October 2012 – Underlore

PayPal joins StumbleUpon, eBay, Microsoft, and Steam in granting itself legal immunity.

So today in email I got the following… (Emphasis mine.)

Notice of Policy Updates
Dear (Me),
PayPal recently posted a new Policy Update which includes changes to the PayPal User Agreement. The update to the User Agreement is effective November 1, 2012 and contains several changes, including changes that affect how claims you and PayPal have against each other are resolved. You will, with limited exception, be required to submit claims you have against PayPal to binding and final arbitration, unless you opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate (Section 14.3) by December 1, 2012. Unless you opt out: (1) you will only be permitted to pursue claims against PayPal on an individual basis, not as a plaintiff or class member in any class or representative action or proceeding and (2) you will only be permitted to seek relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) on an individual basis.

You can view this Policy Update by logging in to your PayPal account. To log in to your account, go to https://www.paypal.com and enter your member log in information. Once you are logged in, look at the Notifications section on the top right side of the page for the latest Policy Updates. We encourage you to review the Policy Update to familiarize yourself with all of the changes that have been made.

If you need help logging in, go to our Help Center by clicking the Help link located in the upper right-hand corner of any PayPal page.

Sincerely,

PayPal

Well obviously no “opt out” link or button is provided, just this scavenger hunt. Which led me to this… (Emphasis mine.)

Opt-Out Procedure.

You can choose to reject this Agreement to Arbitrate (“opt out”) by mailing us a written opt-out notice (“Opt-Out Notice”). For new PayPal users, the Opt-Out Notice must be postmarked no later than 30 Days after the date you accept the User Agreement for the first time. If you are already a current PayPal user and previously accepted the User Agreement prior to the introduction of this Agreement to Arbitrate, the Opt-Out Notice must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2012. You must mail the Opt-Out Notice to PayPal, Inc., Attn: Litigation Department, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131.

The Opt-Out Notice must state that you do not agree to this Agreement to Arbitrate and must include your name, address, phone number, and the email address(es) used to log in to the PayPal account(s) to which the opt-out applies. You must sign the Opt-Out Notice for it to be effective. This procedure is the only way you can opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate. If you opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate, all other parts of the User Agreement, including all other provisions of Section 14 (Disputes with PayPal), will continue to apply. Opting out of this Agreement to Arbitrate has no effect on any previous, other, or future arbitration agreements that you may have with us.

So apparently the ACLU and EFF don’t care and class actions are slowly being annihilated rendering corporations even more immune to prosecution for crime of any sort.

Strongly considering law school.

P.S. Messaging them electronically of my desire to opt out. We’ll let the courts decide (should it come to that) if this “mail only” pig will fly. After all, if I can only opt out by mail then why was I able to sign up by clicking ok? That blade cuts both ways.

Islanders

“The poor have been rebels but they have never been anarchists. They have got more interest than anyone else in there being some decent government. The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn’t; he can go away to New Guinea on a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have objected to being governed at all. Aristocrats were always anarchists, as you can see from the barons’ wars.” ~G K Chesterton

Even though I think of myself as most closely aligned with libertarians, this comic is exactly what I’m talking about. The delusion of individual achievement is the core/definition of the Islander ethic.

The terms used to explore our sociological texture are routinely usurped by their opposition. A classic example is how democrats and republicans switched sides at some point during our history. Democrat used to mean conservative while republican meant progressive.

So I find myself having to invent terms just to describe the basic set elements in play when exploring the collective interaction of sociological forces.

This post is about one of those terms.

Without getting bogged down into a book length history lesson I’ll just say that encouraging individualism is a great way to divide and conquer in terms of manipulating a massive group of people. The modern era of this began with Reagan. Put simply it was discovered by demographers and public relations types and other volition engineers that masses of people obsessed with their own individuality end up falling into distinct and internally homogeneous groups. Systems of classifying and codifying these styles of thought vary but virtually everyone who studies this phenomenon agrees it exists.

The easiest way to paint the paradox this presents is by saying snowflakes are unique. True, but that uniqueness doesn’t protect them from a snow shovel. Simply being unique is insufficient if the degree of difference is so minor that you still end up being part of a homogeneous set. And here is where we arrive at the topic of this essay.

A marginally new style of person is being encouraged to exist. Placing this effort in the context of other efforts is beyond the scope of this essay. As is proving that this effort exists. The purpose of this essay is primarily to simply define them. To explain what I mean by “islander” and perhaps allow others to make use of this term.

Islander of course literally means inhabitant of an island, and as subjectively fun that is to play with since you can define island arbitrarily and make anyone or everyone literally an islander, I don’t mean it in the geographic sense, but in the metaphorical sense. The people who believe the exact opposite of the following.

