• mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    When the infomercial promises ā€œa fifty-dollar value!ā€ and delivers the two-dollar pan you paid thirty dollars for, you were still scammed. Belief in value is not value or proof of value. Not even if that belief persists. So long as itā€™s not obviously bullshitā€¦ you can remain satisfied.

    Itā€™s still bullshit.

    You, personally, endorse that bullshit. ā€œAbsolutely,ā€ no less. Corporations should be totally free to harass and manipulate people into saying yes. Thatā€™s how consent works in the bedroom, right? So long as you donā€™t technically make threats or tell lies, implication and misdirection are completely ethical. If existing laws donā€™t already ban something new - it must be fine.

    I reiterate: Jesus.

    We can, should, do, and must protect people from outright abuses theyā€™d otherwise gladly fall for. Civilization is a series of other people making decisions that limit you. If you want to buy an unsafe house, tough shit. If you want to advertise Russian roulette, tough shit. Knowing the risks is not a universal excuse for risk. Sometimes we just stop problems before they happen.

    On some level you recognize this, or else ā€˜regret for being misledā€™ wouldnā€™t be among your several suggested reasons for partial bans. Not even you can take the absolute stance seriously.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      When the infomercial promises ā€œa fifty-dollar value!ā€ and delivers the two-dollar pan you paid thirty dollars for, you were still scammed. Belief in value is not value or proof of value.

      I disagree. It would only be a scam if they normally sell for $10, then they jacked up the price to $50 just before the infomercial just so they could ā€œlowerā€ it to $30. But if the item is normally $50, it really doesnā€™t matter what it costs them to make, what matters is if the product performs as advertised.

      And no, I donā€™t endorse it, but merely accept it as a part of a free market.

      implication and misdirection are completely ethical

      Ethics and law are two completely different things. It may be ethical to steal from the rich and give to the poor, but that should also be illegal.

      That said, implication and misdirection can constitute a threat. When it comes to something like rape, there is an actual, tangible relationship to account for, as well as the idea of ā€œimplied consentā€ (lack of resistance), which is quite at odds in a market situation where the individual needs to take action to make a poor choice.

      IMO, you canā€™t really be a victim if you consented and took action in making a decision. Clicking ā€œbuyā€ is very different from not shouting ā€œnoā€ (and potentially running from the house).

      If you want to buy an unsafe house,

      Then that should be my right. However, I could see authorities preventing me from having children or unaware adults enter the house, because they did not consent to the risk and rightly expect houses they are welcomed into to be up to code.

      We should only step in, imo, if an innocent party is at risk. But if theyā€™re all consenting adults and thereā€™s little to no risk to innocent bystanders, I donā€™t think that interaction should be illegal.

      On some level you recognize this, or else ā€˜regret for being misledā€™ wouldnā€™t be among your several suggested reasons for partial bans.

      Itā€™s more to ensure proper consent. With MTX, for example, the buyer could be under the influence of some drug, and therefore not completely able to consent to that purchase. Or maybe a child got on the account and made the purchase. Or maybe the UX was so poorly designed (e.g. dark patterns) that they didnā€™t realize they were making a purchase. There are so many ways for someone to have not completely consented to a transaction that there should be some way out of it.

      However, if the individual fully consents and regrets it later, well, I guess thatā€™s a learning experience.

      The role of government here is to:

      1. protect children
      2. ensure clarity in the purchase agreement
      3. provide a way out if the purchaser did not fully consent

      Itā€™s not to prevent people from making stupid choices or to destroy business models ā€œweā€ feel are bad for society. It should be focused on ensuring consent between two parties.

      • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        ā€˜Iā€™m not condoning thisā€¦ it should be my right!ā€™

        Why bother discussing anything if people donā€™t listen to themselves?

        but merely accept it as a part of a free market.

