Should Barack Obama appoint Eric Schmidt CEO of America?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Should Barack Obama appoint Eric Schmidt CEO of America?

«‹›47 »

Nessus: Dec 22, 2003; After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!

SedanChair posted:

1) Is it bad to get racists fired?

2) Is a single god drat thing that has ever come out of Tunney's snaggle-toothed face any better than racism?

Presumably she is able to program a computer pretty well - or was at some point.

Personally I feel that every American, and indeed every person, should receive a minimum subsistence that provides them with commodious shelter, ample food, free medical care, and some spare money for necessities and little treats. And I feel even racists and bigots should receive that subsistence through the beneficence of the State (or Federation, or whatever). And if they want more? Well, maybe they should work harder.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 00:53

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 11, 2024 14:07

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

Her Twitter may be gone, but her website is still up, and the rabbit hole goes a lot deeper than she could fit in 140 characters. Real comedians wish they could be this hilarious.

quote:

If the patriots were smart, they would have simply demanded their own king. They could have said, “Screw you George! We don’t want to want to be ruled by a dude on the other side of the ocean; America should be ruled by an American.” Had they done that, George Washington could have been crowned, and maybe he could have avoided a war by pledging fealty to King George. Then King George III gets a promotion to Emperor George III. It would have been awesome because the western world would become more powerful, Americans could roll their own government, and no one has to die. Everyone wins.

But instead, they decided to fight for a myth that Plato figured out was a bad idea two thousand years ago. They fought for democracy.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 03:23

cafel: Mar 29, 2010; This post is hurting the economy!

Except it wouldn't have been Washington chosen because he wouldn't have the immense cachet that came with leading the Continental Army. More importantly, by this point in history the balance of power was already held by Parliament, not the King. It was for representation in the quasi-democratic/aristocratic Parliament that voted on new taxes that the colonist originally revolted for, not because they hated the monarchy. This reads like something from someone with only the most cursory knowledge of the Revolutionary War and it's causes.

I'm beginning to think this Tunney character might be just a tad bit dumb. (Also, "It would have been awesome because the western world would become more powerful..."? In what bizzaro world is there an Anglo-American split that has crippled the agenda of the 'western world'?)

# ? Jul 29, 2014 04:29

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

cafel posted:

Except it wouldn't have been Washington chosen because he wouldn't have the immense cachet that came with leading the Continental Army. More importantly, by this point in history the balance of power was already held by Parliament, not the King. It was for representation in the quasi-democratic/aristocratic Parliament that voted on new taxes that the colonist originally revolted for, not because they hated the monarchy. This reads like something from someone with only the most cursory knowledge of the Revolutionary War and it's causes.

I'm beginning to think this Tunney character might be just a tad bit dumb. (Also, "It would have been awesome because the western world would become more powerful..."? In what bizzaro world is there an Anglo-American split that has crippled the agenda of the 'western world'?)

The brits also killed their king in the English civil war before deciding it would be wiser to give the constitutional monarchy idea a try.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 04:41

Berke Negri: Feb 15, 2012; Les Ricains tuent et moi je mue
Mao Mao
Les fous sont rois et moi je bois
Mao Mao
Les bombes tonnent et moi je sonne
Mao Mao
Les bebes fuient et moi je fuis
Mao Mao

cafel posted:

Except it wouldn't have been Washington chosen because he wouldn't have the immense cachet that came with leading the Continental Army. More importantly, by this point in history the balance of power was already held by Parliament, not the King. It was for representation in the quasi-democratic/aristocratic Parliament that voted on new taxes that the colonist originally revolted for, not because they hated the monarchy. This reads like something from someone with only the most cursory knowledge of the Revolutionary War and it's causes.

I'm beginning to think this Tunney character might be just a tad bit dumb. (Also, "It would have been awesome because the western world would become more powerful..."? In what bizzaro world is there an Anglo-American split that has crippled the agenda of the 'western world'?)

