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215 points LaSombra | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.227s | source
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spaced-out ◴[] No.23080465[source]
We technologists like to pretend we're powerful, that we could bring these giant megacorps to their knees because those fancy suits need us, right?

No. They need an engineer, not any one specific engineer. Companies like Amazon reject many candidates that could probably do the job they applied for, but were rejected because they can afford to be picky. If anything changes at Amazon it not be because of the loss of that guy's engineering skills.

What would actually make the world a better place is if we recognized that we're really just well paid technicians, and that the true power in society is held by a relatively small number of people who hold a massive amount of capital. We need to give up the fantasy that we can change things with individual action, and start looking towards collective, society-level solutions to the problems today.

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tarkin2 ◴[] No.23081523[source]
When you help a dubious firm progress, you further that dubious behaviour.

Techies, and everyone else, included.

Edit, re the enlightening discussion below:

You are complicit in your employer’s behaviour, more-so if you are reasonably able to find another job, but decide against it.

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stjohnswarts ◴[] No.23083484[source]
The problem is you are a cog, and most likely no better than your replacement cog, so other than your own moral high ground you aren't accomplishing anything. Personally I won't work somewhere that I find goes against my values. However I don't picture myself as the next MLK either.
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1. tarkin2 ◴[] No.23086470[source]
You accomplish a small thing, but a socially valuable thing.

You communicate that you do not approve of the behaviour and will not help. By staying, you accomplish the opposite.

It's a small voice. But a society valuable voice. Society is a number of small voices.

The reason MLKs need to exist is because fewer people raise their voice.