“No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” ~John Donne

So when I say Islanders I mean those which believe themselves to be entirely singular, individual, unique, and isolated. Yet which in effect, word, and deed are very clearly a homogeneous group with only the most minor and superficial differences.

They typically engage in a very extreme example of responsibility diffusion, refusing to take even the raindrop’s portion of complicity in the flood. The consequences of their inactions for them completely don’t exist, though hypocritically they do exist for others so long as the other’s inaction is an action the islander takes. Employment for example, as if it were merely a matter of choice.

Islanders are control freaks of the highest order. They truly believe everything about the condition of their lives is a direct result of their conscious and willful actions. Or at least that’s the logical consequence of their espoused political views. They completely refuse to admit if not grasp the concept of non-scalable decisions.

They completely refuse to grasp the existence of the tragedy of the commons, taking on faith or deception the notion that if only all systemic constraints were lifted everything would be wonderful for them and their kind. They truly refuse to admit that sets of individually legitimate actions can none the less lead to illegitimate policy and consequences.

Update:

As one might expect from Matt Taibbi…

“Their whole belief system, which is really an endless effort at congratulating themselves for how hard they work compared to everyone else (by the way, the average “illegal,” as Rush calls them, does more real work in 24 hours than people like Rush and me do in a year), is inherently insulting to everyone outside the tent – and you can’t win votes when you’re calling people lazy, stoned moochers.”

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/hey-rush-limbaugh-starting-an-abortion-industry-wont-win-you-female-voters-20121108

Update:
Considering merging these documents. (Or maybe I should just say, see also.)

An argument in favor of the state.

One Possible Solution

Conditional compassion isn’t compassion.

Entitlement Revisited

Society, this is what you get.

http://mashable.com/2012/10/13/amanda-todd-bullying/

This has fuck all to do with “cyber bullying.”

This is what you get when you pack kids into schools.

This is what you get when you make teen girls (or super models sold as teen girls) into sex goddesses used to sell every idea and product.

This is what you get when you make it clear that children are property.

This is what you get when you make sex mysterious and paramount.

This is what you get when you encourage jealously and intentionally conflate ownership with association.

This is what you get when you let the state regulate religious ceremonies and precepts to the point of stigmatizing any alternative.

This is what you get when you treat children like slaves.

You get a girl who literally thinks people seeing her chest is the _end of her life._

You get mindlessly stress kids smelling blood in the water and pouncing on the weak with all the ferocity you’d expect in the only area of their lives where they have a shred of freedom.

You get exactly what you’d expect from a mob of children used to having their every action controlled and monitored to the point of total self control atrophy.

You get a culture so ruthlessly obsessed with child porn it literally goes insane any time it publicly encounters any.

*If you treat children like machines you’ll get broken, dead, children!*

99% of the people acting all outraged are causing this. You don’t have the spine to let kids vote, you don’t have the spine to let them be free, you don’t have the spine to share a goddamn thing, you don’t have the spine to tell the state “fuck you I’m keeping them home.” You don’t have the spine to stand up to the witch hunt and ask why is sex and nudity evil? You don’t have the spine to make hitting them illegal. You don’t have the spine to make children people. You don’t have the spine to do what bloody well needs doing! You don’t have the spine to ask yourself to what degree YOU are responsible for this personally.

Get back to work drone. Keep your fucking mouth shut. Pretend it’s some new thing. Pretend the answer is still less freedom for children. That’s the easy route. Pretend the answer is a more violent more medieval witch hunt.

And perhaps most importantly…

*Pretend like you’d give a shit if it was a fat Latino male.*

Americas favorite victim. The sexy (by virtue of being) underage white chick.

You ignorant shaved apes don’t actually give a shit about your own offspring, and were I like you I would say she deserved it and you deserved it. You don’t but since I know you’re all completely unwilling to even _consider_ the changes required to annihilate the source of such tragedy I’m utterly uninterested in your replies.

Ask yourselves how child porn laws contributed to this child’s death. None of you have the sand to ask the dangerous questions, the question that might put you on the wrong side of the standing witch hunt.

Fortunately, as usual technology will force you to face it like adults and then will obviate the problem. Technology is the only reason we even remotely appear to adapt ethically. Take away our technology and we’re still brutal chest thumping primates.

http://falkvinge.net/2012/09/07/three-reasons-child-porn-must-be-re-legalized-in-the-coming-decade/

Update:

Actually the answer is simple. The pedo witch hunt. Amanda Todd grants everyone the opportunity to stand up and scream for the benefit of everyone else “I hate pedos! I’m not a witch/commie/slur! Look how much I care about Amanda Todd! Obviously my care proves I couldn’t possibly, ever, under any circumstances, think a 17.5 year old girl is sexy!”

