t know it until he was jailed?
  - FirmwareBurner 1y ago
    >You need to do both How do you do that? >You need people on your side to have power. How do you get them? >The step most whistleblowers fail to take is the simplest one when confronting a powerful entity: consulting a lawyer. If only Snowden would have talked to a lawyer, I'm sure he'd be safe in the US right now.
    - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
      > How? This is highly situation dependent. If you’re blowing the whistle on the British special forces, you’d want to have copious contemporaneous notes referencing where official documents may corroborate your claims. You’d also want to introduce your claims into the Parliamentary record; first step would be finding an MP who wants to reform (not unmake) the special forces. In this way you can play into ambitious underlings’ promotion dreams while dangling transformation resources for the agency you’re criticising. > How do you get them? If you can’t manage the basics of politics, don’t launch a political endeavour. (This is true for whistleblowing and entrepreneurship, commercial and political.) > If only Snowden would have talked to a lawyer, I'm sure he'd be safe in the US right now Chelsea Manning is out of jail. And Manning went about her business in about the stupidest way possible.

by lwo32k 1y ago

FirmwareBurner 1y ago

> but to take on power you need other powerful people/networks backing you. Most whistleblowers don't do enough homework. Doing your homework and having powerful people behind you are orthogonal. You can do all the homework you want but powerful people got in power and staid in power for playing for those in power, they're not gonna throw away all that to die on your hill with you. You might think you can get away by playing one political side against the other for your protection and rally support, but when it comes to national security, military industrial complex, the ultra wealthy elites, etc, those tend to be part of and fund both sides so it won't work out in your favor as you might expect. >They just want to dump things out there and hope for the best. What's the alternative? Once you start "doing your homework" those in power will already find out you're rocking the boat and will lock you up under the usual $ESPIONAGE, $TERRORISM, $PATRIOT laws before you manage to send a text, so your safest bet is to release all info quickly to the public/press while you're still able to. Time works against you here. The longer you're in possession of dirt that can get those at the top in trouble, the more you risk finding yourself "Epsteined".

JumpCrisscross 1y ago
> Doing your homework and having powerful people behind you are orthogonal In the way sifting flour and beating eggs are orthogonal steps in cake making. You need to do both, and not necessarily in any order. > You might think you can get away by playing one political side against the other for your protection and rally support “Sides” are an abstraction. The first rule of power is its quantum are people. You need people on your side to have power. Not abstractions. > Once you start "doing your homework" those in power will already find out you're rocking the boat and will lock you up No they won’t. Even these whistleblowers were publicly tried to scandalous effect for the impacted agencies. The step most whistleblowers fail to take is the simplest one when confronting a powerful entity: consulting a lawyer. > longer you're in possession of dirt that can get those at the top in trouble, the more you risk finding yourself "Epsteined" This is nonsense and worse, a self-defeating argument. You think the people Epstein had dirt on didn’t know it until he was jailed?
- FirmwareBurner 1y ago
  >You need to do both How do you do that? >You need people on your side to have power. How do you get them? >The step most whistleblowers fail to take is the simplest one when confronting a powerful entity: consulting a lawyer. If only Snowden would have talked to a lawyer, I'm sure he'd be safe in the US right now.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    > How? This is highly situation dependent. If you’re blowing the whistle on the British special forces, you’d want to have copious contemporaneous notes referencing where official documents may corroborate your claims. You’d also want to introduce your claims into the Parliamentary record; first step would be finding an MP who wants to reform (not unmake) the special forces. In this way you can play into ambitious underlings’ promotion dreams while dangling transformation resources for the agency you’re criticising. > How do you get them? If you can’t manage the basics of politics, don’t launch a political endeavour. (This is true for whistleblowing and entrepreneurship, commercial and political.) > If only Snowden would have talked to a lawyer, I'm sure he'd be safe in the US right now Chelsea Manning is out of jail. And Manning went about her business in about the stupidest way possible.