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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

#171

Post by humanrebar »

anExcitedBeast wrote: post #106
jasonkester wrote: post #51

Absolutely horrifying. More so because there are actually people here in this thread defending the crazy person who's trying to destroy somebody's life because they don't like the company he works for.

Let's pretend Google isn't causing very real problems for the poor and lower middle class in the Bay area. Let's also pretend that we can blame an inorganic "corporation", but never the individuals who design it, steer it, and totally embody it.

Sarcasm aside, the flyer is creepy and probably threatening.

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

#172

Post by nollidge »

ericcumbee wrote: post #68
[deleted] wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Why is it that you think because someone has a gun they are incapable of acting rationally? If I were in the above situation I would not draw my gun with out feeling that there was a real threat to my life or property. And in that case I would rather have a gun than not have a gun.

> Why is it that you think because someone has a gun they are incapable of acting rationally?

Because they're a real live human fucking being with anger and emotion and desperation and base needs and selfish wants, not a theoretical hyper-rational philosophical strawperson.

Real live human beings are pretty classically incapable of acting rationally, and if you think otherwise, I would suggest that you have only very recently come out from under a rock.

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

#173

Post by maxerickson »

MAGZine wrote: post #137
XorNot wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile in another thread, people are lamenting the idea that the government can require you to get a permit to peacefully protest, and arrest you otherwise...

Protests against the government shouldn't require a permit from the government. That's really, really dumb, I'm sure we can all agree.

The permit is for the use of the public space.

I don't think there should be harsh penalties for misusing public space, but I don't really trust people to be reasonable either (meaning I'm comfortable with some rules about the uses of public spaces).

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

#174

Post by ForHackernews »

JeremyMorgan wrote: post #156
krisdol wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I would like to know what this "privilege" is all about. I'm a tech worker who makes a very good salary. Am I privileged? Yes. So am I and so is most of the audience here.

In what way? How is what do confined to an exclusive group of people? I can understand Americans as a whole being privileged, yes. We have tons of opportunities people in other countries don't. But we're talking about Americans protesting against Americans and that's why it doesn't make much sense.

> How is what do confined to an exclusive group of people?

At a very basic level, not everyone is smart enough to do what you do. At a more practical level, not everyone has access to a good education, or grew up in a community that encourages education.

I know I'll get a bunch of responses like "What access!? Just go on codecademy and teach yourself Javascript!"

But good luck teaching web development to a 21 year old who's never been taught how to read properly.

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

#176

Post by nilkn »

ForHackernews wrote: post #141
DannoHung wrote: post #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 publi…

Are housing prices in San Francisco really so insane that a two-story house is "pompous" and a "palace"? > developing "war robots" Technically, since their acquisition Boston Dynamics, Google is indeed in the business of war robots: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/google-buys-major-military... Though they've said they're only going to fulfill their existing military contracts, not seek out others. I guess we'll see…

> Are housing prices in San Francisco really so insane that a two-story house is "pompous" and a "palace"?

For the middle class and below? In many neighborhoods of the Bay Area the prices really are that high now. I agree of course that the description is over the top, but I think it does accurately reflect how economically tough the area is for most residents, particularly those who are not developers, lawyers, or doctors.

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

#177

Post by BryanB55 »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #47
BryanB55 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck. I'd encourage this even if you are not a Google employee. You'll probably want to move out of California if you want the right to defend yourself and family though. Getting a concealed carry license there is next to impossible.

> Good luck. I'd encourage this even if you are not a Google employee. How come?

Well you asked so I'll answer but I understand that a lot of people on HackerNews may not share my same views on self defense. Also to be clear, I don't think a non-violent blockade necessitates the use of a firearm. However, I think the topic came up because protests can and do lead to a handful of rogue protestors going too far, getting too angry and attacking people.

So to answer your question in a general statement: I'm a firm believer that is my responsibility to protect my life and my family and no one else's. I also think it is naive to believe that I could never be the victim of a crime or brutal attack by someone equipped with a more effective weapon than my hands. I'd much rather have a firearm in my hand then a cell phone waiting for 911 when someone is clearly trying to inflict severe harm or death.

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

#178

Post by arebop »

tomp wrote: post #163
nollidge wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one deserves to feel unsafe, especially in their own home. Just because they haven't literally harmed his person doesn't mean that they're acting morally.

That's not a particularly good argument, because one of the main point of people protesting the NSA surveillance (which Google is a part of) is that it makes them feel unsafe. It's all a matter of perspective.

These protesters are themselves just as much a part of the NSA surveillance as Google is.

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

#179

Post by nollidge »

BryanB55 wrote: post #75
[deleted] wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

If you are not trained in self defense and how to use a gun to defend your life maybe you shouldn't be carrying one and you also shouldn't be commenting on it like you know what you are talking about. Why do you assume a gun would be randomly taken out in a tense confrontation? I can spin this idea as well by saying "What if a few rogue protestors were really pissed off, kicked in your front door and began to beat yo…

> Why do you assume a gun would be randomly taken out in a tense confrontation?

Why the hell wouldn't it be? Because everybody's always super calm and patient in such situations?

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

#180

Post by JeremyMorgan »

kasey_junk wrote: post #157
JeremyMorgan wrote: post #130

I would like to know what this "privilege" is all about. I'm a tech worker who makes a very good salary. Am I privileged? I couldn't afford a fancy high end college, so I chose a cheaper one and got a loan from the Government, which I paid back in full. I studied hard in a public school and those achievements helped me get a grant to offset some cost as well. I got a job in tech support, worked my way up through the…

A few questions: Are you white? Are you male? Were you born in a country that had clean running water? What about public education system, or a country that had education loans easily available for you? Did you grow up around people that had jobs? Were literate? Had gone to college? Did you know your parents? How often did you suffer from hunger growing up? All of these are forms of privilege. Some of them may apply…

I am not trying to discount any of those things but I'm sure the protesters had most, if not all of those privileges as well.

As far as being white and male, that's a fallacy as well. Do you work in tech? Take a look around and you'll see some of the most diversity of any industry. I worked for a fortune 100 for a large part of my career and most teams had more "minorities" on them than whites. Most of them born in India in horrible conditions. Color blindness is one of the reasons I'm proud to be in tech.

Is it so hard to admit that most of these protesters are lazy misguided kids with nothing better to do?

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