In my alt-history kindle singles novel, the American Revolution never happening (or failing) would have eventually further weakened the expansion of Anglo-culture as it would have hobbled westward development in Spain, France, Russia, etc. being more protective of their North American holdings, the 'States' never really expanding past the east coast and Britain relying more on supporting Native allies and the whole continent just bogged down continuously in proxy wars between the various European powers. Instead of a near-homogeneous domination of North America and Canada by Anglos, its more of a sliced up patch work of various European powers and their Native allies of convenience. The eastern colonies are constantly hobbled as southern agrarian interests continuously have to be beat down by British forces every other generation.

Spain still collapses but Mexico is buttressed for a time from French encroachment and non-existent American-slave state expansionism that it becomes the rightful true power of the western hemisphere.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 04:48

1994 Toyota Celica: Sep 11, 2008; by Nyc_Tattoo

Reverse the axis of home country antagonism in the colonies and it'd be a bit more believable, the powerful landed ruling class of the southern states was pretty loyal and had strong cultural connections to its equivalents in the British sugar islands (Jamaica et. al.) which also ran on plantation economies. It was the transcolonial brotherhood of slave-owning agriculturalists, which in turn had its affinity for the landed gentry that still more or less ran Britain at the end of the 18th century. The more populous middle and northern states were the ones that chafed most at British boundaries on westward expansion.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 04:58

more friedman units: Jul 7, 2010; The next six months will be critical.

Two kings are better than one, I guess? She's deeply stupid at anything outside of her field but doesn't realize it. It does seem like people in technical fields are particularly prone to this blind spot.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 05:05

Berke Negri: Feb 15, 2012; Les Ricains tuent et moi je mue
Mao Mao
Les fous sont rois et moi je bois
Mao Mao
Les bombes tonnent et moi je sonne
Mao Mao
Les bebes fuient et moi je fuis
Mao Mao

zeal posted:

Reverse the axis of home country antagonism in the colonies and it'd be a bit more believable, the powerful landed ruling class of the southern states was pretty loyal and had strong cultural connections to its equivalents in the British sugar islands (Jamaica et. al.) which also ran on plantation economies. It was the transcolonial brotherhood of slave-owning agriculturalists, which in turn had its affinity for the landed gentry that still more or less ran Britain at the end of the 18th century. The more populous middle and northern states were the ones that chafed most at British boundaries on westward expansion.

I was thinking the same impulses that made the slave owning states such a headache (filibusteros, not enough land, slavery must expand) for the US would remain for the British. Sometimes this would align with proxy war interests (yeah, sign up to march west to fight the French and their allies) and other times it would just lead to internal pressure or unwanted international crises that would need to be stomped out. This only is exacerbated as slavery is made illegal in the rest of the Americas and eventually in British lands too.

With the lack of abundant land for homesteading the colonies never get their huge 19th century rush of immigration as German and Irish immigrants as they go further south towards more amenable countries.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 05:19

XyloJW: Jul 23, 2007

Do not do stupid loving calls for Goon Justice and try to get people fired in real life for stupid poo poo they say on the internet. If you want to do that on your own, there's nothing anyone can do to stop you from tracking down her boss's phone number or whatever, but Something Awful is not a platform for you to do that or organize efforts or whatever.

E: I seriously cannot believe I have to tell D&D not to internet detective people.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 05:20

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

I think my favorite thing about Justine Tunney is the strange and novel ways in which she manages to be a loving idiot about things. She'll come to some realization about why conservatives or capitalists are wrong, but instead of drawing the obvious conclusion from it, she goes into left field for something completely morally abhorrent instead. For example, she realizes that "hard work is always rewarded" is a big fat lie, but instead of realizing it's because society isn't a meritocracy and class mobility is nonexistent, she chooses to believe it's because no amount of hard work or dedication can overcome rich people's genetic superiority over poors. She realizes that housing costs are ridiculous in Manhattan and SF and most people can't afford to live there, but rather than pushing for affordable housing and sane zoning laws, she blames the government and cops for not letting people just pitch tents in parks and live there for free (and with all the money she's saving on rent, she could hire servants and a security guard for her tent!). She realizes that getting on welfare is actually hard and involves tons of bullshit hoops, but instead of realizing that "welfare queens" are mythical, she decides that black people must be hardworking geniuses at cheating the system and working together in a vast racial conspiracy to get money out of the government. It's like she comes from some crazy alternate universe where 2 + 2 = 85 and three pounds of GOVERNMENT OPPRESSION, conservatives are welfare's biggest champions, and anyone who isn't literally homeless is "bourgeois".

quote:

I also suffered through poverty in my adult years. I’ve suffered homelessness, cancer, and every sort of horrible thing you can imagine. But these days I’m a Software Engineer making a hilariously large amount of money. My father eventually became the VP of Operations at a life insurance company. My mother currently manages a team of financial underwriters.

Our eventual success is not the least bit curious if you consider that outside of our struggling nuclear unit, I have an aunt who’s the CFO of a bank, an uncle who’s a doctor, several grandparents and great-grandparents who were engineers, etc. Plus I’m descended from the English nobility. I’ve even got an Anglo-Saxon pedigree tracing back to King Alfred the Great! It just goes to show that on a long enough timeline, well-written code (good genes) will always prevail over socialisation and circumstance.

Yet for some reason, naïve conservatives can’t seem to resist the temptation to laud mine accomplishments and attribute them to hard work. They say that I earned the right to be where I am today, through the integrity and perseverance in my character. It’s always nice to be flattered in such lofty ways, but I would actually disagree. There are very few people on this planet who are able to do what I do. Most people will never be able to do what I do even if they try. Like there’s absolutely zerochance that a janitor is going to be able to climb the social hierarchy and become a Software Engineer. I was simply born with natural genetic gifts. I also had the benefit of a temporarily embarrassed white upper-middle-class upbringing.

quote:

Here’s another example: I’d love to move to San Francisco where the weather is always just right. The problem is that the rent is $4,000/month for a single bedroom apartment. Now I’m a thrifty girl. I’d be perfectly happy just pitching a tent in a park where I could sleep at night and spend most of my day at the office. If I wanted to be extra-safe, I could always pay a security guard $1,000/month to just stand outside the tent all night. I could have servants too, and still end up paying less than the $5,000/month that I’m currently paying for my apartment in Manhattan.

But I know this isn’t possible because the last time me and my buddies pitched tents in a park, the cops came in and beat the daylights out of us. I was after all, the person who organised the Occupy Movement. So state retribution against deviants is a concept with which I’m intimately acquainted.

I’d also be perfectly happy paying some immigrants a few grand to make me a tiny little cabin nearby in the woods. But that’s illegal too, under capitalist property laws. I consider all these things to be indicative of the true tragedy of the commons: we’re not actually allowed to use them.

Parks exist so middle-class people can walk around and take photos of birds. Poor people aren’t allowed to help themselves. Poor people aren’t allowed to build their own homes. They’re forced to either become bourgeois, or get government assistance to become bourgeois—or die!

quote:

Back in 2006 when I lived in Philadelphia, I was down on my luck and tried to get welfare. I came to the conclusion that there is absolutely zero chance that someone can get welfare,unless:

1. They’re a lawyer.
2. They’re part of a family or community that are geniuses when it comes to navigating government bureaucracy.

Black communities are particularly good at this. They tend to go to church and have a very strong sense of community and mutual aid. There’s many people in these communities who are highly knowledgeable in how to receive government benefits. They’re also kind and generous enough to educate and assist other members of their community who wish to receive those same benefits. Black people also aren’t stuck-up and snobbish like white people—who think they’re “too good” for welfare.

So when it comes to those “welfare queens” that republicans so despise… it simply isn’t true that they’re lazy and don’t work. They work hard! As I’ve demonstrated, receiving government entitlements under the U.S. Regime is literally a full-time job. Like—I’m a genius and I can’t do what they do. So if you want to get the welfare queens off welfare, I say just give them honorary law degrees. Because they’re clearly geniuses when it comes to navigating the law.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 05:44

Swan Oat: Oct 9, 2012; I was selected for my skill.

