I don’t get why people carry this neoliberal obsession with individual atomization into non-liberal ideologies. I’m not going to assume the commenter is a liberal; I’m going to assume that they have strong convictions against the capitalist ownership of art. That’s a sentiment I agree with. But you don’t dismantle systems through individual action. It’s like that NYT columnist that thought she alone could dismantle racialized educational outcomes by sending her daughter to a poor school. No wonder her daughter couldn’t read until 4th grade, or do long division until 9th. Or this fash prick I work with who is in 6-figure debt to a hospital because he “thinks health insurance is a scam” and didn’t get any. It’s funny in his case, but also, like bro what are you doing?
Or boycotts, Jesus Christ. People I agree with won’t shop at target because it pulled pride merchandise, and I’m like, did you tell target that? Because the point of a boycott isn’t that you don’t shop there, its that you have an organized resistance against a store. BDS wasn’t effective because some people independently decided to not buy Israeli goods, it was effective because it had militant media presence to advocate and pressure people not just out of buying Israeli goods but into discussing the ethics of even accepting Israel as a state. It was so effective that multiple governments had to pass legislation banning institutionally boycotting Israeli goods, so-called anti-bds laws. If you want to boycott Starbucks then be my guest, but unless you’re also out there with a picket or donating to people who are, you’re just missing out on some (ass) coffee.
I get what you’re saying and mostly agree but not quite as strongly as you see it.
For at least the comment I responded to, pirating everything without nuance doesn’t make sense. If no game creators make any money, there won’t be game creators. Companies like EA, Gearbox, Rockstar, etc that have shown shitty business practices to their employees and customers, yea, fuck em. Smaller studios that aren’t wrapped up in controversy and need to sell products to survive aren’t the same.
For the other things you mentioned, like Target and Starbucks, I agree that the messaging needs to be strong and concerted to truly be effective. However, I don’t think those examples are the best because I do think there’s been a strong message and it has been at least semi effective. Starbucks is frequently in the news and target has had a notable drop in business that the CEO has acknowledged. Idk what the long term effects of these boycotts will be, but they’re not nothing. For me, I do it mostly for my own moral obligations rather than as a large protest. I don’t drink Starbucks short of it being the only coffee shop open sometimes in an airport, so that one’s easy. I don’t go to Target for their dei rollback initiative. I can also say that of the mega stores out there that Target is one of the better options compared to say Amazon and Walmart. I’ve mostly just reduced my shopping and found alternatives that work for me.
I do what’s right for me, and if the topic arises, I will share my views with others that may or may not sway their opinions. I don’t stay silent of the issues, but they’re not so significant to me that they prioritize my time away from other matters.
I don’t get why people carry this neoliberal obsession with individual atomization into non-liberal ideologies. I’m not going to assume the commenter is a liberal; I’m going to assume that they have strong convictions against the capitalist ownership of art. That’s a sentiment I agree with. But you don’t dismantle systems through individual action. It’s like that NYT columnist that thought she alone could dismantle racialized educational outcomes by sending her daughter to a poor school. No wonder her daughter couldn’t read until 4th grade, or do long division until 9th. Or this fash prick I work with who is in 6-figure debt to a hospital because he “thinks health insurance is a scam” and didn’t get any. It’s funny in his case, but also, like bro what are you doing?
Or boycotts, Jesus Christ. People I agree with won’t shop at target because it pulled pride merchandise, and I’m like, did you tell target that? Because the point of a boycott isn’t that you don’t shop there, its that you have an organized resistance against a store. BDS wasn’t effective because some people independently decided to not buy Israeli goods, it was effective because it had militant media presence to advocate and pressure people not just out of buying Israeli goods but into discussing the ethics of even accepting Israel as a state. It was so effective that multiple governments had to pass legislation banning institutionally boycotting Israeli goods, so-called anti-bds laws. If you want to boycott Starbucks then be my guest, but unless you’re also out there with a picket or donating to people who are, you’re just missing out on some (ass) coffee.
I get what you’re saying and mostly agree but not quite as strongly as you see it.
For at least the comment I responded to, pirating everything without nuance doesn’t make sense. If no game creators make any money, there won’t be game creators. Companies like EA, Gearbox, Rockstar, etc that have shown shitty business practices to their employees and customers, yea, fuck em. Smaller studios that aren’t wrapped up in controversy and need to sell products to survive aren’t the same.
For the other things you mentioned, like Target and Starbucks, I agree that the messaging needs to be strong and concerted to truly be effective. However, I don’t think those examples are the best because I do think there’s been a strong message and it has been at least semi effective. Starbucks is frequently in the news and target has had a notable drop in business that the CEO has acknowledged. Idk what the long term effects of these boycotts will be, but they’re not nothing. For me, I do it mostly for my own moral obligations rather than as a large protest. I don’t drink Starbucks short of it being the only coffee shop open sometimes in an airport, so that one’s easy. I don’t go to Target for their dei rollback initiative. I can also say that of the mega stores out there that Target is one of the better options compared to say Amazon and Walmart. I’ve mostly just reduced my shopping and found alternatives that work for me.
I do what’s right for me, and if the topic arises, I will share my views with others that may or may not sway their opinions. I don’t stay silent of the issues, but they’re not so significant to me that they prioritize my time away from other matters.