arrza's recent activity
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Comment on From Run DMC to Jay-Z: Hip-hop's history, told through bling in ~music
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Comment on Winamp has announced that it is opening up its source code to enable collaborative development of its legendary player for Windows in ~tech
arrza LinkI've been a steadfast user of Winamp since the late 90s. It still functions perfectly. I wonder what features they might add?I've been a steadfast user of Winamp since the late 90s. It still functions perfectly. I wonder what features they might add?
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Comment on From Run DMC to Jay-Z: Hip-hop's history, told through bling in ~music
arrza Link ParentWhere can I buy it? I checked goodreads and I can't find it.Where can I buy it? I checked goodreads and I can't find it.
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Comment on Fuel-guzzling ‘Yank Tanks’ face a costly future in Australia after new vehicle emissions changes approved in ~transport
arrza LinkThis is great news. Auto makers need a kick in the rear to get their act together and stop pushing these yank tanks(love this name btw). Its not a light switch, the law works in phases and that's...This is great news. Auto makers need a kick in the rear to get their act together and stop pushing these yank tanks(love this name btw). Its not a light switch, the law works in phases and that's ok. I really hope this effectively pushes Australia toward EV's.
I'll be interested in seeing how the trading aspect of the law is utilized.
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Comment on Most people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence isn't clear on that in ~games.tabletop
arrza Link ParentOh I am definitely busting this out on the tf2 server next time I'm on. What a great quote!Oh I am definitely busting this out on the tf2 server next time I'm on. What a great quote!
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Comment on Macklemore - Hind's Hall (2024) in ~music
arrza Link ParentThat's only true if you believe that politics begins and ends with voting. And I don't think you do believe that. Honestly my vote for president doesn't matter that much, I'm in a solidly blue...That's only true if you believe that politics begins and ends with voting. And I don't think you do believe that.
Honestly my vote for president doesn't matter that much, I'm in a solidly blue state. I withheld my vote in 2016, as I'm sure many people did. We all saw where that got us. I'm not defending Hillary, but my point is that if harm reduction is your goal in voting, pinch your nose, vote for the dem, and then get back to whatever activism you were doing. That is how you move the needle. People put way too much stock in presidential elections. It's all a dog and pony show. The real politics happens, for us the plebs, in the streets.
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Comment on Google lays off hundreds of ‘Core’ employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico in ~tech
arrza Link ParentThank you for the thoughtful reply! I hope you'll forgive my delayed reply, I need to be in a certain mindset to write like this. I definitely didn't want to leave you hanging. First thing I want...Thank you for the thoughtful reply! I hope you'll forgive my delayed reply, I need to be in a certain mindset to write like this. I definitely didn't want to leave you hanging.
First thing I want to point out, is it appears that you're either conflating or confused about collective ownership and public ownership. When I speak about collective ownership, I am not talking about government run entities. I am talking about entities that are entirely owned by their workers. Again, I implore you to learn a bit about the Mondragon Corporation to give you an idea of the possibilities that exist with collective ownership. Re-read my comment, I never said the words publicly owned.
I appreciate the level of detail you offer on the Nordic model, it's not something I have gone super in depth about but seems to have some promise of keeping the worst tendencies of capitalism at bay. I think it has its place in a transition toward the world I envision, where all workers are also owners in their workplaces, but I want to circle back to my original point regarding the broader struggle against capitalism.
The fact that there are countries which are capitalist, with few regulations, anywhere on Earth means that if a company doesn't like how the laws of say, Norway, they can simply choose not to operate there. There is nothing preventing that. This is what I mean when I say the struggle against capitalism is international.
The implications of this essentially nullify any benefit of that system outside of Norway. Now you may say, let's make the whole world operate under this system. To which I would say if we are going to go that route, of a single global economic system, to me Socialism or Communism would be greatly preferable. This is due to the creation of a class of people(owners) separate and distinct from the workers under the Nordic system. It is inevitable that once this class exists, they will accumulate money and influence and slowly dismantle this system. This cannot happen under Socialism or Communism because the ownership class does not exist. They are the same as the workers(under socialism) or the citizens(under communism).
Take a moment to consider how Norway was able to get this system into place. It's not because their ownership class is nicer and said "OK we'll make less money just because you guys are cool." It's because Norway is very rich in natural resources, and very early on, their government stepped in and created a sovereign wealth fund in order to provide for itself and its citizens. This gave the government of Norway(AKA the people of Norway; Norway is democratic) the power over the corporations to impose this system on the corporations. And it gives the government of Norway the power to continue under this system. Power that also resists from outside. You had better believe that there are capitalists all over that would love a piece of Norway's pie. A piece that is currently being enjoyed by its workers. It takes a lot to resist that. I don't know how long Norway will be able to sustain their system, I hope its for a long time.
In a way, we are agreeance. We agree that the problem is that the regulations on capital are insufficient. Where we disagree is that I want to regulate capital out of existence.
P.S. I do not appreciate your little jab of
Many Americans simply cannot envision a regulated, capitalist society and so they blame their failings of regulation on capitalism.