"The true tragedy of the commons is that we're not allowed to use them" -- an idiot.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 06:46

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005

Is it possible that she's mentally unwell? Her views strike me as extreme even by silicon valley standards.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 06:52

woke wedding drone: Jun 1, 2003; by exmarx; Fun Shoe

shrike82 posted:

Is it possible that she's mentally unwell? Her views strike me as extreme even by silicon valley standards.

I think it's quite evident she's mentally unwell, but the question is whether psychology has evolved to the point where her illness can be diagnosed.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 07:02

Armani: Jun 22, 2008; Now it's been 17 summers since I've seen my mother

But every night I see her smile inside my dreams

SedanChair posted:

I think it's quite evident she's mentally unwell, but the question is whether psychology has evolved to the point where her illness can be diagnosed.

Or - even worse, her current mental state is not only not diagnosed as anything troubling but actively nurtured and encouraged.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 09:39

FRINGE: May 23, 2003; title stolen for lf posting

Armani posted:

Or - even worse, her current mental state is not only not diagnosed as anything troubling but actively nurtured and encouraged.

Hmm.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203986604577255750107057014

You know who defends sociopathy as a potential virtue to aspire to? Lol:

http://libertarianmoney.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/how-to-become-a-sociopath-in-one-easy-step/

quote:

The average human being is significantly more dangerous than the average sociopath. A sociopath lacks the emotions to live their life well. The average person has those emotions. These emotions can be a hindrance.

So mild autism at least.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1665934&

quote:

We found that, compared to liberals and conservatives, libertarians show 1) stronger endorsement of individual liberty as their foremost guiding principle and correspondingly weaker endorsement of other moral principles, 2) a relatively cerebral as opposed to emotional intellectual style, and 3) lower interdependence and social relatedness. Our findings add to a growing recognition of the role of psychological predispositions in the organization of political attitudes.

http://www.sociopathworld.com/2011/12/morality-of-libertarians.html

quote:

Probably the most interesting part of this article, though, was the discussion of the Empathizer-Systematizer scale:

The scale measures the tendency to empathize, defined as "the drive to identify another person's emotions and thoughts, and to respond to these with an appropriate emotion," and to systemize, or "the drive to analyze the variables in a system, and to derive the underlying rules that govern the behavior of the system." Libertarians are the only group that scored higher on systemizing than on empathizing�and they scored a lot higher. The authors go on to suggest that systemizing is �characteristic of the male brain, with very extreme scores indicating autism.� They then add, �We might say that liberals have the most �feminine� cognitive style, and libertarians the most �masculine.��

Yes, tendency to systematize instead of empathize is something that libertarians, sociopaths, and autistics have in common.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 11:59

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

shrike82 posted:

Is it possible that she's mentally unwell? Her views strike me as extreme even by silicon valley standards.

Possibly, but plenty of people really are just that stupid, they just usually end up in hippie communes or anarchist movements instead of Silicon Valley. Her beliefs aren't unique either, it's just that most other "Dark Enlightenment" thinkers don't get any press. She claims in the same essay I was quoting earlier that she does actually have mental illness, but since her supposed symptoms include "not being able to focus in a nine-to-five job until I really needed the money" and "not being able to get a degree because I couldn't focus on boring classes and assignments", it's hard to tell whether she's actually been professionally diagnosed with anything or if she's just making poo poo up about how neurotypical society can't handle her genius brain in order to excuse the several years she spent as a "lifestyle anarchist" (i.e., homeless person).

# ? Jul 29, 2014 14:38

Jabberwock: May 15, 2004; Well, if we're all going to die, we may as well be thinking about something STUPID...

