4 ms·

So how many HNers actually did send an email or made a call to their representatives?

nmc 13y ago
> "how many HNers [...] made a call to their representatives" I believe you mean "how many American HNers". On the website, you were asked for an American ZIP code anyway... maybe should have been called thedayamericafighstback.org?
- VeejayRampay 13y ago
  "What is this 'rest of the world' you keep referring to?"
  - davidw 13y ago
    Those are people who do not vote for representatives in the United States, just as people in the United States do not vote for representatives in other countries. Those people probably carry some weight with American companies with which they may or may not do business, so that's probably their most likely angle of attack to effect change in the US.
    - nmc 13y ago
      I think — I mean, I am not sure, but I strongly believe — that VeejayRampay was simply being ironic.
      - kolinko 13y ago
        You may be getting downvoted because he was sarcastic, not ironic.
      - davidw 13y ago
        Yes, but it's that kind of facile sarcasm that doesn't really add much to the conversation, and is so overdone as to not be in any way, shape or form humorous.
        nmc 13y ago
        I personally found it funny, but I agree with you, it kind of kills the conversation.
- xerophtye 13y ago
  Yep, thought of including that clause, then figured it was obvious. PS: I ain't an American either
  - ElDiablo666 13y ago
    No, it's good you didn't. It's like people who insist that you say "It's my opinion that chocolate ice cream is delicious" instead of "Chocolate ice cream is delicious" because it offends their ridiculous sensibilities that someone might actually perceive things from their own perspective. Best to ignore such worthless garbage.
    - nmc 13y ago
      I disagree with you analogy. From my perspective as from xerophtye's, Americans have American representatives, non-Americans do not. There is no different perception involved. Thanks for the "worthless garbage" mention, always appreciate it. ;-)
- ElDiablo666 13y ago
  >maybe should have been called thedayamericafighstback.org? I believe you mean "It is my opinion and I do in fact have the perspective that it maybe should have been called thedayamericafightsback.org?"
  - nmc 13y ago
    So maybe "maybe" was not enough for you? Or did it really seem like I was calling them on picking the wrong domain name?
    - xerophtye 13y ago
      Check his other comment to understand what he is emphasizing
d0 13y ago
What would be the point of sending mail to representatives that don't represent you any more? At best it's a Monty-pythonesque nod to the system that got us here in the first place. "I'll write a stern letter" or "down with that sort of thing". Internet activism is at a high level, universally total bullshit. Breaking things until businesses suffer is the only way people will listen because there is a financial consequence.
- ItendToDisagree 13y ago
  Perhaps we should attack the system with a... Banana! (Or a handful of Logan Berries)
- TeMPOraL 13y ago
  > Internet activism is at a high level, universally total bullshit. I think that not just Internet activism, but political solutions in general are, at high level, universally total bullshit. As you say, the only way people will listen because there is a financial consequence (people are extremely good at selling themselves out of their values). And a way to reliably inflict financial consequence is through business and technology (and occasional media shitstorms, but that doensn't seem to do much anymore), by redefining the optimization landscape people hillclimb right under their feet.
  - d0 13y ago
    And a way to reliably inflict financial consequence is through business and technology That's just another way that legislation allows stuff to be manipulated. Why do you think legislators are always all over business and technology? It's a short path to the goal. All that happens is more fuel is added to the fire. It's gone past "happy happy joy joy" now.
  - einhverfr 13y ago
    > I think that not just Internet activism, but political solutions in general are, at high level, universally total bullshit. More specifically political solutions beyond a certain modest scale fit that distinction. All of our political issues are scale issues.

nmc 13y ago

> "how many HNers [...] made a call to their representatives" I believe you mean "how many American HNers". On the website, you were asked for an American ZIP code anyway... maybe should have been called thedayamericafighstback.org?

VeejayRampay 13y ago
"What is this 'rest of the world' you keep referring to?"
- davidw 13y ago
  Those are people who do not vote for representatives in the United States, just as people in the United States do not vote for representatives in other countries. Those people probably carry some weight with American companies with which they may or may not do business, so that's probably their most likely angle of attack to effect change in the US.
  - nmc 13y ago
    I think — I mean, I am not sure, but I strongly believe — that VeejayRampay was simply being ironic.
    - kolinko 13y ago
      You may be getting downvoted because he was sarcastic, not ironic.
    - davidw 13y ago
      Yes, but it's that kind of facile sarcasm that doesn't really add much to the conversation, and is so overdone as to not be in any way, shape or form humorous.
      - nmc 13y ago
        I personally found it funny, but I agree with you, it kind of kills the conversation.
xerophtye 13y ago
Yep, thought of including that clause, then figured it was obvious. PS: I ain't an American either
- ElDiablo666 13y ago
  No, it's good you didn't. It's like people who insist that you say "It's my opinion that chocolate ice cream is delicious" instead of "Chocolate ice cream is delicious" because it offends their ridiculous sensibilities that someone might actually perceive things from their own perspective. Best to ignore such worthless garbage.
  - nmc 13y ago
    I disagree with you analogy. From my perspective as from xerophtye's, Americans have American representatives, non-Americans do not. There is no different perception involved. Thanks for the "worthless garbage" mention, always appreciate it. ;-)
ElDiablo666 13y ago
>maybe should have been called thedayamericafighstback.org? I believe you mean "It is my opinion and I do in fact have the perspective that it maybe should have been called thedayamericafightsback.org?"
- nmc 13y ago
  So maybe "maybe" was not enough for you? Or did it really seem like I was calling them on picking the wrong domain name?
  - xerophtye 13y ago
    Check his other comment to understand what he is emphasizing

d0 13y ago

What would be the point of sending mail to representatives that don't represent you any more? At best it's a Monty-pythonesque nod to the system that got us here in the first place. "I'll write a stern letter" or "down with that sort of thing". Internet activism is at a high level, universally total bullshit. Breaking things until businesses suffer is the only way people will listen because there is a financial consequence.

ItendToDisagree 13y ago
Perhaps we should attack the system with a... Banana! (Or a handful of Logan Berries)
TeMPOraL 13y ago
> Internet activism is at a high level, universally total bullshit. I think that not just Internet activism, but political solutions in general are, at high level, universally total bullshit. As you say, the only way people will listen because there is a financial consequence (people are extremely good at selling themselves out of their values). And a way to reliably inflict financial consequence is through business and technology (and occasional media shitstorms, but that doensn't seem to do much anymore), by redefining the optimization landscape people hillclimb right under their feet.
- d0 13y ago
  And a way to reliably inflict financial consequence is through business and technology That's just another way that legislation allows stuff to be manipulated. Why do you think legislators are always all over business and technology? It's a short path to the goal. All that happens is more fuel is added to the fire. It's gone past "happy happy joy joy" now.
- einhverfr 13y ago
  > I think that not just Internet activism, but political solutions in general are, at high level, universally total bullshit. More specifically political solutions beyond a certain modest scale fit that distinction. All of our political issues are scale issues.