Kirn makes a HUGE and NEW and SALIENT point, around 15 minutes into the weekly discussion with Taibbi.
Paraphrasing: I don’t know how the people who profit from the internet expect it to keep going when it has become nothing but a giant elephant trap. Every time you write a word, you are placing yourself in serious jeopardy of actual arrest or personal destruction. There’s very little benefit.
I haven’t heard anyone express the risk-benefit aspect before. Batya and others have been showing how the pain side benefits the owners. ‘Engagement’ is profitable. But the peasants are finally figuring out that WE are not gaining from the pain, so WE are starting to move away from the pain.
On one side: The net was ALWAYS meant to be a spy network. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. NSA designed it to spy on everyone. Sole purpose.
BUT: In those years NSA was more like classic spies, focusing on input instead of output. A good spy, like a good sensor, remains invisible and inaudible, and doesn’t suck a noticeable amount of energy from his sources. He certainly doesn’t start a riot or implement a worldwide NAZI TORTURE CAMP to kill his source. The best spies actually sacrificed the opportunity to fight a battle because the battle would tell the enemy who the informer was.
The only solution: A good dissident also tries to be relatively invisible. When you’re the mouse, you must understand that the cat is always waiting to pounce. You have to survive. That’s all. Your death or imprisonment will NOT inspire anyone. It will become a weapon to destroy your truth.
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Contra: There’s a currently entertaining exception to both sides of this pattern. The economic police are smart spies. They are gradually breaking up the bitcoin syndicate by patiently watching and waiting, gathering data, and pouncing when they have a solid case. Bankman-Fried is a stupid dissident. He continues to pour out useful info through every available channel, making it wonderfully easy for the cops to arrest all of his connections. The cops are very slowly narrowing down the channels to stir up Sammy’s stupid rebellion so he will self-incriminate even faster through the remaining channels. Like pinching the garden hose to speed the flow.
Polistra's Mill 