Benjaben

joined 1 year ago
[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

But don't you see?! Those increased expenses will just be passed along to the scammed!

(No actual point here just thought it was funny to compare to the logic we hear for not punishing other abusive businesses)

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Oh man, that's hilarious. "Our business model doesn't actually even work where we live. But I know what we'll do about that, we're going to do it exactly the same in a place we don't have a clue about!"

The hubris, lol. It's delicious.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Lol ah yes, the "fork me daddy!" camp weighing in

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)

When did they add blackjack and hookers?! That's a hell of a feature update

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

That's definitely part of the problem. I had an incident recently where an older family member had a minor panic. Because I left my (mfg in 2006!!) vehicle running in the driveway while I ran inside. During the day. In a very safe suburban neighborhood. Just a flat out absurd concern and she leapt right to it, instantly. She's always been concerned, she's a grandma, but she wasn't pointlessly terrified like this years ago.

I think many of us don't realize how badly this irrational fear has taken hold, or maybe I should say how effectively this irrational fear has been deployed. Otherwise ~reasonable people are walking around thinking the worst is going to happen everywhere at all times, based on absolutely nothing - worse than nothing, it's based on weaponized deception.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

That seems pretty plausible to me, yeah, because it's being attempted already and we seem to be sliding that direction. Privatizing those public services sounds like precisely the way to usher in a fresh new hell like this, completely agree.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I really wonder what that may look like too and how likely of an outcome it is. I mean we've seen versions of it with "banana republics", but that wasn't quite the modern era and wasn't sophisticated tech companies. I also think most tech companies today would not want that responsibility, just the rewards, it's a bit hard for me to imagine them actually attempting to provide a government. I think what we'll see is increasingly hollowed out public institutions matched with ascending power and control of the corps, but leaving the govt in place (largely for a target people can point to when they're mad) and stopping short of overtly seizing power. Best of both worlds for the corps.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

For real. The big tech companies are today basically approximating and exceeding what have before been exclusively state-level capabilities. Not all of those capabilities, of course, but enough that the writing's on the wall. Meta, Google, Amazon (and others) - they truly see themselves as above "petty" things like governments. Just obstacles to work around.

The question is what will we allow them to get away with, not how far will they try to take things. We should be clear on that.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Your mom's grass

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Oh, tbh I was just commenting the sort of "pithy" way to say what commenter above me was saying. I wasn't actually commenting on the situation, screw McDonalds and Taylor both lol

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the merely good" is one (imo important) way to state it.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

TikTok is the worst example we've seen come up

...so far :)

And the crazy part is I know of teens who say "I wish I could use my phone less", and these aren't even particularly self-reflective kids. I have to assume many feel this way. Literal textbook addiction, crafted on purpose, and half of the parents are so far up shit's creek with the addiction too that they don't even think to get involved.

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