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The problem becomes obvious when you discover that there's no place to move in order to own. When you have no choice, are you really renting or are you a serf?
by WayneDB 14y ago
The problem becomes obvious when you discover that there's no place to move in order to own. When you have no choice, are you really renting or are you a serf?
Even if you think that you own your phone, you still have to get it onto a network for it to become useful and you'll be renting that network access and you'll have no choice between contracts because they're all the same.
- pekk 14y agoThey aren't all the same. 3 years of contract at $70+/mo != prepaid $30/mo != prepaid 10c/min.
- WayneDB 14y agoThey are all the same in many respects though. Do any of them offer true unlimited data? Tethering? Usage of unlocked phones? Decent coverage? Data privacy?
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- JadeNB 14y agoWell, none of them offers a pony, either. I think that only one of these (data privacy) is a right; that (2)–(5) are conveniences; and that true unlimited data is impossible (assuming you mean "… at a fixed price").
- WayneDB 14y agoHowever, if I want to own a pony I certainly have the option of purchasing one. 2-5 are perfectly reasonable offerings and the corporations that control the data pipes have all accepted our tax breaks which contribute to them being able to maintain their virtual monopolies. My point is that the rent analogy does not work at all. It's too simple.
- CamperBob2 14y agoWhen you have no choice, are you really renting or are you a serf? Not a straightforward question. As a renter, I can pack up and leave on relatively short notice, with limited liabilities. But as a homeowner, I might as well be an indentured servant to my mortgage company. If I own my home and suddenly find that I need to sell it and move elsewhere for work or other reasons, I can expect to take a six-figure bath in today's market. Personally I would rather be a serf than a prisoner... hence my preference for renting.