three (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
threeplusfire) wrote2008-03-19 03:03 pm
threeplusfire) wrote2008-03-19 03:03 pm
in the end, cultural relativism is a poor excuse for bad behavior
I've seen numerous translations today of the Russian interview with Anton Nosik. I've also seen numerous posts excusing is comments on some spectrum of cultural relativism. Hey, it's okay to treat your customers poorly because in Soviet Russia there were no choices! We are about 15 years too late for that sort of bullshit. I can completely understand that business practices in Moscow are different from business practices in Dallas. That's normal. But what I don't understand is why we should give people a pass for boorish, idiotic behavior and claim it is a cultural difference. Would those same people cut Dallas businessmen the same slack if they went to Russia? No, they would demand that the businessmen learn to work with local culture! I've read every translation I've seen of Nosik's interview and compared them to my own notes - in every one he says the same thing. That's he not interested in what his customers have to say, and if they don't like it they can leave.
This is not just about advertising, revenues and free accounts. I am a permanent account holder and I've continued to spend money on LJ during over more than seven years here. This is about whether or not Livejournal is a place where fandoms, people with depression, and people of all sexual identities can have space and communities. If we aren't wanted here, then it is time for management to say "Right - no more queers or depressives or fanfic writer, get out before we throw you out." The ongoing, underhanded attempts to pretend that LJ's userbase does not have a significant population of these groups is what I find reprehensible. (In case you missed it all the first go round, this post has hilarious brief recaps of all the drama.)
When you do international business, one has to learn how to play in more than one sandbox.
This is not just about advertising, revenues and free accounts. I am a permanent account holder and I've continued to spend money on LJ during over more than seven years here. This is about whether or not Livejournal is a place where fandoms, people with depression, and people of all sexual identities can have space and communities. If we aren't wanted here, then it is time for management to say "Right - no more queers or depressives or fanfic writer, get out before we throw you out." The ongoing, underhanded attempts to pretend that LJ's userbase does not have a significant population of these groups is what I find reprehensible. (In case you missed it all the first go round, this post has hilarious brief recaps of all the drama.)
When you do international business, one has to learn how to play in more than one sandbox.
no subject
Until someone sends a C&D to my provider or my ISP starts filtering traffic. That already happens. I suppose my government could also read my email and other packets. That's happened in the good old USA. And country-wide filtering isn't just for oppressive regimes any more. Australia has been talking about doing it too.
I guess my point is that the current LJ drama is nothing if you look at trends on the world stage. So far we're free to run our own sites (cost is about the same per year as LJ). If you don't want to roll your own, technology will route around the damage until those that control the routes take notice and lock it down. Once that happens, hope you have enough guns.
no subject