In a democratic society, the people are the government.
This is not a troll. People being the government is one of the problems with this country. If there are any generalizations one can make about people, it is that they are stupid, ignorant, and that they generally prefer to stay that way. People will always believe the prettiest, glossiest advertisement, and they will always be able to be manipulated by the PACs. This is by design, because if they had any genuine critical thinking ability, they would not be ready to go to war over ridiculous things, they would constantly be questioning the government and their elected officials, far less products would get sold, etc. The whole system would actually fall apart if people cared to educate themselves and make informed decisions. There isn't a better alternative than democracy, but democracy has a lot of problems, as we see. It almost encourages the shameless mass manipulation that we see in the media, especially in politics, every day. If the only thing that matters is what the public wants, well, then you (as government official or potential gov official, or advertiser) manufacture wants and desires when necessary, and you create aversions to things that the person doesn't really not like. You most certainly never do anything to encourage real critical thought.
I used to think that people were basically good and needed to be educated to do what they already knew was right, but on the basis of the almost limitless stupidity and selfishness I have observed in my thirty years, I hold little hope that people will improve. We are in The Matrix, as it were, a matrix of deception that the media, advertisers, and government weave about us every day, and like the movie, there are ridiculously few who actually want to wake up.
The problem with democracy is that it is ultimately founded on people. As are all governments, in different ways. As long as people are, well, people, government will fail to do the job that it purportedly is designed to do. If it fails, it is because we failed it, as you say, but ultimately it is just because we are people, being people. The human being is always the limiting factor, and to the extent that you make the average human being the limiting factor, your system will fail, or at best be mediocre. Democracy believes in the abilities of the average joe, and for that reason it is deeply suspect. A meritocratic dictatorship would be much preferable. Instead, we have elected the epitome of mediocrity and self-complacent stupidity. That is where the average always tends.
or perhaps you have no sense of humour. BTW, splitting hairs usually refers to nitpicking or making too fine distinctions. Like this... And not like my post above.
Moderators: parent is correct. No intelligent adult still believes the high school civics perspective on government and law. Look at Enron and their dealings with the executive branch. They bought government policy that made them and our president a fortune. That is how the system works.
perhaps he was thinking of the W3C or the semantic web, which has long been berners-lee's fantasy and a major effort at W3C. Or perhaps that was just a gore-ism.
ah yes. I see. You are making a comment on the post-modern condition of points being without a point, and all ultimate points and meanings succumbing to the attraction of the black hole that is the twenty-first century nihilism we call consumerism or capitolism. Your point also generalizes to the phenomenon of trolling on slashdot and the trolls' raison d'etre. Bravo. Encore.
well, on slashdot, with the atrocious grammar and poor vocabularies that most people apparently have, it would not have been at all unusual for your post to have been serious.
Yes, it doesn't necessarily make it true, but when one of the most brilliant minds of a generation says something, it is at least worth considering, and almost certainly more intelligent than the average anonymous coward's drivel.
p.s. Saying it's a 'load of horseshit' doesn't make it so. And since you seem to like quotations, here's your very own personal one: 'Tis better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.'
Actually, my experience with sales types is that they are generally quite stupid. I would imagine that Microsoft has many former high school jocks turned car salesman turned microserfs on their payroll in sales -- the ones who lie and motivate best end up as VPs. As for grammar, having worked for a large multi-national publishing company, I can assure you that emails with such poor grammar arrive daily from high-level executives. People send out emails routinely now that would have been handed to a secretary in the past and cleaned up before being sent out as a memo.
Slashdot Mirror
damn. mod parent up. if ever there was a company that deserved to have its charter revoked, it is microsoft.
