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This. Bill Gates is a massive investor in Monsanto, if you are naive you might think Bill Gates is a saint. He is really just a globalist with an extremely stu

by dlsx 13y ago

This. Bill Gates is a massive investor in Monsanto, if you are naive you might think Bill Gates is a saint. He is really just a globalist with an extremely stubborn perspective of the future. Think of his contributions to IT: Proprietary software. Anyone that is a fan of Bill Gates cannot also be a fan of humanity unfortunately.

knowaveragejoe 13y ago
Thankfully, the situation is much more nuanced than you describe. If you are naive, you might think blanket statements are adequate descriptions of the situation.
lowkeykiwi 13y ago
"just a globalist" is a nicely dismissive way of describing someone.
collyw 13y ago
Bill does both good and bad. He gets a lot less hero worship than Jobs, despite a) bringing affordable / usable home computing to the majority (something I usually see Jobs credited with) b) using a large amount of his vast wealth for good causes (I never heard of Jobs doing anything).
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  Jobs said he believed he could make a greater impact on the world by working at Apple than by using his time to organize charities. Given the title of his essay, Gates seems to agree. Several parties have said Jobs donated to causes, but would often do so anonymously. Known is that he donated to the Democratic Party and to cancer research. As for Gates: he is once again the richest person in the world. He could give away half of his wealth and he would still be in the top 6. Let’s not think too long about how he amassed his fortune, but I’ll give one example: under his leadership at Microsoft, he ’gave away’ tens of millions of Windows licenses to schools, so that kids would grow up being used to using Windows. It was presented as charity and Microsoft received tax benefits from doing so.
vehementi 13y ago
What does the body of your post have to do with the post you're replying to? Also: oh boy, Monsanto = evil, haha.
nl 13y ago
Bill Gates is a massive investor in Monsanto I take it you aren't a fan of GMO foods then? If so, then you are wrong. I'll leave it to former anti-GMO activist Mark to make that argument[1]. If you are talking about their business practices, then generally I agree with you. I can understand the point of view of people who think otherwise, though. I think people who agree with Monsanto's view are wrong, but that is a disagreement about methods, not outcomes. [1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/09/mark-lynas-truth-treachery-gm http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/09/mark-lyna...
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  Mark Lynas's quips against Herman Daly make me strongly question Lynas's credibility. GMOs present numerous issues. Proprietary interest in seed corn and yet another usurpation of privileges by corporate interests are a key issue. It's not intrinsic to GMO, but it's quite the extant problem. Genetic drift is another. Encouraging use of pesticides (through resistance). And ultimately, they don't address the root issue: humans have to live within ecological limits.
- MrBuddyCasino 13y ago
  Thats an interesting link. I've felt the same about left-wing activists - paying lip service to tolerance, while being very close minded in reality. Doesn't mean I agree with nuclear power and GMOs, but I respect anyone who bases his arguments on scientific reasoning.

by dlsx 13y ago

knowaveragejoe 13y ago

Thankfully, the situation is much more nuanced than you describe. If you are naive, you might think blanket statements are adequate descriptions of the situation.

lowkeykiwi 13y ago

"just a globalist" is a nicely dismissive way of describing someone.

collyw 13y ago

Bill does both good and bad. He gets a lot less hero worship than Jobs, despite a) bringing affordable / usable home computing to the majority (something I usually see Jobs credited with) b) using a large amount of his vast wealth for good causes (I never heard of Jobs doing anything).

Samuel_Michon 13y ago
Jobs said he believed he could make a greater impact on the world by working at Apple than by using his time to organize charities. Given the title of his essay, Gates seems to agree. Several parties have said Jobs donated to causes, but would often do so anonymously. Known is that he donated to the Democratic Party and to cancer research. As for Gates: he is once again the richest person in the world. He could give away half of his wealth and he would still be in the top 6. Let’s not think too long about how he amassed his fortune, but I’ll give one example: under his leadership at Microsoft, he ’gave away’ tens of millions of Windows licenses to schools, so that kids would grow up being used to using Windows. It was presented as charity and Microsoft received tax benefits from doing so.

vehementi 13y ago

What does the body of your post have to do with the post you're replying to? Also: oh boy, Monsanto = evil, haha.

nl 13y ago

Bill Gates is a massive investor in Monsanto I take it you aren't a fan of GMO foods then? If so, then you are wrong. I'll leave it to former anti-GMO activist Mark to make that argument[1]. If you are talking about their business practices, then generally I agree with you. I can understand the point of view of people who think otherwise, though. I think people who agree with Monsanto's view are wrong, but that is a disagreement about methods, not outcomes. [1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/09/mark-lynas-truth-treachery-gm http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/09/mark-lyna...

dredmorbius 13y ago
Mark Lynas's quips against Herman Daly make me strongly question Lynas's credibility. GMOs present numerous issues. Proprietary interest in seed corn and yet another usurpation of privileges by corporate interests are a key issue. It's not intrinsic to GMO, but it's quite the extant problem. Genetic drift is another. Encouraging use of pesticides (through resistance). And ultimately, they don't address the root issue: humans have to live within ecological limits.
MrBuddyCasino 13y ago
Thats an interesting link. I've felt the same about left-wing activists - paying lip service to tolerance, while being very close minded in reality. Doesn't mean I agree with nuclear power and GMOs, but I respect anyone who bases his arguments on scientific reasoning.