This story involves a sexy young white girl being naked. America loves death, it loves suffering, it loves humiliation, it loves to hate pedos, it loves a clear bad guy, it loves young hot white female victims, it loves being self righteous and sanctimonious especially with an audience, it loves radically simplifying complex problems, and it is absolutely obsessed with breasts. Amanda Todd’s story is virtually everything America loves.

The solution is simple, but not easy. #unschool

Jewish Confusion: One possible root of global animosity.

As most know, “Jew” can mean nationality, ethnicity, or religion.

I think this is a big, if not the biggest, part of why they are embroiled in conflict throughout their history. It linguistically makes bad thinking and speaking habits not only easier, but possibly unavoidable.

The inability to easily distinguish between the three categories is a veritable recipe for misunderstanding and confusion.

I think it’s also likely that some people get so used to conflating the terms that when thinking about themselves and their group in this interchangeable term that they start to see others in an equally homogeneous light.

Certainly they could more readily confuse attacks on (or defenses of) one category for attacks on another.

Imagine how confusing it would be, and how racist it would look, if every time I attacked Israeli policy I used the phrase “Jew policy.” Not only would that make me look racist, it would also make me look ignorant.

I think this causes all sorts of problems (throughout history) and if Jews themselves won’t clarify and specify, we as interested outsiders perhaps should endeavor to do so, even if they don’t adopt the language convention, just to keep our own thinking clear and to short circuit confusion and spurious (if sincere) accusations of racism.

As a simplified example of how this is could work, imagine you have two bronze age tribesmen talking about local affairs, and the non-Jew says to the Jew something critical of local Jewish (tribal) policy, but the Jew accidentally perceives it to be an attack on his race or religion, and becomes aggressive and (understandably) annoyed. The non-Jew not having intended offense perceives this as the Jew over reacting, perhaps spoiling for a fight, and comes to think of this person as aggressive, if not paranoid or delusional. Tensions then mount and conflict eventually erupts as the two return home and share different versions of the same event with equal sincerity.

Imagine this happening everywhere the Jewish guy goes. Imagine everywhere Jews feeling like everyone hates them as a result of it, while at the same time this recurring misunderstanding (caused ultimately by semantic confusion) creates the impression of a homogeneous behavior problem.

My solution is fairly simple, and if I am right anyone who adopts this technique will be more effective diplomatically in these contexts, via being able to address real issues as opposed to confusions and illusions.

I suggest we should come up with accurate and specific terms to distinguish the three classifications.

Along those lines (suggestions welcome) I’m curious about the following:

Is there a Hebrew/Aramaic word for a member of the Jewish faith? The goal here is something suitably reverential but also non-specific in terms of variants of the Jewish faith.

Is there a scientific term in demography or population genetics (anthropology maybe? etc) for members of the Jewish ethnicity? Again something appropriately respectful but not regionally specific.

We already know that “Israeli” accurately and inoffensively conveys “citizen of Israel” just like American means citizen of America without speculating or implying ethnicity or religion.

Once these terms are developed and a little self discipline is exercised in their use I think it would behoove everyone involved to get in the habit of using them because they would be more specific and accurate and thus less likely to inspire accusations of antisemitism.

Notes:
I’ve made a similar argument against use of the word Zionism because of this confusion, instead suggesting that more specific and accurate terms and phrases be used instead, such as “Israeli ultra-nationalism.” https://plus.google.com/115814334991654398665/posts/ieiufSUas6p

Real Personal Responsibility

A video you’re probably scared to watch and reshare.

Here is yet another response to the passive mass murderers who whine about personal responsibility and patriotism to excuse themselves from having to show any human responsibility or a shred of respect for basic human rights.These people fear the truth and call everyone else lazy because they are terrified of having to step up and think like an adult. They are raised under the lash and trained by the clock and the bell to the point of now finding comfort in slavery on the promise of one day in turn have and abuse their own slaves via children, outsourcing, and a “service” economy.

Could it be more aptly named? Service indeed.

The questions are, who serves, who is served, and at what price?

I thought as a child western humanity had outgrown the Pharaohs, the barons, and serfdom. I know now as an adult I was wrong.

I refuse to participate in ANY paid activity that contributes to wars of aggression. I refuse to be a war criminal.

That is Real “personal responsibility.”

How I define those activities is of infinite clarity and impeccable credibility:

In 1950, the Nuremberg Tribunal defined Crimes against Peace, in Principle VI, specifically Principle VI(a), submitted to the United Nations General Assembly, as:[10][11]
(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_aggression#The_Nuremberg_Principles

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