Comment by oap_bram
5 years ago
I mean capitalism goes together with authoritarianism pretty good. Just look at the companies that still exist today that helped the Third Reich. Perhaps it's time to want a different underlying system that wouldn't have a bottomline for profit maximization? idk
Please don't take HN threads into generic ideological arguments. It just leads to tedious, lame, and nasty flamewar—always the same—and those are off topic here.
It's quite incredible how bad the internet is at discussing this stuff thoughtfully. It's clearly not the medium for it. It bonds with all its failure modes (e.g. snark, screaming, and paranoia) into one hell of a compound. We're trying for something different on HN, and for that to work we need users to be aware of this and not go there.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Doesn't this thread already pose an ideological argument (e.g. country x and y are authoritarian/bad, while country z isn't)?
I personally find it really hard to refrain from commenting when there is a very once sided view presented on a front-page topic.
The issue I have is that some topics feel like they are either flamewar or a one-sided view where people feel like they can't comment because going against that view might start a flamewar. Neither promote curiosity
edit: My comment isn't necessarily connected to that of parent, but more to your reply
No one is asked to refrain from commenting, but everyone is asked to comment within HN's guidelines, which call for respectful, curious conversation, avoiding flamebait, political/ideological/national battle, name-calling, fulmination, snark, and other internet failure modes: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...), I'd really like to know what it is. Just please familiarize yourself with the past material first, because if it's something simple like "just ban politics" or "just allow everything", I've answered many times already why it won't work.
This, this whole thread is both generic and ideological.
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> Just look at the companies that still exist today that helped the Third Reich.
How dare they!
Here's a fun bit from an attempt to hold to account IG Farben, manufacturers of Zkylon B.
> All defendants who were sentenced to prison received early release. Most were quickly restored to their directorships and other positions in post-war companies, and some were awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.
You think it's funny or something that these companies were allowed to go unchecked?
Not sure why you've been downvoted, the list of complicit orgs is long.
IBM, takes pride of place for their tabulation machines. Ford, and GM, for converting their German subsidiary factories to wartime usages, while declining to do the same in the USA. Nevermind Henry Ford's proclivity for funding anti-semitism. Then of course, all the German manufacturers of note. Krupp, Daimler, IG Farben, Hugo Boss...
Actually, probably just quicker to link to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_involved_in_...
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Lol, so does communism, monarchy, or when religion and politics merge (iran, ottoman empire etc).
I'm keen on your examples from Iran. Was it the time that the British asked the CIA to depose the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, and reinstall the Shah, for the benefit of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now a subsidiary of BP)?
No, I think it was the time a civil unrest threw the Shah and put the ayatollahs in power with the help of the Soviet Union (which is suspiciously absent from your remarks) and now their women face jail for not wearing the veil or their homosexuals are hung by a crane
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> when religion and politics merge (iran, ottoman empire etc).
...the GOP, etc.
I didn't imply a solution, but I assume we can come up with one that satisfies your worries and mine
IMO the best example is Chiquita -- they conspired with the CIA to overthrow the democratically elected government of Guatemala to secure their banana fields against the "godless communists." Naturally, they left Guatemala with a right-wing dictatorship. This kicked off a 46 year long civil war and the fallout has directly contributed to the migrant crisis at the border. They called it Operation PBSuccess. [1]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A...
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtAKHnqkf4
The phrase "Banana Republic" is entirely due to Chiquita/United Fruit Company.
God bless America?
(Also, wtf, Banana Republic is now an American fashion brand? Jesus Christ, way to have zero insight)
Once again, really unsure why you're being downvoted for mentioning facts.
Are you perhaps hurting some "invisible hand" idealists feelings? Who knows.
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