From: "snow" <snow@smoke.suba.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 12:26:35 +0800
To: kent@songbird.com (Kent Crispin)
Subject: Re: Socio-Economic Cults (Re: Cypherpunk Cults)
In-Reply-To: <19970829013540.13855@bywater.songbird.com>
Message-ID: <199709110414.XAA00563@smoke.suba.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> On Thu, Aug 28, 1997 at 06:17:09PM -0500, snow wrote:
> [...]
> > 	There is also a clear difference between shooting a guy carrying 
> > your stereo out of the house, and a guy who probably carried a stereo out 
> > of the house. 
> Anyone can construct scenarios where the distinction is as fuzzy as
> you please -- eg -- your best friend is getting you a new stereo for
> your birthday, and is arranging a surprise. 

	Yeah, and most people are pretty good at figuring these things out.
If you saw your best friend carrying your stereo out of your house, you'd
wonder why, but you wouldn't shoot him. 

> Ambiguous situations are a ubiquitous feature of reality.  You may 
> think in black in white, but the world is not only many shades of 
> gray -- it's a parade of color.

	Nope. Black and white. White is _all_ colors. Black is none. Any
grey you see is a failure of resolution. 

> The fundamental problem is that people are different, and have

s/different/stupid/g.

> different moral values.  Some people think that murder is wrong under

	Anyone who could think clearly would say that _murder_ is wrong. 

	Distingushing murder from killing is the problem. 

> any circumstances.  Others think it is all right to kill in
> "self-defense" (whatever that means).  Some people think it is

	It means you wack the other fucker before he wacks you. It means 
you prevent damage to yourself, people you care about, and the shit that 
belongs to you and them. 

> > 	Well, the current system stinks, but enough people are buffalo'd into
> > thinking that it works, so it is doubtful that it will get better.
> People are not "buffalo'd" -- they are happy with a system that gives 
> them a good life.  Therefore, it has to get worse before it gets 
> better.  

	Crap. If anyone is happy with this system, they are either on the
top, or not paying attention. 

> > If on the 
> > otherhand the system ceased to exist, maybe it could be improved.
> Ah yes -- libertopia.

	We're fucked as it is. It wouldn't be much worse.