Far too many HN “Japan understanders” receive all their opinions about Japan from US activists who get paid to write hate pieces about Japanese culture.
Just look at this thread. Yakuza? Taking umbrellas = go to jail? These people are morons. Worse, they think they are informed.
Maybe the BoJ didn’t burn enough money on US bonds this week or something. I can never understand the timing of these things or who is funding them.
Absolutely hilarious if you have any knowledge of Japan. Your umbrella is the one thing that is absolutely not safe if you leave it unattended. Japanese will joke about this.
This really calls the whole article into question.
It comes from a cursory understanding of the world outside of western countries. People watch a few videos on youtube about other countries, or visit on vacation for a week, and assume they understand the mentality of people who live there. It's hubris. Then they apply western moralities to other cultures, implicitly assuming their own western ideals are superior.
For example, pretty much everything kulahan wrote about Japan in the grandparent comment is completely made up. Good narrative, emotionally aligned, feels true, stated with complete confidence, but absolutely fictitious.
It's not clear that this would be a legal workaround. Even texting in rare languages, like those in Egyptian hieroglyphs, or perhaps Klingon, might warrant a knock on your door.
Hacking in its original sense is not about rule breaking (except maybe implied rules). It’s about finding ways around limitations. This could be finding unusual routes through a campus, as when the term was invented, or altering software to work the way you wanted it to. Often the only limits to using a tool the way you want to use it are in your mind.
Hacking was distinct from phreaking (illegal use of the phone system/theft of services) and cracking (breaking copy protection). It’s only later that people started using “hacking” to be synonymous with these terms as well as attacking systems, stealing passwords, etc.
“Hacking” in its original sense is a good thing. It’s applied creativity, nothing wrong with that.
I think that maybe you understand this because you refer to hacking as breaking norms. The thing is, uncodified norms in a society are often tools of the powerful. “You violated the norm!” while the norm is flexible is a great way to shut down any and all competition. Especially when wielded by those with the resources to shape the media.
Because of this, norms that aren’t codified will eventually be broken in a complex society. They don’t have to be codified by law, many norms in Japan for instance are defined by what it is to “be Japanese”. (But they are an ethnically homogenous society, so they are able to pull this off.) Hackers are just ahead of the curve.
The traditional use of 'hack' was meant to imply 'half baked' or 'not good' and often used as an insult 'that guy is a hack' etc.
'Hack' as in 'tinkering and improvisation' is relatively new - and it came about at roughly the same time as the 'Phreak' version of 'hack'.
Yes - of course norms can simply benefit those with power, I hinted at that, but on the other end:
"Hackers are just ahead of the curve"
... if the dissolution of society is 'ahead of the curve' ...
For every rule that is broken, probably 95 times out of 100, it as broken for selfish or irresponsible or self aggrandizing reasons.
'Little Egos' are just as capable of acting callously as 'Powerful Egos' and usually without any self awareness.
But yes - even in the moments were 'norms should probably be broken' - the 'new norms' can only possibly come about from the 5% which are creating positive new norms, and there underlies the 'Venture Capital' motivation and relationship to 'Hacking'.
And that's exactly the essence of the fallacy of the libertarian creed -the churlish assumption that 'rules are the arbitrary imposition of those with power' and that somehow breaking them is more likely good than not, and that one should aspire to be 'ahead of the curve'.
The only way out of that trap is a consistent application of a 'moral concern'. Obviously, we can argue about what 'moral' is forever, but at very minimum it's a consideration of the 'greater good', which is fundamentally at odds with the egoism at the root of 'breaking the limitations' which are seen to be constraining the desires of a given ego.
> the libertarian creed -the churlish assumption that 'rules are the arbitrary imposition of those with power' and that somehow breaking them is more likely good than not
This is certainly churlish, but it's not at all "the libertarian creed". People who break rules just for the sake of breaking them aren't libertarians, they're idiots. I agree there are lots of those around, and that many, if not most, people who crow about "breaking rules" are doing it for selfish or irresponsible or self-aggrandizing reasons. But those people aren't libertarians.
