in the end, cultural relativism is a poor excuse for bad behavior

[threeplusfire]

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.

Comments

[meallanmouse.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I had a long reply to this since, since you posted this right after the links went up in my LJ.

Instead, I'll just say this. Using underhanded and drama-mongering methods - aka, doctoring a translation to make it sound worse than it is - is reprehensible as well. Furthermore, it undermines any credibility the people using those methods have, in my eyes, making them no better than those they are pointing the finger at.

On the other hand, anyone giving a sane, responsible translation with well balanced condemnation, I can respect. I'll note that none of the translations or posts I linked to excused the behavior of SUP in any way. But at least they were fair, in context and that's why I'll take these into consideration, whereas any drama mongering "OMG, SUP EATS BABIES FOR LUNCH!" is going to leave me entirely disinterested as a rule.

[octos.livejournal.com]

So when does the mass exodus to our own domains and hosted space begin? I've had mine for quite a while and Wordpress was a one-button install. No one can touch me.

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.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

I don't see it as a cultural rift. There are plenty of companies in the US who act/think the same way on a daily basis. Sure maybe they pretty up their faces and speeches but the underlying beast is the same. Cox, Verizon, I've had the same treatment from them. As I said in my earlier comment it's sad behavior , but not unexpected.

The thing I don't understand is that they altered a list of popular interests - but people are treating it as if they went on a cull taking out accounts and deleting journals based on the keywords. I understand that it's a slippery slope and that one could very easily lead to the other if not checked , but it doesn't do good for the people who are protesting to make it into something it isin't.

Let me be clear ... I don't think that what they did was right, nor do I approve of their atittude towards the customers now or in the past - but I don't want the protest to be ignored or disregarded because it's off the mark. If altering the list of favorites was the frist step towards removing the communities and throwing people out , then they have a pretty clear message as to what will happen if they go down that road. Hell if they start deleting journals and communities based on keywords like depression , fanfic, or gender identity I will be the first person to close my account and move on to other pastures. The protest has to happen, and they need to hear a clear concise voice of the customers against the things they have done, not against the things they might do or that someone said that someone told another person that read about it in a blog that it could happen someday. That's the kind of thing that makes the business people laugh and ignore the customer.

Really, this just makes me want to pick up the replacement LJ project where I left it last summer. I had the code working for the most part, but it was rickety at best. Hmmm maybe next weekend :)

[alteredhistory.livejournal.com]

> When you do international business, one has to learn how to
> play in more than one sandbox.

Never forget that some people believe there is another option:
Crush the world until it fits into your current sandbox.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I've spent most of the day scouring LJ for links and seeing what people say, so your links were welcome additions to my reading. Add to that, I dragged out my Russian grammar book and used my woefully rusty language skills as well as consulting a friend through email about it - I don't really see how anyone is "doctoring" a translation. Phrasing, vernacular, common evolving usage can all lead to some differences of wording. Granted, my feeble translation attempts are better than Babelfish but not as good as a professional's work or a native speaker.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I have opened a couple other blogging accounts. It just breaks my heart, after being here so long.

on a lighter note

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

What if we post "OMG SUP HAS A SEKRIT MURLOC ARMY!!" instead? :P

Or frogs maybe. Deadly, deadly frogs.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

We saw LJ deleting journals last year based on interests.

The overall trend in management from Six Apart to SUP has been depressing at best.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should turn on the hose and flood the sandbox instead...

[delchi.livejournal.com]

YEah , my understanding was that those removals were like neo nazi propaganda/videos & and such of the like - not someones fiction story. I'll have to dig some more.

Do agree on teh depressing.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

But what about the little makers? :)

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

And the large numbers of fandom journals deleted last year? The whole accusation that fandom was a group of child pornographers? I know I didn't just imagine that.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

I never said ( or implied ) that you imagined anything. In fact, I didn't know aobut that event. Like i said, I'll have to dig some more. Tell me more about it ( offline in email if need be ).

[grapefruitgirl.livejournal.com]

well said!

Re: on a lighter note

[meallanmouse.livejournal.com]

HA! You win!

[abbismom.livejournal.com]

I totally love my LJ community but am continually sad about this ballooning problem of the Big Brother Company who has Overtaken Us. Is nothing goddamned sacred?!

[abbismom.livejournal.com]

well said.