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Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

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Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#111
Welcome to Berkeley, I guess.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before the dissident left decided that the software community was just another monied enemy for them to hate.

The good news is that nobody really takes them seriously, so if you can tolerate the occasional impotent protest and the (very) occasional WTO-style near riot, you can proceed with your life and ignore them.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#112
Whoever wrote this is a fucking lunatic. I mean, common, "His house is a pompous, minimally decorated two story palace with stone lions guarding the door."

You lost me right there. And then the parts about Google X developing "war robots" and Google threatening to release a "massive amount of carbon"?

Just... no. I thought the protestors had a reasonable argument about Google hindering the development of better public transportation and displacing San Francisco individuals by running private bus services that isolated Googlers from the community, but this is sheer lunacy.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#113
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

^^ left-wing degeneracy for all to see. popcorn

smiles you think I coming at this from a right-wing perspective lol.

No I just think that your comment did in absolutely no way make this discussion better.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#114
post #36

This is getting to be a bit absurd. I understand and can sympathize with the plight of folks who feel that they are becoming economically marginalized in the region, because in many ways it is really happening. But public badgering of mid to low-level folks is not a way to gain a lot of support. It's like damaging the lobby of a Bank of America or smashing the windows of a McDonalds -- all it does is ruin the day for…

I'd take a different angle: This is the behavior of desperate people who have lost hope that our government functions and are motivated to action. This seems like the natural conclusion of our government's inattentiveness to it's citizenry. Violence isn't far when folks have achieved this level of frustration. The last line of the link makes it clear that Google isn't going to be the only target. "All of you other te…

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Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#115
post #52
post #30

Excellent. If engineers and technologists refuse to take personal political and ethical responsibility for the future they help build, they need to be reminded to do so. We need more of this.

^^ left-wing degeneracy for all to see. popcorn

What does left-wing have to do with this?, stupidity doesn't requires a political affiliation. Actually all governements in the world are left-wing by American standards.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#116
post #49
post #24

I feel for the plight[1] these people are facing, I really do and I want to help. _BUT_ if you started showing up at my home protesting and making my family uncomfortable, that creates a different problem entirely. Anyways I'm assuming this site is fake because I can't find this being reported anywhere else... and I assume the protesters know better than to pull a stunt like this. 1. Let's be clear though, this is a…

What they're doing is trying to make it socially unacceptable to assist the NSA/ DoD, and quite frankly it's overdue. I get the feeling that most of the criticism here against the protesters is because HN identifies with the Google employee(s), not because the protesters are wrong. It's a purely emotional reaction.

Do not those who work for sensitive posts for TLA's not disclose who they work for - this is basic protective security 101

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#117
I'm seeing a strong parallel with occupy wall street. Clearly there are differences - these people seem more militant for one - but this is clearly a movement born out of an emotional response, if not shear jealousy. These protesters are uninformed at best, and their tactics will not yield any results.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#118
When you attack an individual because of the place s/he chooses to work you take the "Let's all protest the activities of Big X" down to a personal level. I'd be horrified if I woke up and found a large group of people protesting in front of my house because of who I work for. Reading this message, I instantly put myself in that employee's shoes and instantly became hostile toward the organization arranging this. I made a second near-instantaneous cognitive jump, and this is the most important part, to completely disregarding whatever legitimate (or otherwise) complaints this group had and to assume that I should give Google the benefit of the doubt. This may be just me, since I avoid politics at nearly all costs, but despite the fact that I'd probably agree with this particular groups gripes, I can't make my mind see them as anything other than a waste of perfectly good oxygen.

Did they change my political opinion? Probably not, but they were more likely to make me against their particular cause than for it by this action.

Can anyone see anything of value that they might have gained in the process? I'm finding it difficult to come up with anything...

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#119
post #63
post #38

This is a good example of what the liberal democratic movement should be about: policing corporations. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and the rest of them will never end their reprehensible behavior from lawsuits or other slaps on the wrists. Until there is a boot-on-ground movement to obstruct these corporations and their employees they will continue to act without consequence using their hoards of capital.

Agreed. It's time to obstruct these money-making corporations. We can slap their hands with lawsuits brought against them for making money, or we can shut down their greedy, wealth-building schemes. These money-loving fat cats have it coming to them and we need to stand up against them, especially since we have nothing better to do after quitting our mindless jobs at our former corporate greed houses. Anyone who want…

The issue isn't about capitalism. The issue is about the responsibility that these corporations are willfully ignoring once they have acquired copious amounts of capital. There seems to be this tendency with especially big corporations and individuals to suddenly throw their users and customers under the bus in favor of working with the government. Now the government shouldn't be engaging in this kind of solicitation to begin with, but that doesn't mean these corporations should be absolved of all guilt.

Any corporation that would rather derive its value as a government datafarm than from wealth creation has betrayed its user, customers, and capitalism.

Re: Demonstration at Home of Google Developer. Google Bus Blocked in Berkeley

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think anybody wants a situation in which companies pick-and-choose which laws to follow, and which to ignore. The proper target for anger in this case is the NSA and the government which allowed this to happen.

And we might guess that majority of those "protesters" either did not vote or voted for Obama.

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