I am well aware of the varieties of systems that exist to regulate capital, and I consider them all failures which leave workers at risk of exploitation.
Seize the Means!!
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Comment on Arizona governor Katie Hobbs signs abortion ban repeal bill in ~health
arrza Link ParentYes, but that's not stopping Republicans from taking credit for this repeal and claiming they never supported abortion. Democrats need to hammer on this issue and make sure everyone knows where...Yes, but that's not stopping Republicans from taking credit for this repeal and claiming they never supported abortion.
Democrats need to hammer on this issue and make sure everyone knows where Republicans stand on this. I don't have much faith that they will though.
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Comment on Google lays off hundreds of ‘Core’ employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico in ~tech
arrza Link ParentIn companies that are collectively owned(AKA co-ops), the workers are the ones who make the decisions about everything. One of the largest examples of this is the Mondragon Corporation in Spain....How would livelihoods be less at risk "without capitalism"?
In companies that are collectively owned(AKA co-ops), the workers are the ones who make the decisions about everything. One of the largest examples of this is the Mondragon Corporation in Spain. It is a gigantic corporation that is completely owned by its employees. It operates in many sectors, kind of like a smaller Samsung. If one sector of the corp isn't doing so well and doesn't need many man hours, people are retrained and moved to other parts of the corp. They even have their own university to educate their own people. Please look more into it yourself, it's pretty unique and interesting way to run a company. I think that's a really good system that introduces the ability to weigh people's livelihoods against the need to turn a profit. Wages are flatter, the profits more evenly distributed. Company coffers aren't simply plundered for profit.
Answer: They wouldn't be.
Livelihoods being unreasonably at risk stems from insufficient labor regulation in a host of areas. Employers, irrespective of whether they're public, private, in competitive sectors or non-profit areas all have the same problems.
What regulation would you introduce that would permanently resolve the tension between the worker who needs to maintain a certain standard of living, and the owner(capitalist) who wants to maximize their profit? I personally don't think there is one. Unions are nice, but it doesn't go nearly far enough. The management and owners need to go, and let the workers run the business and reap the full benefit of their work. In my view, that's the only way to resolve that tension, is when the owners and the workers are the same.
In the US, at will employment and other employer rights for firing people willy-nilly have nothing to do with capitalism. It has to do with poor regulation, a flawed democracy and an electorate that collectively elects politicians with deficient values.
Actually it has everything to do with capitalism, it's the result of a power imbalance that gave the business owners(capitalists) the ability to write their own rules. People don't elect politicians, money does.
The root cause here is not the economic system.
Changing the economic system will not fix the core issue, or lack of labor rights for anyone.
Theoretically, changing the economic system, as in changing from Capitalism to Socialism or Communism, would presuppose a government in support of that economic system. Again, theoretically, a socialist government would ensure that there were no privately owned corporations, therefore ensuring every worker a voice in their own work. So yes, switching to another economic system would ideally bring labor rights with it.
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Comment on Google lays off hundreds of ‘Core’ employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico in ~tech
arrza (edited )Link ParentExactly right. Borders and passports are only a thing for the working class and the poor. The wealthy can always go wherever they please. I was thinking the other day about the whole Mexico border...Exactly right. Borders and passports are only a thing for the working class and the poor. The wealthy can always go wherever they please.
I was thinking the other day about the whole Mexico border discussion, an interesting twist one might add when discussing people who favor shutting down that southern border might be to point out that would prevent people in the US from leaving. Like when Ted Cruz went to Tijuana while his state was in a black out. I wonder what people might say when they can't go vacation in Baja or the Yucatan.
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Comment on Google lays off hundreds of ‘Core’ employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico in ~tech
arrza LinkRemember friends, this is why the struggle against capitalism is international. So long as the capitalist can exploit weak labor protections in another country, be that minimum wage laws, laws...Remember friends, this is why the struggle against capitalism is international. So long as the capitalist can exploit weak labor protections in another country, be that minimum wage laws, laws that protect working conditions, or even environmental laws effecting their mode of production, no job is safe.
Until capitalism is abolished globally, all of our livelihoods are at risk. The obvious first step is to fight it at home, but do not forget that is only the beginning.
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Comment on Climate policy is working – double down on what’s succeeding instead of despairing over what’s not in ~enviro
arrza Link ParentThank you for this comment! This is quite the contrast from the article which lays on the pessimism pretty thick. I don't know how anyone could read that article and come away with a good feeling....Thank you for this comment! This is quite the contrast from the article which lays on the pessimism pretty thick. I don't know how anyone could read that article and come away with a good feeling.
Good on you for getting active at the local level. I am going to get some thoughts together and write my state rep and senator.