        We invented ā€œthe free market.ā€ Itā€™s a system of protective restrictions - mostly, banning abusive bullshit, once itā€™s proven to work. Some options are not allowed to exist because they make everything terrible for everybody.

        You are actively defending that bullshit, tooth and nail. Splitting hairs about ethics versus law. Pretending money isnā€™t a real material concern. Defending unsafe construction? Fuck off, guy. Whatā€™s the point explaining systemic exploitation to someone who thinks fire codes are tyranny?

        People are getting tricked and robbed for billions of dollars, just trying to play some games, and every single discussion veers into batshit crazy nonsense. I shouldnā€™t have to defend law, as a concept, to condemn an industry-swallowing problem with no justification besides greed, when even the cranks getting on my case agree that itā€™s fucking garbage.

        You donā€™t use this. You donā€™t want this. You donā€™t benefit from this.

        When you care about people besides yourself, why is it the assholes with money, and not the millions of people theyā€™re subjecting to this manipulative crap?

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          We invented ā€œthe free marketā€

          No, the free market is what naturally exists without any government whatsoever. We add restrictions on top to make sure everyone is playing fair.

          We should only restrict options that are unfair, such as fraudulent transactions, anticompetitive behavior (e.g. monopolies), etc. Convincing someone to buy your thing isnā€™t unfair or fraudulent, so it should be allowed to happen imo.

          actively defending

          Thereā€™s a difference between defending something and refusing to attack it. Iā€™m not saying these are good practices, just that they shouldnā€™t be illegal.

          fire codes are tyranny

          When did I say that? I merely said I should be able to buy something that doesnā€™t pass code, not that the code shouldnā€™t exist.

          The vast majority of people wonā€™t buy something that doesnā€™t pass code, especially if it comes with a bunch of restrictions, like increased liability for any injuries due to not being at code. Building codes have a ton of value, but they donā€™t need to be proscriptive.

          I know I wouldnā€™t buy a house thatā€™s not up to code (and I passed on one with foundation issues), but that doesnā€™t mean it should be illegal. It should only be illegal to claim a house is up to code when it isnā€™t.

          When you care about people besides yourself

          I care about all people, especially the poor. What I donā€™t care for is restricting individual rights just because some people make stupid choices.

          There are plenty of people who genuinely like the MTX model. I think their shallow and vain, but that doesnā€™t mean I should take something they enjoy away because I donā€™t it, or because some people canā€™t handle it.

          Should we make alcohol illegal because alcoholics exist? I donā€™t like it, Iā€™ve seen plenty lives ruined by it, and the US felt strongly enough about it to pass a constitutional amendment banning it (and later reversed it).

          • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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            9 months ago

            the free market is what naturally exists without any government whatsoever.

            Hahaha, nooo. In the absence of restraint you get robbed and pound sand. The state-of-nature wild-west is never what yā€™all mean, when you fluff up ā€œthe free market.ā€ You mean a space where competition matters because people can trust theyā€™re making rational decisions on good information.

            Charging real money inside a video game is inherently irrational because all the information is made-up. Thereā€™s only one vendor and they control gravity. The environment is as arbitrary and fictional as any con-artistā€™s story. More ā€œtiger rockā€ than ā€œdeed to the Brooklyn Bridge,ā€ but still a complete fabrication that exists only to part you from your currency in exchange for approximately dick.

            Thereā€™s a difference between defending something and refusing to attack it.

            Declaring an absolute right to manipulate people is the first one.

            ā€œManufacturing consentā€ is not some unfortunate side effect, for you. You defend it by name. You describe it the way more sensible people describe religious freedom. How much more throat do you have, if thatā€™s not a full-throated endorsement?

            Here, Iā€™ll be more libertarian than you: why shouldnā€™t we let people get scammed? Fuck 'em. Theyā€™re adults, right? Itā€™s their money to lose. How can I be absolutely free to manufacture consent, if lying isnā€™t an option? Itā€™s an abrogation of my right to free speech. Lying is legal. Scams should be legal as well, because ethics shouldnā€™t dictate the law. They clicked Buy and itā€™s my money now and tough shit. Caveat emptor, bitches!