The libertarian creed is that there are different kinds of rules, and you treat them in different ways. And one key part of that is precisely the "moral concern" that you talk about. Libertarianism includes the non-aggression principle: don't violate other people's rights. (Some, including me, would say that's a bedrock tenet of libertarianism.) If breaking a rule would do that, you don't break the rule. And indeed lots of the rules we have in place in our society are there for that very reason--because breaking them would mean violating someone's rights. That doesn't just include obvious cases like the laws against things like murder. It includes rules about fiduciary responsibility when you're taking care of other people's money (someone mentioned Paypal upthread). And it includes norms that aren't codified into rules, like "don't take your users' data without their consent or even knowledge, and then sell it for profit". Doing it at scale to billions of people, as tech giants do, doesn't change that, and "libertarian creed" isn't a get out of jail free card.
You said it better than I would have. GP has a misunderstanding of libertarianism and perhaps of the concept of liberty.
Libertarians (small-l libertarians, colloquially) don’t break norms “just because”, they do it only in specific circumstances based on a calculus. Everyone’s calculus is different, but the usual reasoning would focus on possible infringement of others’ rights when breaking the norm and the seeming validity/grounding of the norm. And perhaps the risk tolerance of the individual and likely consequences.
GP seems to be taking about anarchists (and a particular species of anarchist at that). There is indeed some overlap but libertarians are not allergic to norms. “Rights” themselves are a norm.
"don’t break norms “just because”, they do it only in specific circumstances based on a calculus."
No - I didn't suggest 'just because', and Libertarians reject norms not 'on a specific basis' - they reject the nature of the limiting impetus on their expression.
Norms are by by default bad and can only be justified in a narrow sense.
Critically, there is no moral impetus but the expression of one self. There is no 'greater good', 'community good', or even 'greater morality' beyond selfish desire.
Rules and norms are only seen through that lens.
Yes - 'rights' can be viewed as norms under most libertarian thought but only to the extent it supposedly protects individual will.
These ideas are useful tool, especially when concerned with materially oppressive systems (such as those Ayn Rand lived through in Soviet Union) but morally and practically bereft or at least lacking outside of more authoritarian systems.
Is hardly an example of what you're describing. She explicitly supported property rights and the non-aggression principle.
It's interesting, though, that she refused to identify herself as a libertarian because she saw those who did as anarchists. So she apparently had the same kind of misconception about libertarianism that you do.
Not to mention that objectivism and libertarianism are not synonymous. “Libertarian” isn’t even a great label considering that it lumps in everyone from Hoppeans (“libertarian” fascists) to Georgist UBI proponents to minarchists to Tea Partiers to Glenn Greenwald. You’re not going to find a lot of common ground across those demographics except for a desire to maximize some definition of individual liberty, in a general sense, and a shared distaste for government intervention.
"People who break rules just for the sake of breaking them aren't libertarians, they're idiots. "
-> they're not breaking them 'to break them' - they're breaking them because the rule doesn't serve their immediate purpose.
Like 'talking loud on a train'.
People who do that are not doing so 'just for spite' (sometimes) but rather, the social constraint is too much for them in the moment.
They are putting themselves 'above the (social) law'.
Most of the time, people lack the self awareness and are oblivious to their own actions in this regard especially under the veil of an ideology.
In the more ideological sense, Libertarians are often opposed to 'regulations' on the grounds that it 'limits their choice' etc. but those 'choices' have external effects on those around them.
The Ego is the greatest deluder and it's why self awareness is so hard.
I believe this is the 'root' of what the author is getting at. The Egoic aspiration towards supposed 'freedom' is often an ideological guise for trampling on others and just the pursuit of raw, unhindered selfish desire.
But 'without awareness'. Or worse - 'suppressed awareness'.
That's the key factor here: the 'lack of self awareness' and the deep motivation for people to put themselves before others - that drives this.
You see it all the time in callous Executive statements - it's why they seem so 'detached' - in their minds they are not acting 'badly' or 'immorally' - they're just doing what's good for them (often under the guise of 'shareholder' ideology, which is rooted in classic free market liberalism.), without any kind of self awareness.
And why in some competitive systems, a sense of self awareness can be a detriment.
