Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

The general public knows as much as they want to know about the topic.

And wake up and smell the coffee here. Nobody cares what you, me or the rest of the "tech scene" thinks about politics. It's the pathetic arrogance of people in the "tech scene" who walk around acting like they are the only enlightened ones and they are somehow uniquely qualified to educate people on the subject.




See, that makes some sense to me. On the other hand, rayiner's constant calls to people in tech to stop being apathetic or even hostile to politics and actually flex the muscles our economical standing affords us makes more sense to me. Tech is huge, but we have less influence than special interests groups that represent far smaller industries (Apple alone nearly has enough cash to swallow the US music industry). That sure as hell isn't because we've been trying to hard.


I am sorry but nobody cares what a bunch of computer nerds thinks about politics.

And remind me again why they should ? What because there is money in technology ?

Great. Next time I am looking for help fixing my car I will ask a florist.


> "I am sorry but nobody cares what a bunch of computer nerds thinks about politics."

Currently? You're right, they don't. That is the problem. A problem that is not solved by saying "shut-up about politics and go back to your programming caves you nerds."

Why is it important that they care? Well, here is rayiner's comment that I am thinking of:

""Wahh wahh we're too busy running a business to make our voice heard in Congress, wahh wahh."

The cost of a successful lobbying presence is measured in the tens of millions of dollars a year, which is chump change for an industry as big and influential as the tech industry. Heck, construction companies have a much more organized and effective lobby, and they basically make no money at all (see the article on the front page about their 1% margins). Really, it's not that much money. Raise it on Kickstarter or whatever.

There is a bizarre mental block/persecution complex/"I'm going to take my balls and go home" phenomenon at play in the tech industry that's makes no sense to me. Silicon Valley isn't a special snowflake and Congress isn't going to divine its needs and tend to them. You've got one side telling Congress that absolutely everything needs to be patentable to keep the Chinese from stealing all our technology, and nothing but deafening silence in response. What exactly do you expect to happen in that circumstance?"

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5935469


> nobody cares what a bunch of computer nerds thinks about politics.

Until nerds produce something that changes the political game.

PGP, Bit Torrent and Bitcoin are three examples.


Tools are tools, it's how they're used that is political, not their mere existence or creation.


PGP and Bitcoin were specifically created as responses to political environments. They're political tools by nature.


And the gun was created as a response to the political reality that it's hard to fire a bow.

There is nothing inherent in being a maker that gives said maker any special understanding or say over political aspects of the tools that maker creates.

And no one knows why Bitcoin was created. No one's sure who created it, and that person certainly hasn't provided any concrete motive. I don't know enough about PGP to say the same, but don't try to shoehorn a tool into your argument just because you don't think I'll notice.


I don't know, guns do seem pretty political in the US. The "gun lobby" is pretty influential; far more influential than tech.

If guns can have lobbies, surely PGP can as well.


It's an example, don't miss the forest for the trees.


I think it's a good example.


It's a good example of how you can make the usage of a tool a political issue, but the tool itself is agnostic to its use.

A tool does not care why it was created. A hammer won't refuse to bash in a skull because "that's not what it was built for".


The creator of Bitcoin was quite clear of his political motivations [1]:

[1] http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg099...

As for PGP, Phil Zimmerman was even clearer in his intentions [2]:

[2] http://www.pgpi.org/doc/whypgp/en/

Technology is a response to politics as well as a catalyst for political change. To attempt to "de-politify" technology as a matter of course is like castrating a prize bull.


Death of the author. What a tool is made for is irrelevant to its use.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: