LXer: Microsoft Research India: friend or foe?
 

Published at LXer:

I’m going to make no excuses here — I was a chardonnay socialist and it’s time I came out and everyone gathered together and gave me some support. I have, from the time I was a little child been dreaming of hammers and sickles and the like, had a knee-jerk reaction to: big corporations (evil), government (evil), conservatism (evil), and stiletto heels (rank consumerist EVIL). So if you were to say “Microsoft”, I’d say “Where? Let me grab me my stake and crucifix!”. However, as I’ve aged and discovered social theory, I’ve realised that “evil” doesn’t really cut it. Systems themselves aren’t evil, because they are run by people. And, some of these people are selfish bloodsucking capitalist pigs (sorry, force of habit). But some of the other people come up with brilliant and devastating ideas that can make the world warmer and fuzzier, and then other people implement those ideas and everybody gets excited.

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