And by the way - this 'tension' is right at the heart of Adam Smith.
Adam Smith was deeply concerned with the moral outcome - he was a (Christian) Ethicist, before he was an Economist. He wrote more about the issues of power than comparative value.
Friedman is like Adam Smith without the 'self consideration'.
> They are putting themselves 'above the (social) law'.
There is no “social law”; not in the US, at least.
We have never been more divided as to what constitutes appropriate behavior in public. We are not an ethnostate (nor should we be), so all social behavior in the public at-large is essentially undertaken on a battleground. Every ideology, sub-ethnicity, and social group has its own competing norms that often conflict. At times, expressing behavior that is normal (for you) can inadvertently become a political statement and a call to conflict.
Talking loud on a train, as you mentioned, may be unacceptable to some and perfectly normal to others based on culture. Not to mention biological aspects such as neurodivergence.
“Regulation” also does not happen in a vacuum. Regulation imposes a particular viewpoint, one that all may not agree with. These days, the majority may even disagree with the imposed viewpoint, as our ruling class is compromised.
“Implicit regulation” through vague norms is even worse, as you are inevitably oppressing some groups based on their cultural characteristics, and not letting them argue against it. Laws can be debated at least, even if they are bad laws.
It may be that multicultural societies are doomed to implode. (I certainly hope not.) If we are to have a chance of keeping them afloat, light-touch governance and permissive norms are probably the only hope. Perhaps this can be coupled with voluntary collective norms that are crafted as a nation. But we can’t object too loudly if some groups don’t hold to these norms, as long as they are not violating fundamental rights (which we must also find a way to agree upon!).
It’s not strangely alarming, it is obviously alarming and for good reason.
Take this seriously and get prepared. It’s not a drill, and it’s not something that the next administration is going to roll back, whoever ends up winning. You can’t vote your way out of this.
In the future, privacy and tech sovereignty will be a strictly offline affair.
Stock up on old computers, maybe small cheap SFF/NUC models. You will want replacements on hand as well as some to hand out to trusted friends. Don’t forget to get spare drives, used is fine considering the price right now.
Download and archive (on durable media) ISO, source code, and documentation of simple, durable operating systems that can be easily maintained and modified. I would suggest OpenBSD and a few Linux distributions. If you’re not a skilled programmer I would suggest learning the basics. Make sure you get any software packages you’ll need as well.
Mirror the source code of applications like mail servers/clients, UUCP, NNCP, Nostr servers/clients, and any other tools you find that would be useful for storing and later transmitting or copying data opportunistically. Think back to the early days of the internet; the dialup/BBS model is very apt. You want to be able to do work offline, then either connect and exchange info briefly or pass data offline via sneakernet.
Get some bulk micro SD cards. Get into packet radio.
Make friends and start building a network. Offline.
> I would count myself among those who would prefer to have working phone service again without endless junk calls versus the hypothetical ability to go get a phone without ID.
And I would count you among the people who shouldn’t have a say in how these laws affect our right to privacy.
> I’d rather have zero privacy and zero spam calls than zero privacy and lots of spam calls. Obviously I’d prefer privacy and I think we need a constitutional amendment to that effect, but as far as showing our ID to eliminate spam in a world where zero privacy exists, sign me up.
Thanks for demonstrating that the end goal of privacy doomerism is passive acceptance.
Whether this is your real opinion or you’re astroturfing, you are complicit, and we are judging you.
I doubt “no one complained” is accurate, but the people of China as a whole have seemingly accepted it, and it’s their right to determine how their nation will function. Their willingness to accept it likely comes from their unique history and the current government’s progress in stamping out poverty, improving infrastructure, etc.
In the West we are declining. Implementing these kinds of control measures here looks like a power grab and an attempt to prepare the ground for war measures (information control and censorship). I don’t want this and nobody that I know IRL wants this. People know they are slowly being herded towards their death but nobody knows what to do about it.
Just look at this thread. Yakuza? Taking umbrellas = go to jail? These people are morons. Worse, they think they are informed.
Maybe the BoJ didn’t burn enough money on US bonds this week or something. I can never understand the timing of these things or who is funding them.
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