            Please tell me why you think thatā€™s wrong.

            When did I say [fire codes are tyranny]? I merely said I should be able to buy something that doesnā€™t pass code

            Do you read all this, or just type it?

            There are plenty of people who genuinely like the MTX model.

            And a bunch more who FUCKING HATE IT, but are subjected to it anyway, because hey guess what - other peopleā€™s decisions also affect you. What everyone else wants and does will always limit your choices. We have to ensure assholes and morons donā€™t ruin it for everyone else. Sometimes that means enforcing building safety, Jesus Hoobastank Christ, and sometimes that means recognizing a bullshit way to make money is illegitimate and unacceptable.

            ā€œJust sell video gamesā€ is not exactly an anticapitalist hellscape. We have to stop the abuse.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              state-of-nature wild west

              The ā€œWild Westā€ was quite tame (pretty good read imo), and was a lot safer at least from a murder perspective than major cities at the time. Even today, rural areas have lower crime rates.

              I think people are naturally moral toward one another, at least in smaller groups, and commit crimes when thereā€™s a level of abstraction (i.e. youā€™re not hurting your neighbor, but someone you donā€™t know). The reason we need strict rules and policing isnā€™t because people are naturally bad, but because population density creates more opportunity for crime, as well as desperation (poverty rates are lower in rural areas).

              My point with all this is that people are naturally good, itā€™s the system we create that enables bad actors to get into positions of power.

              Lying is legal

              Your right to lie stops when you make a contract with someone, such as when you sell something. Itā€™s one of those necessities as the market pool gets bigger and you canā€™t operate on trust anymore. I can say whatever I want to entice you to buy, but I cannot misrepresent what Iā€™m selling.

              Thereā€™s no fraud with a typical MTX, you get exactly whatā€™s it says. Whether that has value is up to the buyer.

              And libertarianism isnā€™t ā€œscrew you, got mine,ā€ itā€™s a set of principles that centers around non-aggression. I happen to be a somewhat left-leaning libertarian

              Do you read all this, or just type it?

              Both. Thereā€™s a difference between something being certified and something being legal. I can buy something thatā€™s not certified, I just donā€™t get the guarantees that come with certification.

              subjected to it anyway

              Nobody is forcing you to interact with a MTX model. I have never bought a MTX, and I actively avoid games that use it. There are a ton of great games out there, I donā€™t need to play the ones with a predatory profit model.

              Sometimes that means enforcing building safety

              Sure, and that absolutely makes sense for something like a commercial building. It doesnā€™t make sense for my personal residence. The first prevents injustices against the innocent, the latter just screws over the DIYer.

              ā€œJust sell video gamesā€ is not exactly an anticapitalist hellscape. We have to stop the abuse.

              I would be a bit more sympathetic if there werenā€™t other options to MTX, but the non-MTX model is extremely healthy, so I donā€™t see a case for restricting it when the market is ensuring alternatives exist.

              There are issues WRT kids and those with addiction problems, but we can ban the first and limit the second with less invasive policies.

              • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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                9 months ago

                My point with all this is that people are naturally good, itā€™s the system we create that enables bad actors to get into positions of power.

                The anarcho-pastoralist argument for unrestrained capitalism. Eugh. Thatā€™s worse than the joke about principles. Yeah keep going on about the evils of systems and power, as you argue these corporations have every right to manipulate money out of people.

                I cannot misrepresent what Iā€™m selling.

                Says who?

                ā€œThe free market is what naturally exists without any government whatsoever.ā€ It canā€™t be a crime if thereā€™s no government. I didnā€™t put a gun to anyoneā€™s head. The true free market says I can make up whatever I want, and itā€™s on them to evaluate whether Iā€™m full of shit.

                You cannot argue otherwise without acknowledging systemic issues require limitations. Thatā€™s exactly what youā€™re doing, when you say that as a society ā€œgets bigger,ā€ individuals need guarantees that theyā€™re not about to get fucked over.

                I would be a bit more sympathetic if there werenā€™t other options to MTX

                No you would not, if your principles existed. Youā€™d just frown along with this shrug.

                The existence of non-abusive options never excuses the abusive options. For exactly the same reason we donā€™t say, well, truthful advertisements abound, so just pick those - we donā€™t tell people to shop for houses that meet the fire code. They should all meet the goddamn fire code.

                • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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                  9 months ago

                  anarcho-pastoralist

                  When did I ever claim to be an anarchist? I explicitly explained how we need more rules the larger a society gets. Iā€™m not making the argument that we need no government, but that we should have a restrained government.

                  Look at all the nonsense weā€™re getting with opposition to police. Do you think thatā€™s a general opposition to rule of law, or perhaps itā€™s just opposition to unjust laws? (i.e. laws w/o victims, like marijuana possession)

                  So Iā€™m going to be very hesitant to create new laws where there is no clear victim. And I donā€™t believe convincing someone to buy something make them a victim.

                  And no, individuals donā€™t need guarantees that theyā€™re not going to get a bad deal, they need guarantees that theyā€™ll get what they expect to get in the transaction. Whether they can get a better deal somewhere else is completely irrelevant.

                  They should all

                  Should and must are very different things. Should is about morality, must is about law.

                  Games shouldnā€™t use MTX because thatā€™s a manipulative way to run a business. But provided theyā€™re not misrepresenting the product, I donā€™t see any reason to turn that into a legal ban. Iā€™ll never recommend a MTX-heavy game, and Iā€™ll avoid them at every turn, but I am unwilling to turn my preference into law because thatā€™s restricts othersā€™ rights. Many people like evergreen games, and MTX is the main way to fund that.

                  We can discuss requirements for games to make and advertise options to set purchase limits, but I will never support a bill to ban that type of game, unless thereā€™s some kind of monopolistic behavior thatā€™s preventing alternative monetization options in other games.

                  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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                    9 months ago

                    Of course you donā€™t support meaningful consumer protection laws. You donā€™t support fire codes. Stop typing another denial: you know goddamn well the point of them is that they must be followed, otherwise theyā€™re just fire suggestions. Fireā€¦ best practices. You can figure out which meaning of should I am using, as I tell you, there should be no fire-prone homes allowed!

                    People shouldnā€™t have to choose between something tolerable and something that will fuck them over. Sorry, Iā€™ll retype that to appease your latest hair-splitting: people must not be forced to choose between acceptable options - and becoming a victim.

                    Anyone buying an unsafe house is a victim, no matter how ardently they insist itā€™s fine. Itā€™s not. These laws are written in blood. Innocent strangers die when we let that shit happen. In large part because, hey guess what, markets only care about money. Optimize for money alone and you get places where no home is safe, but people still have to live, because itā€™s where they are. Scolding those people for wanting a home that wonā€™t burn down, but buying one that might, is blaming those victims.

                    You know this. These are the laws we require, in large societies. You chafe at the comparison of your arguments to anarchist arguments, albeit possibly because youā€™re unfamiliar with actual anarchist arguments.

                    And youā€™ll glibly suggest ā€œpurchase limits.ā€

                    Why?

                    What principled reason is there, if the right to manipulate people toward whatever youā€™re selling is absolute? You insist this business model of selling soccer goals is in no way a scam, so who cares if someone blows every paycheck on it? If you want to say itā€™s addiction, do we stop people from being alcoholics? Are you against substances that are almost unavoidably addictive, on a physiological level?

                    If this continues to spread, and becomes an effective monopoly - why do you suddenly care? Why is the point where it becomes a problem for you the point where itā€™s too late?