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Kim Dotcom is one of my favorite personalities... he's basically a real life James Bond villain, except that he's kind of the good guy. It's awesome to see him

Kim Dotcom is one of my favorite personalities... he's basically a real life James Bond villain, except that he's kind of the good guy. It's awesome to see him stand up to this stuff and even win against systems that want to see him fail completely.

res0nat0r 13y ago
He is far from a good guy. Read his bio on Wikipedia for more info on crimes he has been convicted for in the past: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Dotcom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Dotcom
jagermo 13y ago
I disagree. I know the discussion around him since he started his "hacking" career in Germany. He certainly knows how to show off and present himself, but I don't think there is much more substance to it. Attrition.org has a nice list about his actions [0]. While I applaud the push back and the increased interest in civil rights, I'm not really happy that it pushes Mr Kimble to a "hero status" and just gives him more credibility. [0]: http://attrition.org/errata/charlatan/kimble/ http://attrition.org/errata/charlatan/kimble/
- ryanobjc 13y ago
  So a lot of his crimes are pretty far in the past now (20 years in some cases). So I'm thinking that "never forgive, never forget" is the motto here? Rehabilitation is not possible? I think you are forgetting that many "praiseworthy" individuals in history have dark pasts. Whitewashing your past to present the most favorable version of yourself has a long and honorable tradition. Recent examples would be Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Older would be people like Rockafeller, JP Morgan and basically anyone having anything to do with the railroads. Personally though, I am attracted to people like Kim and Jobs not because of their "good image" but because they have a dark side. To use a super-hero analogy... I find Iron Man a much more compelling hero than superman. Why is this? Superman is basically the perfect person, he has few real moral dilemmas, nor does he have any lengthly struggles. Superman never has depression, dark thoughts, a dark legacy to overcome, and so on. Compared to the way Iron Man is portrayed in the recent movies, Iron Man/Stark is very human, has tons of flaws, but still manages to do good all in all. Stark has a dark legacy, both in his family and personally. He suffers from depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, grandiose and offensive behavior. The interesting part comes from the struggle between the dark and the light. Only by embracing the light and dark sides of ourselves, can we truly grow past the dark parts and do good out there. Given the way our brains work, its practically a given that we are going to screw up in our younger years. Embrace your humanity.
tzs 13y ago
So your notion of "good guy" is someone with convictions for embezzlement, insider trading, and trafficking in stolen goods? Someone who only appears to have ever engaged in non-criminal businesses when he was on parole from prior convictions and so HAD to keep clean?
- stfu 13y ago
  It depends on your own moral compass. I, for example, never got the idea of why white collar crime is such a big deal. I see money as a "temporary" thing which you have to manage based on your individual risk perspective. I know that this is an unpopular view, but I never understood why Madoff got such a long sentence, longer than someone murderer get. Physical integrity is irreplaceable while money comes and goes.

res0nat0r 13y ago

He is far from a good guy. Read his bio on Wikipedia for more info on crimes he has been convicted for in the past: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Dotcom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Dotcom

jagermo 13y ago

I disagree. I know the discussion around him since he started his "hacking" career in Germany. He certainly knows how to show off and present himself, but I don't think there is much more substance to it. Attrition.org has a nice list about his actions [0]. While I applaud the push back and the increased interest in civil rights, I'm not really happy that it pushes Mr Kimble to a "hero status" and just gives him more credibility. [0]: http://attrition.org/errata/charlatan/kimble/ http://attrition.org/errata/charlatan/kimble/

ryanobjc 13y ago
So a lot of his crimes are pretty far in the past now (20 years in some cases). So I'm thinking that "never forgive, never forget" is the motto here? Rehabilitation is not possible? I think you are forgetting that many "praiseworthy" individuals in history have dark pasts. Whitewashing your past to present the most favorable version of yourself has a long and honorable tradition. Recent examples would be Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Older would be people like Rockafeller, JP Morgan and basically anyone having anything to do with the railroads. Personally though, I am attracted to people like Kim and Jobs not because of their "good image" but because they have a dark side. To use a super-hero analogy... I find Iron Man a much more compelling hero than superman. Why is this? Superman is basically the perfect person, he has few real moral dilemmas, nor does he have any lengthly struggles. Superman never has depression, dark thoughts, a dark legacy to overcome, and so on. Compared to the way Iron Man is portrayed in the recent movies, Iron Man/Stark is very human, has tons of flaws, but still manages to do good all in all. Stark has a dark legacy, both in his family and personally. He suffers from depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, grandiose and offensive behavior. The interesting part comes from the struggle between the dark and the light. Only by embracing the light and dark sides of ourselves, can we truly grow past the dark parts and do good out there. Given the way our brains work, its practically a given that we are going to screw up in our younger years. Embrace your humanity.

tzs 13y ago

So your notion of "good guy" is someone with convictions for embezzlement, insider trading, and trafficking in stolen goods? Someone who only appears to have ever engaged in non-criminal businesses when he was on parole from prior convictions and so HAD to keep clean?

stfu 13y ago
It depends on your own moral compass. I, for example, never got the idea of why white collar crime is such a big deal. I see money as a "temporary" thing which you have to manage based on your individual risk perspective. I know that this is an unpopular view, but I never understood why Madoff got such a long sentence, longer than someone murderer get. Physical integrity is irreplaceable while money comes and goes.