She's baaaaaack: https://twitter.com/JustineTunney

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:04

Filippo Corridoni: Jun 12, 2014; I'm the fuckin' man
You don't get it, do ya?

a crazy person on twitter posted:

OH: You shouldn't use the word "thug" because it commonly comes after the word "union". So when you call someone a thug, you're anti-union.

what does this even mean

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:07

FADEtoBLACK: Jan 26, 2007

Main Paineframe posted:

Possibly, but plenty of people really are just that stupid, they just usually end up in hippie communes or anarchist movements instead of Silicon Valley. Her beliefs aren't unique either, it's just that most other "Dark Enlightenment" thinkers don't get any press. She claims in the same essay I was quoting earlier that she does actually have mental illness, but since her supposed symptoms include "not being able to focus in a nine-to-five job until I really needed the money" and "not being able to get a degree because I couldn't focus on boring classes and assignments", it's hard to tell whether she's actually been professionally diagnosed with anything or if she's just making poo poo up about how neurotypical society can't handle her genius brain in order to excuse the several years she spent as a "lifestyle anarchist" (i.e., homeless person).

She experienced homelessness and actually advocates for serfdom? She talks about the 'Singularity' like it will just randomly appear with out national discussion, does she honestly believe that if it happened all the poors would die off because they are no longer needed?

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:09

egg tats: Apr 3, 2010

Filippo Corridoni posted:

what does this even mean

My guess: she called a black person a thug and assumed people were yelling at her for the regular reasons instead of racism.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:31

No Dignity: Oct 15, 2007

FADEtoBLACK posted:

She experienced homelessness and actually advocates for serfdom? She talks about the 'Singularity' like it will just randomly appear with out national discussion, does she honestly believe that if it happened all the poors would die off because they are no longer needed?

Capitalism has not finished fully evolving! It's just biding its time, like Goku with his spirit bomb.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:38

FADEtoBLACK: Jan 26, 2007

She's one of those people who saw Snowpiercer and thought about being on the 'front of the train' side didn't she? I bet she would be the crazy school teacher.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:47

Swan Oat: Oct 9, 2012; I was selected for my skill.

@JustineTunney Jul 26 posted:

The only progress is technological progress. #NewTechOrder #EricSchmidtForCEO

ahahahahaha

# ? Jul 29, 2014 18:54

ReV VAdAUL: Oct 3, 2004; I'm WILD about
WILDMAN

Wanting the singularity is just crazy to me. How can you desire an event that is by definition totally unpredictable to happen? Its the equivalent of mixing all the chemicals you can find in a lab together and drinking them but for all aspects of life on the planet.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:10

FADEtoBLACK: Jan 26, 2007

ReV VAdAUL posted:

Wanting the singularity is just crazy to me. How can you desire an event that is by definition totally unpredictable to happen? Its the equivalent of mixing all the chemicals you can find in a lab together and drinking them but for all aspects of life on the planet.

Wow I thought the singularity was when we reached a point economically where labor would no longer be required. Is that kind of the same thing or would my definition precipitate the technological singularity?

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:14

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

FADEtoBLACK posted:

Wow I thought the singularity was when we reached a point economically where labor would no longer be required. Is that kind of the same thing or would my definition precipitate the technological singularity?

The singularity is where artificial intelligence reaches the point where it can not only out-think humans but also improve itself, meaning that AI would show exponential growth and we get robot bodies for some reason.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:18

Stanos: Sep 22, 2009; The best 57 in hockey.

Where we submit to the Great Computer Intelligence and poor people ~~are composted for nutrients~~ finally able to be truly free from tyranny.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:20

anonumos: Jul 14, 2005; Fuck it.

Stultus Maximus posted:

The singularity is where artificial intelligence reaches the point where it can not only out-think humans but also improve itself, meaning that AI would show exponential growth and we get robot bodies for some reason.

Basically, yeh...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

quote:

The technological singularity, or simply the singularity, is a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement, or brain-computer interfaces will have progressed to the point of a greater-than-human intelligence, radically changing civilization, and perhaps human nature.[1] Because the capabilities of such an intelligence may be difficult for a human to comprehend, the technological singularity is often seen as an occurrence (akin to a gravitational singularity) beyond which the future course of human history is unpredictable or even unfathomable.[2]

But...

quote:

Berglas (2008) notes that there is no direct evolutionary motivation for an AI to be friendly to humans. Evolution has no inherent tendency to produce outcomes valued by humans, and there is little reason to expect an arbitrary optimisation process to promote an outcome desired by mankind, rather than inadvertently leading to an AI behaving in a way not intended by its creators (such as Nick Bostrom's whimsical example of an AI which was originally programmed with the goal of manufacturing paper clips, so that when it achieves superintelligence it decides to convert the entire planet into a paper clip manufacturing facility).[71][72][73] Anders Sandberg has also elaborated on this scenario, addressing various common counter-arguments.[74] AI researcher Hugo de Garis suggests that artificial intelligences may simply eliminate the human race for access to scarce resources,[65][75] and humans would be powerless to stop them.[76] Alternatively, AIs developed under evolutionary pressure to promote their own survival could outcompete humanity.[68]

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:21

Wanamingo: Feb 22, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Stultus Maximus posted:

The singularity is where artificial intelligence reaches the point where it can not only out-think humans but also improve itself, meaning that AI would show exponential growth and we get robot bodies for some reason.

That's what people like Justine Tunney think the singularity is, at least. As far as I know ReV VAdAUL's closer to the actual definition, where it's a technological advancement that changes things to the point that people before it would have never been able to predict what happened afterwards. By this definition the singularity's happened a few times now, such as with the invention of the printing press and the spread of literacy, or the invention of the computer and our entering into the information age.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:24

ReV VAdAUL: Oct 3, 2004; I'm WILD about
WILDMAN

Wanamingo posted:

That's what people like Justine Tunney think the singularity is, at least. As far as I know ReV VAdAUL's closer to the actual definition, where it's a technological advancement that changes things to the point that people before it would have never been able to predict what happened afterwards. By this definition the singularity's happened a few times now, such as with the invention of the printing press and the spread of literacy, or the invention of the computer and our entering into the information age.

Proponents like Ray Kurzweil talk about stuff like super advanced AIs using time travel to instantly make utterly incomprehensibly vast leaps in technology and think this is a good thing. Somehow this will all work out for the proponents who, at least in lectures, give such airtight assertions as 'I'm nice to my dog so AIs will be nice to me'.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:30

Karl Rove: Feb 26, 2006; Oh man, the Elders are really lovely guys. Their astral projection seminars are literally off the fucking planet, and highly recommended.

ReV VAdAUL posted:

Wanting the singularity is just crazy to me. How can you desire an event that is by definition totally unpredictable to happen? Its the equivalent of mixing all the chemicals you can find in a lab together and drinking them but for all aspects of life on the planet.

She is literally the same as the people who can't wait for the coming apocalypse/RAHOWA/whatever, because they are convinced that they will not only survive but be one of the 'winners' in the end once everything has gone all Mad Max on us. In her case she knows that her ineffably superior, darkly enlightened intelligence will be prized by the coming robot monarchy and she'll be one of the humans who get their brains put in big robot bodies while the proles are ground into Soylent^tm to sustain her.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 19:31

Berke Negri: Feb 15, 2012; Les Ricains tuent et moi je mue
Mao Mao
Les fous sont rois et moi je bois
Mao Mao
Les bombes tonnent et moi je sonne
Mao Mao
Les bebes fuient et moi je fuis
Mao Mao

Singularity as nerd RAHOWA is a very apt way of putting it.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 20:11

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

FADEtoBLACK posted:

She experienced homelessness and actually advocates for serfdom? She talks about the 'Singularity' like it will just randomly appear with out national discussion, does she honestly believe that if it happened all the poors would die off because they are no longer needed?