This is not a troll. People being the government is one of the problems with this country. If there are any generalizations one can make about people, it is that they are stupid, ignorant, and that they generally prefer to stay that way. People will always believe the prettiest, glossiest advertisement, and they will always be able to be manipulated by the PACs. This is by design, because if they had any genuine critical thinking ability, they would not be ready to go to war over ridiculous things, they would constantly be questioning the government and their elected officials, far less products would get sold, etc. The whole system would actually fall apart if people cared to educate themselves and make informed decisions. There isn't a better alternative than democracy, but democracy has a lot of problems, as we see. It almost encourages the shameless mass manipulation that we see in the media, especially in politics, every day. If the only thing that matters is what the public wants, well, then you (as government official or potential gov official, or advertiser) manufacture wants and desires when necessary, and you create aversions to things that the person doesn't really not like. You most certainly never do anything to encourage real critical thought.
I used to think that people were basically good and needed to be educated to do what they already knew was right, but on the basis of the almost limitless stupidity and selfishness I have observed in my thirty years, I hold little hope that people will improve. We are in The Matrix, as it were, a matrix of deception that the media, advertisers, and government weave about us every day, and like the movie, there are ridiculously few who actually want to wake up.
The problem with democracy is that it is ultimately founded on people. As are all governments, in different ways. As long as people are, well, people, government will fail to do the job that it purportedly is designed to do. If it fails, it is because we failed it, as you say, but ultimately it is just because we are people, being people. The human being is always the limiting factor, and to the extent that you make the average human being the limiting factor, your system will fail, or at best be mediocre. Democracy believes in the abilities of the average joe, and for that reason it is deeply suspect. A meritocratic dictatorship would be much preferable. Instead, we have elected the epitome of mediocrity and self-complacent stupidity. That is where the average always tends.
or perhaps you have no sense of humour. BTW, splitting hairs usually refers to nitpicking or making too fine distinctions. Like this... And not like my post above.
Moderators: parent is correct. No intelligent adult still believes the high school civics perspective on government and law. Look at Enron and their dealings with the executive branch. They bought government policy that made them and our president a fortune. That is how the system works.
no, law is grounded in the constitution, and does not come from the reeking masses.
speaking of RMS, check this out Free as in Freedom, and chapter 3: a portrait of the hacker as a young man.
perhaps he was thinking of the W3C or the semantic web, which has long been berners-lee's fantasy and a major effort at W3C. Or perhaps that was just a gore-ism.
Before I get corrected by a troll--horror of horrors!--that should be capitalism, not capitolism--in English, at least.
shouldn't you be looking at bridal catalogues or something?
Actually, the trolls are probably the most creative /. contributors. At their best.
ah yes. I see. You are making a comment on the post-modern condition of points being without a point, and all ultimate points and meanings succumbing to the attraction of the black hole that is the twenty-first century nihilism we call consumerism or capitolism. Your point also generalizes to the phenomenon of trolling on slashdot and the trolls' raison d'etre. Bravo. Encore.
I believe you mean: your mutha-fuckin' mouth. yeah, put it in yo' mouth.
dear sir,
if you could further elucidate the point you are trying to make about Lessig's "black hole of copyright" point, we would most appreciate it.
That would their mouths.
$250,000: a win2k server, a few workstations, licenses, and a couple of mcse monkeys. where'd it go?
well, on slashdot, with the atrocious grammar and poor vocabularies that most people apparently have, it would not have been at all unusual for your post to have been serious.
p.s. Saying it's a 'load of horseshit' doesn't make it so. And since you seem to like quotations, here's your very own personal one: 'Tis better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.'
Ferengi:Rules of Acquisition::Microborg:Rules of Assimilation [MS eyes only]
We Are Microsoft. Resistance Is Futile. You Will Be Assimilated.
Actually, my experience with sales types is that they are generally quite stupid. I would imagine that Microsoft has many former high school jocks turned car salesman turned microserfs on their payroll in sales -- the ones who lie and motivate best end up as VPs. As for grammar, having worked for a large multi-national publishing company, I can assure you that emails with such poor grammar arrive daily from high-level executives. People send out emails routinely now that would have been handed to a secretary in the past and cleaned up before being sent out as a memo.
'engruntled' does not appear in the OED, so I doubt that very much. 'gruntled' does appear, meaning 'pleased, satisfied, contented.'