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Unbundling Airbnb

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Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#131

Post by ben_w »

whimsicalism wrote: post #128
ben_w wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I certainly understand where you’re coming from and why. However, for me there is an important difference: nationalism is always “I support my nation because it is mine ” whereas patriotism (can be) “I like my nation because of stuff it is actually good at”. There’s certainly an overlap, and not just because of cognitive biases, but the latter doesn’t need to denigrate other nations when saying ones’ own nation is go…

I disagree. If I said "I like Germany because it is comprised of the superior Germanic race" that would be nationalism, but under your definition it would be patriotism. If you're saying that this is not within your definition, then I think your usage of "good" in your definition is question begging.

I think I can see where you’re coming from with that criticism, but if I’m right then my error was an insufficient example.

I would count “I like Elbonia because we have the best mud farmers in the world” as patriotism. It may be untrue (which is a separate issue), and it may be chosen post-hoc as the only way to stand out (ditto), but it doesn’t imply other nations are no good at farming mud.

I would count your quoted example as nationalism for the same reason I would describe "I like men’s football because it is comprised of the superior male race" as sexism, while I would say that “I like men’s football more than women’s because I sexually fantasise about men and not women”, isn’t.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#132

Post by gverrilla »

Ntrails wrote: post #30
mft_ wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(As someone whose family has often hired gites for holidays) Airbnb just offers simplicity and centralisation over the previous offerings. Less regular gite-hirers might not know of the precise businesses to go to, to hire a gite. Taxis existed before Uber; but it was the app (handling location, real-time updates, and seamless payment) that changed things.

> Taxis existed before Uber; but it was the app (handling location, real-time updates, and seamless payment) that changed things. I disagree - the game changer vs previous minicab offerings is the centralisation. Instead of ringing 4 companies and being given different waiting times by each etc, a single source tells me (initially, before the inevitable split into lyft et al) what the next available cab time is. In t…

In Brazil's delivery market what happened was first there was a company centralizing all delivery phones in a single phone number, but their web interface was very bad and there was no app. The company that went on to first centralize the whole thing using advanced user interfaces won, and eventually bought the first company.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#133

Post by silicon2401 »

Spivak wrote: post #123
silicon2401 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's see if you're consistent > if you don't want people seeing a predominantly black neighborhood & going "maybe that's not somewhere I want to be", talk with the people living in black neighborhoods & get them to stop doing the things that make some people want to avoid them. Do you still think there's nothing wrong with prejudice, or in your words, pattern-matching?

The difference that hasn’t been addressed, which to me is fundamental, is that we’re talking specifically about behaviors done intentionally whose purpose is to signal membership into specific tribes. I don’t know what the right way to address this because it’s become extremely common to not organize under explicit banners but instead make your membership known by not subtle dog whistles to maintain, again, not subtl…

> we’re talking specifically about behaviors done intentionally whose purpose is to signal membership into specific tribes.

Sure, but how do you know what tribes a person identifies with, if multiple groups use the same signals? How do you know an american flag means a proud racist or a proud immigrant (remember citizenship ceremonies are often huge accomplishments that immigrants deeply cherish). How do you know certain clothing styles mean somebody is a proud gang member or just a regular person who's a proud fan of hip hop culture? That's the point of my criticism. I personally am all for taking caution based on prejudice. I'm against people who are only okay with it if it's prejudice against people they dislike, but raise a fuss if people have prejudice against people they like.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#134

Post by daviross »

silicon2401 wrote: post #120
daviross wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's odd to attach "contributing to toxic divisiveness" to someone pattern-matching, rather than the people creating the pattern. It's all signaling & identification, so if you don't want people seeing a Thin Blue Line flag & going "maybe that's not somewhere I want to be", talk with the thin-blue-line people & get them to stop doing the things that make some people want to avoid them.

Let's see if you're consistent > if you don't want people seeing a predominantly black neighborhood & going "maybe that's not somewhere I want to be", talk with the people living in black neighborhoods & get them to stop doing the things that make some people want to avoid them. Do you still think there's nothing wrong with prejudice, or in your words, pattern-matching?

Consistency is overrated. I could substitute words in anybody's statement to make them sound terrible.

And besides, I specified 'signaling & identification'. I may have missed where people were being born with thin-blue-line flags as birthmarks.

On the other hand, maybe you've got a point. I should be able to walk into any gun shop in the country with a "John Brown was justified, Sherman didn't go far enough" t-shirt & not see so much as a dirty look.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#135

Post by wbsss4412 »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #111
lotsofpulp wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am also a child of an immigrant family, but my prior probabilities put me on high alert around people who egregiously use the US flag (or flag of any nation at this point). Maybe putting one on your house is OK, but the more fanatic you seem, the more on alert I am. Most normal people I meet just use it on 4th of July or something, but if you are draping yourself, your business, your car in it, then I assume you ha…

It's important we don't confuse Patriotism with Nationalism. The former is about the individual and generally positive & good; the latter is faceless and evil.