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Comment on Climate policy is working – double down on what’s succeeding instead of despairing over what’s not in ~enviro
arrza Link ParentIn my neck of the woods, New England, I have started pushing back on people when it's January and 45f outside and they're saying how nice it is that its warmer out. I'll say its not right, you...In my neck of the woods, New England, I have started pushing back on people when it's January and 45f outside and they're saying how nice it is that its warmer out. I'll say its not right, you know? And most often I'm met with some quiet acknowledgement. It isn't right. Its terrible, not just what we've done to the planet. How badly we are totally fucking over future generations is an absolute travesty. But of course the majority of people only think about their own interests and can't see past their own noses. They don't want to think about hard problems. They want life to be easy. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
Winter is my favorite season and I've also been saying to people when talking about the lack of colder weather that humanity has been waging war on winter for the last 250 years. And lately we've been becoming more and more successful. It breaks my heart that in 20 years or so, New England snow sports may not even exist. Nobody here is even talking about it or doing a goddamn thing about it. Except oh wait, they built a shitty indoor ski area in New Jersey. Yea great job.
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Comment on Climate policy is working – double down on what’s succeeding instead of despairing over what’s not in ~enviro
arrza LinkJeez, despite the headline trying to set some kind of uplifting tone, its still pretty depressing. My takeaways were that we(average people) are still dependent on our ruling class to incentivize...Jeez, despite the headline trying to set some kind of uplifting tone, its still pretty depressing.
My takeaways were that we(average people) are still dependent on our ruling class to incentivize and enact large, sweeping changes, and they're still acting too slowly. Investment in clean energy, while rising, is still only at about one tenth of the level it needs to be. USA has become the worlds largest oil producer when everyone should be working towards reducing both oil production and consumption. OPEC is expanding, having added Brazil. This is not the direction we need to be heading.
The first world countries are locked into this zero sum game of not wanting to take the first big step to reduce emissions for fear of giving their enemies an advantage.
The article cites 8 small countries that are net zero carbon emissions, and that there is hope that they are setting an example that other countries will want to follow. I guarantee you that there is not one world leader that gives even the smallest hoot about Madagascar going carbon neutral. Furthermore, what carbon based infrastructure did they even have? Their emissions were probably negligible so going carbon neutral was easy for them.
1.5 c temp rise is out the window. The article says there is hope that we may be able to stop global warming before it hits 3. Humanity really needs to get out of its own way on this. Things are already headed for catastrophe and all we can muster is the bare minimum.
The only thing that gives me hope is someday prior generations will die off and people who actually have decent priorities can take over.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
arrza Link ParentMaybe my enthusiasm got the better of me there. The new album is great, but its not quite as good front to back as Cross.Maybe my enthusiasm got the better of me there. The new album is great, but its not quite as good front to back as Cross.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
arrza LinkI just started the new Justice album last night! I only got about halfway through before I needed to go to bed, but its awesome! These guys didnt skip a beat. This one is up there with Cross.I just started the new Justice album last night! I only got about halfway through before I needed to go to bed, but its awesome! These guys didnt skip a beat. This one is up there with Cross.
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Comment on How Vail Resorts sparked the great Northeast ski revolt in ~travel
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Comment on The real danger to civilisation isn't runaway AI it's runaway capitalism (2017) in ~misc
arrza Link ParentThe biggest reason that these countries who've attempted to do any significant reforms of, or banishment of capitalism have become dictatorial and impoverished is capitalist hegemony. Look at...The biggest reason that these countries who've attempted to do any significant reforms of, or banishment of capitalism have become dictatorial and impoverished is capitalist hegemony. Look at Cuba. They've been under embargo for decades for rejecting the capitalist paradigm.
I highly recommend you read The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. He details the fall of the Communist party in Indonesia at the hands of a CIA backed coup, as well as the spread of anti communist sentiment to South America, the rationale of the government in Washington in performing their coups in south and central America. That book holds the answer to your question.
There are alternatives to capitalism, but they are viewed as existential threats by American aligned interests, and therefore are to be put down and resisted by any means necessary. See also, the Vietnam war.
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Comment on Hungry sea otters play a role in coastline protection in ~enviro
arrza Link ParentI was just posting in the vein of your cheeky, vapid tldr. I actually watched a segment recently in some documentary about these otters in the PNW. I'm glad they're returning, and we can see...I was just posting in the vein of your cheeky, vapid tldr.
I actually watched a segment recently in some documentary about these otters in the PNW. I'm glad they're returning, and we can see they're having a measurable positive impact on their environment.
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Comment on Hungry sea otters play a role in coastline protection in ~enviro
arrza Link ParentIt's all relative. You could also say the simething similar regarding invasive species. Sure, armored catfish are destructive, and the balance that is struck once they are introduced is not...It's all relative. You could also say the simething similar regarding invasive species. Sure, armored catfish are destructive, and the balance that is struck once they are introduced is not desirable for its inhabitants or us, but it still is some kind of equilibrium.
We're talking about different time scales but it's the same concept.
With respect to sea otters, we can now point to their niche in that particular ecosystem. If there are too few of them, sea urchins dont have enough predation and the ocean flora is diminished. Once they start coming back, they prey on the abundant urchins and the kelp and other flora returns, restoring the balance.
Got it now, thanks! Will definitely check this out.