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You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

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Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like perfectly curated marketing. But I do admit I am outraged when a row of stupid fucking scooters blocks my entire running path, when it’s clearly a location no one would ever rent a scooter, rather they are there to deliberately block the path for no other purpose than obnoxious exposure of their brand. I’d love for there to be DAOs to combat those scooter companies, say for example by blocking the executiv…

Scooters are great. No scooter every meaningfully impacted my life in a city. Cars, on the other hand. Boy, if you hate scooters laying around just wait until you hear about these things clogging up every road. Drivers leave them on the street over night! Their personal property and they just...leave them parked all over the city. And they're way bigger than scooters. They block the roads. They're loud. They pollute.…

> if you hate scooters laying around just wait until you hear about these things clogging up every road.

I love whataboutism.

I’m very fascinated to know how you live in such a fashion that you purchase food and other products that sustain your life that in no way utilize roadways. Or are you just virtue signaling and personally contribute to this road traffic you hate so much and is the real “problem” by purchasing things from the supply chain?

Roads are made for cars, so it’s expected cars use them for legal purposes like driving. What wouldn’t be expected is if companies began littering roads with their shit products and marketing which blocked the roadways and put drivers at risk of accidents. If I saw companies creating traffic through illegal littering and marketing that obstructs the roadway, that would bother me.

Side walks, running/bike paths are also made for specific purposes, those lawful purposes don’t include companies littering them with their commercial products and marketing.

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#393
post #208
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours Welcome to public spaces? Life involves maybe seeing things, idea, people you don’t like. That’s not inherently bad.

It brings up an interesting question. I live in Israel where there are constant conflicts about what is OK to be shown in public, especially between the religious and non-religious. In Jerusalem for example, some ultra-orthodox often vandalize any kind of poster that shows a woman in it. They just tear-out/spray over the women on the poster. Some are ridiculous cases where they defaced a poster of an old woman who su…

Can we make a distinction between postings for different purposes, though? For example, commercial, political, and public education. Do a Coca-cola billboard, a sign advocating a piece of legislation, and a poster about the local library all get the exact same level of deference?

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If my attention has value, then the exchange should be taxed.

This is true if it is a barter exchange (under U.S. tax law at least). However I have a hard time seeing this as a barter - what are you getting in exchange for your attention that has a positive fair market value?

"You can view this content if you also stare at these ads. If you don't want to see the ads then don't visit this webpage." Sounds like an exchange to me.

Edit: aren't "donations" received by a for-profit also taxable?

Edit2: items of value acquired by theft are taxable.

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you gaining by arguing this? What point are you trying to make? Do you really think an artist who hand-paints pieces on walls is comparable to a corporation that copy-pastes their flashing, carefully targeted, profit-seeking message onto dozens of billboards overlooking a highway? Are their motives and the results of their work not wildly different? Your second example is valid. But your first example is a c…

Banksy is a commercial enterprise, though. There is a financial benefit to putting their work in places where the public is forced to see it. By raising their public profile, they're also raising the prices they can charge for other work. It is, in a very real sense, advertising. I'm a fan, but there's still a point to be made here. Banksy works on public sites do function in part as ads.

I agree, she/he/them are champagne socialists.

And his quote in the top post is hypocritical, at least the advertisers pay for displaying the ads, banksy appears to use the anarchist non payment approach.

Maybe all his revenue goes to charity but I sense an artist complaining about capitalism while laughing to the bank.

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like perfectly curated marketing. But I do admit I am outraged when a row of stupid fucking scooters blocks my entire running path, when it’s clearly a location no one would ever rent a scooter, rather they are there to deliberately block the path for no other purpose than obnoxious exposure of their brand. I’d love for there to be DAOs to combat those scooter companies, say for example by blocking the executiv…

Scooters are great. No scooter every meaningfully impacted my life in a city. Cars, on the other hand. Boy, if you hate scooters laying around just wait until you hear about these things clogging up every road. Drivers leave them on the street over night! Their personal property and they just...leave them parked all over the city. And they're way bigger than scooters. They block the roads. They're loud. They pollute.…

Is you best argument "what about cars"? Scooters are a problem because they go fast among pedestrians. Cars usually don't, and when they donit is usually labelled terrorism.

I think a good comparison is a bike:

Bikers usually stay either on the road or on a bike path. When they go in pedestrian zones, their rather bad manouverability make bikers go slow or get off.

Just one week ago I was hit by a scooter going over 20km/h in a crowded pedestrian zone. Shit like that has become common, whereas the number of times I have seen someone do that on a bike can be counted on one hand.

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#397
post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of times people who loudly yell "fuck the system" are also quietly using the system when it suits them, that's my point. Bansky is no "dismantle the capitalism" hero or whatever pedestal people have him on.

I hear you; the copyright case especially shows that he is no paragon of anti-capitalism. But I think it's worth maintaining that (1) some things are worse than other things and (2) motive matters and (3) imperfect people can still make good points. I have never, ever felt like a piece of Banksy's art, or any original piece of visual artwork for that matter, is being shoved down my throat. They're quiet, static, rela…

Do you believe he doesn't have some sort of affiliate manager or pr department managing media and social media presence?

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#399
post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of times people who loudly yell "fuck the system" are also quietly using the system when it suits them, that's my point. Bansky is no "dismantle the capitalism" hero or whatever pedestal people have him on.

It is similar to the logic of nations desiring peace but having an armed force for defense. If you are attacked and you refuse to engage in that system, disarming unilaterally, you may avoid violence, but at a loss of other values. Using the system judiciously can enable you to disengage from it in the longer term. The tradeoffs for choosing this path will be different for different situations, but I don't think it's…

> It is similar to the logic of nations desiring peace but having an armed force for defense.

The whole point of having a strong defense force is to have peace. People don't start wars with a strong opponent, only a weak one.

Re: You block ads in your browser, why not in your city?

#400
There are some cities and places that do reduce intrusive real life advertising by banning billboards for example, or putting up a billboard tax to reduce them and divert the visual pollution cost into the city budget. Same with regulations reducing the loudness of audio ads, or banning them, or changing how storefronts can put their names up. That is more like a HOA regulating what kind of house style you can have although. It's definitely possible!
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