Wonder if we will look at this like climate change that the oil companies knew about decades ago.
Everyone knew about this decades ago. It was even taught in schools as just basic facts and science before it became political.
Re:Billionaires Build
by buzzerbetrayed on Friday December 04, 2020 @04:58PM
(#25308707)
Could I get your source for this? I've never heard that climate change was taught in public school decades ago.
We were taught about climate change in the first grade in the early 80's with some fairly graphic imagery (think gas masks and deserts). More of the focus was on ozone depletion and acid rain. I don't remember any of it being political or controversial until I was in high school in the 90's.
I was taught about greenhouse gasses in 6th grade science. (In the 1980's)
I think "this" in this context refers to profiting off externalities.
I remember first learning about it in elementary school in ~1997.
Re:Billionaires Build
by coward8675309 on Friday December 04, 2020 @03:53PM
(#25307776)
Airbnb is a great example: While I love the company's product — I've stayed at Airbnbs dozens of times — the company does generate negative externalities, and the company has done what I'd consider shady things (mostly astroturfing and other aggressive PR moves) to get itself past the profitability finish line. Once we get back to the world, I'll surely use Airbnb again, but I have a nuanced attitude about the the pros and cons of the company's offerings, both as a stayer and a citizen.
What PG doesn't address (which isn't his goal, so no dig intended) is a bigger issue than the immortal souls of founders and billionaires: Bad things happen just as often as a result of good people with good intentions as they do from the diabolical acts of sociopaths. That truth is equally under-appreciated by both American progressives and the well-meaning people who help create big problems even as they create joy for billions.
Again, Airbnb is probably the best example: users who book stays and users who rent out rooms/homes may love the service, but other people who live in those neighborhoods or buildings may not. Airbnb overrides those objections by exploiting a few issues: ambiguities in local laws; inadequate enforcement agencies who cannot handle the number of listings in their area; the inability of local residents to sufficiently organize and force their local governments to prioritize enforcement, etc...