As is usual, she's a little more sensible than that, right up until she suddenly goes right off the rails into total insanity. She correctly notes that there will be poor people no matter what as long as work is considered a necessity for everyone, especially under capitalism. She then concludes that poor people wouldn't even need welfare if not for the fact that liberals have criminalized traditional methods of self-sufficiency like "pitching a tent in a public park and living there" or "squatting in office buildings at night", and therefore it's really the left's fault that poor people are dependent on the state because we won't let them enter indentured servitude and live in crumbling shacks erected with no regard for building codes or the permission of the actual property owner. Why, maybe some poor people want to live in servitude and slavery because they're just not fit to live respectable existences, and mean old liberals are ruining them by forcing them to be able to afford food! After all, she feels that some people are just too dumb and peasant-y to earn money or have decent jobs, so is it really surprising she thinks some people are just better suited for servitude? As for her own homelessness, she's from a noble descent, so well...

quote:

I also suffered through poverty in my adult years. I’ve suffered homelessness, cancer, and every sort of horrible thing you can imagine. But these days I’m a Software Engineer making a hilariously large amount of money. My father eventually became the VP of Operations at a life insurance company. My mother currently manages a team of financial underwriters.

Our eventual success is not the least bit curious if you consider that outside of our struggling nuclear unit, I have an aunt who’s the CFO of a bank, an uncle who’s a doctor, several grandparents and great-grandparents who were engineers, etc. Plus I’m descended from the English nobility. I’ve even got an Anglo-Saxon pedigree tracing back to King Alfred the Great! It just goes to show that on a long enough timeline, well-written code (good genes) will always prevail over socialisation and circumstance.

Yet for some reason, naïve conservatives can’t seem to resist the temptation to laud mine accomplishments and attribute them to hard work. They say that I earned the right to be where I am today, through the integrity and perseverance in my character. It’s always nice to be flattered in such lofty ways, but I would actually disagree. There are very few people on this planet who are able to do what I do. Most people will never be able to do what I do even if they try. Like there’s absolutely zerochance that a janitor is going to be able to climb the social hierarchy and become a Software Engineer. I was simply born with natural genetic gifts. I also had the benefit of a temporarily embarrassed white upper-middle-class upbringing.

I speak from experience, because I know what janitors are like. I actually worked as a janitor when I was a teenager. They’re friendly hard-working people, but they’re dumb as bricks. So dumb in fact, that I almost feel embarrassed to admit having worked with them. But the only reason I’m acquainted with such dismal jobs is because my dad thought they built character. I also had a stint with the law as a teenager and was required to do community service—as a janitor (of course).

But I was still a genius programmer even back when I was scrubbing toilets. In fact, I was a child prodigy. I wrote software programs from scratch when I was fourteen years old that hundreds of thousands of people used. That software even managed to shift market cap of a Fortune 500 company by the billions of dollars.

The reason why I’ve experienced so much oppression and marginalisation in this society, is not simply because I became accustomed to poverty in my childhood, but because I’m also by no means neurotypical. This society was designed for people whose brains work totally different from mine. Basic things, like being able to maintain steady productivity at a nine-to-five job, just isn’t possible for me. So I’ve always had trouble staying employed.

Eventually, I resigned myself to believing that I would never be able to hold down a job. So I became a lifestyle anarchist, where my only job was not having a job. I couch-surfed, lived in squats, and looted gourmet food from the dumpsters at yuppie grocers like Trader Joe’s. That’s how I survived; and it was awesome!

But then I got cancer and was forced to get a job. But thankfully, I was 27 years old and after so many years I’d finally developed my social skills to the point where I could pass as neurotypical.

I was also never able to get a degree, because I have a learning disability that makes it extremely difficult for me to acquire skills unless I’m working on an actual project I feel passionate about, where I just “figure things out” along the way. But by that age, I had worked on enough goofy self-motivated projects that I was able to pass as someone who had an MS-level education in systems engineering and computer science.

I applied to work at a large technology corporation in Chelsea, because they’re one of the few companies willing to put up with people like me. They also offered tremendous job security. So I studied like a maniac, aced twelve separate job interviews, and got hired!