I don’t know where you’re getting your definitions from, but I don’t think they are widely agreed upon.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#136

Post by wbsss4412 »

silicon2401 wrote: post #96
Spivak wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's honestly really nice to see when businesses add it because I don't then have to worry about showing up and having that awkward "oh. uhh, okay. guess i'll leave" moment. The flip side is also sad but ultimately useful, I know to avoid shops that proudly display the Trump, Let's Go Brandon, Blue Lives Matter, Confederate Flag, Don't Tread on Me, the one weird flag that's like fuck Biden but written with guns…

This whole comment is just contributing to the toxic divisiveness that's permeating our country > or honestly the American flag this is especially disheartening. As a child of an immigrant family, one of the first things I'm going to do when I buy a house is proudly fly an American flag. I love our country and there are many reasons to be proud of it and its flag, and they're the reasons so many people want to immigr…

You can’t just wish away the state of reality by ignoring the clear implications of what symbols mean, just because you want said symbol to mean the thing you want.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#137

Post by breakfastduck »

bena wrote: post #90
breakfastduck wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hilarious to me how many people deep in tech think they've come up with a new idea but it's literally the entire proposition the new tech destroyed.

Yes, all of these disruptors rediscovering the core issues with the segment they're in and why the sectors they disrupted operated as they did.

And then they 'solve' it by setting up a company that does the same as they used to. But actually they've just destroyed an entire industry and replaced it with a single company that now has a monopoly on everything.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#138

Post by vineyardmike »

silicon2401 wrote: post #96
Spivak wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's honestly really nice to see when businesses add it because I don't then have to worry about showing up and having that awkward "oh. uhh, okay. guess i'll leave" moment. The flip side is also sad but ultimately useful, I know to avoid shops that proudly display the Trump, Let's Go Brandon, Blue Lives Matter, Confederate Flag, Don't Tread on Me, the one weird flag that's like fuck Biden but written with guns…

This whole comment is just contributing to the toxic divisiveness that's permeating our country > or honestly the American flag this is especially disheartening. As a child of an immigrant family, one of the first things I'm going to do when I buy a house is proudly fly an American flag. I love our country and there are many reasons to be proud of it and its flag, and they're the reasons so many people want to immigr…

Aren't you lucky that you can view the issue as "divisiveness" that can be turned off or discarded. Many people have to live with the concern and question on if they're going to be safe entering a building.

YOUR comment is contributing to the toxic division. You're witnessed someone sharing their world and what they do to feel safe - and you're telling them its wrong and they should stop. Maybe you can listen to them instead, understand that certain people live in a different reality than you. You should try to see what you can do to make the environment around you welcoming to others who may have different experiences than you. It is not their responsibility to throw their safety and wellbeing away because you don't like that people view some symbol of yours negatively.

> As a child of an immigrant family, one of the first things I'm going to do when I buy a house is proudly fly an American flag. I love our country and there are many reasons to be proud of it

I am an American born here, and I grew up with an American flag on my house. I would never move away, and I'm proud to live in America, one of the greatest nations the world has seen - if not the greatest. There are many reasons to be proud of it, yes.

Does it have problems though? Yes. It is NOT a perfect place. Not everyone here feels equally safe and respected. America has long a history of division. Slavery, JimCrow, Red-lining, the aids crisis, etc. Strong histories of division that are unfortunate and real and have long-lasting implications even today. Please realize that many people exist in a reality that does not show love equally to all. it is not a place where all men are created equal, and not a place where all men live equal - although that is a lofty and noble goal America has repeated for generations. The parent comment shared symbols that raise the odds that he (she?) won't be treated equally. They're identifying symptoms of the disease of inequity, not contributing to it.

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#139

Post by vineyardmike »

erezsh wrote: post #35
marcohernaiz wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tested this concept with smarthubs.club (digital nomads living and traveling around the world with everything included). We started in Spain, and used 4 stars hotels to standarize the experience. Although it worked during the pandemic, hotels are now reluctant to change their business models, and they will not accept the required conditions to make the business model viable and expand the concept to other hotels/ci…

Hotels suck anyway. I can't imagine why anyone would want to pass through a reception and a bunch of corridors just to arrive "home", at a small room with bad furniture, and it isn't even cheap. It might make sense if you just need a place to crash after a long day of traveling, but it's not a way to live.

> I can't imagine why anyone would want to pass through a reception and a bunch of corridors just to arrive "home", at a small room with bad furniture, and it isn't even cheap.

You just described living in a major city. Thats my life in my apartment in .

Re: Unbundling Airbnb

#140

Post by wyclif »

geoduck14 wrote: post #69
el-salvador wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I had really bad stays at places that got 100 reviews and an average of 4.7 stars. One red flag I always look for is a stream of comments mentioning only "good location" and nothing else.

>One red flag I always look for is a stream of comments mentioning only "good location" and nothing else. You say that, and I believe you mean it, but that could actually be a good sign. Example: I'm looking for a place to stay that is close to the beach. I need the location to be good - if the interior of the BnB is bad, that isn't a big deal. Additionally, my definition of "close to the beach" is unusual. There are…

He's not saying that good location isn't a good sign. He's saying that a stream of copypasted "good location" comments are common in reviews, and if you see loads of them on a single listing it's meaningless and not an authentic review. However, a few isolated "good location" comments are more likely to be authentic.
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