wiki-user: unruffled

Authoritarians, having argued so doggedly for the domination of a paternalistic state and having therefore turned themselves into ideological infants, then develop a hyper-reductive view of geopolitics; precisely the one, in fact, that a state would like for them to have. - DB

  • 21 Posts
  • 230 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
cake
Cake day: June 20th, 2023

help-circle

  • From the article:

    Mr. Wardle’s curiosity was piqued by recent news that Russian spies had used Kaspersky antivirus products to siphon classified documents off the home computer of an N.S.A. developer, and may have played a critical role in broader Russian intelligence gathering.

    From the “recent news” article mentioned above:

    Government officials, who would speak of the classified details of the case only on condition of anonymity, said that Mr. Pho took the classified documents home to help him rewrite his resume. But he had installed on his home computer antivirus software made by Kaspersky Lab, a top Russian software company, and Russian hackers are believed to have exploited the software to steal the documents, the officials said.

    Honestly, I agree, it’s a serious accusation against Kaspersky with very scant details and allegations made by off-the-record “officials”. Having said that, just because they didn’t present any compelling evidence doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. In the words of Carl Sagan, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” I’m not sure where that leaves us though lol. Honestly, I don’t trust Kaspersky with my data any less that with any of the other big antivirus companies. I guess it makes sense they would want antivirus software with CIA/NSA backdoors over alternatives though :p





  • It also varies by profession and/or position in some countries. Managers and “professionals” on higher salaries will often be paid monthly, whereas “ordinary” employees would usually get paid weekly or bi-weekly. Personally, I think it’s a tacit acknowledgement that it’s much harder to budget for a whole month on lower rates of pay.




  • Unruffled@lemmy.dbzer0.comtoLefty Memes@lemmy.dbzer0.comACAB.
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    4 days ago

    I completely agree with you on ACAB in capitalist countries, for the same reasons you mentioned, but cops in “actually existing socialist” countries like Russian and China are no better. They still use authoritarian violence to oppress anyone who steps out of line with the will of the State. There are many, many historic and more contemporary examples of socialist countries using the [secret] police and/or troops to quell dissent from unions, anarchists, and other leftist groups, because anyone who protests the actions of the State, no matter how legitimately, is considered to be an enemy of the State, whether that State is capitalist or not.



  • I don’t know what to tell ya, I don’t find the word that rhymes with “hanky” offensive at all, especially when it’s applied to someone who seems to fit the bill. I think the main difference between MLs and liberals is that liberals are well aware their governments are flawed and are willing and able to criticize them and protest against bad policies, whereas the MLs are dedicated to the idea that it’s wrong to criticize non-Western governments, because “left unity”, “critical support” etc. This, despite the fact (or maybe because of it) that most of the governments they defend are totalitarian states where government criticism lands you in jail, in a re-education camp, or falling out of a window. This quote sums it up nicely:

    Authoritarians, having argued so doggedly for the domination of a paternalistic state and having therefore turned themselves into ideological infants, then develop a hyper-reductive view of geopolitics; precisely the one, in fact, that a state would like for them to have. “Socialism” becomes pathologically confused with “opposing capitalist nations” or more appropriately, “opposing all states aligned with the United States.” They attempt to simplify the struggles of the entire planet down into two camps, the “bad guy imperialist states” and the “good guy anti-imperialist states.” In doing so, worker emancipation is simplified into a single question: “do you support the imperialists or the anti-imperialists?” Woe be to those who do not submit to their reductive understanding. The statists who advocate this position are completely incapable of even understanding what an “anti-imperialist” entity might look like. They, in fact, simply support one imperialist bloc over the other in a battle of two power-hoarders.

    Daniel Baryon







  • Omg poor publishers not able to make a 2000% markup on their textbooks as per usual - think about the CEOs’ bonuses guys!

    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⡶⠛⠛⢦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⠋⠀⠀⠀⠈⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⠴⠞⠛⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠛⠒⠾⢤⣀⠀⣀⣠⣤⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⣠⡶⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⢭⡀⠀⠈⣷⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⡴⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢦⢀⡟⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⣾⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⡅⠀⠀⠀
    ⢸⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⣄⣀⠀
    ⣾⠀⠀⣠⣤⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣤⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⡇⠉⣷
    ⣿⠀⠰⣿⣿⣿⡗⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣧⡴⠋
    ⣿⠀⠀⢸⠛⢫⠀⠀⢠⠴⠒⠲⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⡝⠛⢡⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⡏⠀⠀
    ⢸⡄⠀⢸⡀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡼⣄⠀⠀
    ⠀⢳⡄⠀⡇⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡼⠁⢸⡇⠀
    ⠀⠀⠙⢦⣷⡈⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠈⡇⠀⣀⡴⠟⠒⠚⠋⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠾⢤⣤⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣈⣇⡤⣷⠚⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⠇⠀⠩⣉⠉⠉⠉⣩⠍⠁⠀⢷⣟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡟⠐⠦⠤⠼⠂⠀⠸⠥⠤⠔⠂⠘⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣧⡟⠳⠒⡄⠀⠀⠀⡔⠲⠚⣧⣀⣿⠿⠷⣶⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠻⣄⢀⠀⠀⡗⠀⠀⠀⡇⠄⢠⠀⣼⠟⠀⢀⣨⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢶⠬⠴⢧⣤⣤⣤⣽⣬⡥⠞⠛⠛⠋⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