I’m very fortunate and privileged. I think there’s only ten thousand or so engineers who are as lucky as me, in being able to work for the most benevolent employer on earth. And it’s remarkably rare that any of them should have my background.

I’m aware of how privileged I am. I’m also aware that most people will never be able to share this privilege no matter how hard they try. Because of that, I try to do everything in my power to use my gifts to make the world a better place.

This is called noblesse oblige. I believe that having natural abilities and talents like intelligence, comes with the responsibility to use those gifts to serve others. So that’s what I do. I help design and code Internet infrastructure that makes the world more special and magical to billions of people around the world :-)

# ? Jul 29, 2014 20:16

burnishedfume: Mar 8, 2011; You really are a louse...

quote:

When you read my tweets, please remember that I once organized a far-left international grassroots social movement called @OccupyWallSt

"I once ran a twitter and tried to become the head of an leaderless movement that wasn't poo poo and had some cool ideas, so remember that when you read my lovely defenses of feudalism :keke:

# ? Jul 29, 2014 20:36

Radbot: Aug 12, 2009; Can't post for 3 years!

If her code is so good, why did she have to work so hard to be "neurotypical"? Why did she work hard, if working hard is futile? That drivel isn't even internally consistent.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 20:41

Captain_Maclaine: Sep 30, 2001; Every moment that I'm alive, I pray for death!

Radbot posted:

If her code is so good, why did she have to work so hard to be "neurotypical"? Why did she work hard, if working hard is futile? That drivel isn't even internally consistent.

I am shocked, just shocked I tell you! that someone who uses coding analogies constantly would not bother to properly ~~debug~~ check her own work for inconsistencies.

# ? Jul 29, 2014 20:55

The Ender: Aug 2, 2012; MY OPINIONS ARE NOT WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN SHIT

Stultus Maximus posted:

The singularity is where artificial intelligence reaches the point where it can not only out-think humans but also improve itself, meaning that AI would show exponential growth and we get robot bodies for some reason.

It's a modern salvation myth, where [X] thing is prophesied to save humanity from it's filthy self. In this case, the thing is robots instead of a deity or aliens or whatever.

There's not even good evidence to suggest that a complex artificial intelligence is a thing that's possible, much less that such an inconceivable entity would be our benign savior.

But, whatever. Plenty of people think that a long dead Palestinian man still loves them eternally & that he will actually save mankind, so...

# ? Jul 30, 2014 03:44

Munin: Nov 14, 2004

Btw, here is another feature about what powers the Randian �bermensch of Silicon Valley:
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26219187/use-illicit-drugs-becomes-part-silicon-valleys-work

It turns out people can't follow the work schedule of Hank Rearden and hence have to turn to uppers to keep themselves awake and then downers so they can counteract the uppers once they are off the clock.

I'm sure you also have plenty of people who would wave this away by saying that these are just the losers who couldn't hack it.

# ? Jul 30, 2014 13:47

Femur: Jan 10, 2004; I REALLY NEED TO SHUT THE FUCK UP

Yeah, then die like a chump doing some smack, throwing a perfectly innocent working girl in jail!

# ? Jul 30, 2014 14:23

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 11, 2024 14:07

down with slavery: Dec 23, 2013; STOP QUOTING MY POSTS SO PEOPLE THAT AREN'T IDIOTS DON'T HAVE TO READ MY FUCKING TERRIBLE OPINIONS THANKS

Munin posted:

Btw, here is another feature about what powers the Randian �bermensch of Silicon Valley:
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26219187/use-illicit-drugs-becomes-part-silicon-valleys-work

It turns out people can't follow the work schedule of Hank Rearden and hence have to turn to uppers to keep themselves awake and then downers so they can counteract the uppers once they are off the clock.

I'm sure you also have plenty of people who would wave this away by saying that these are just the losers who couldn't hack it.

Wow drugs? People are using drugs in silicon valley too? Why I never

# ? Jul 30, 2014 14:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Should Barack Obama appoint Eric Schmidt CEO of America?

«‹›47 »