I made the jump to Amazon probably 5 or 6 years ago when I was tired of never being able to get games on release dates from EB. I was always too lazy to pre-order it, and by the time I was off work and swing by EB, they're always out of the game.
Amazon made it so much easier. I haven't bought a physical game anywhere but Amazon.
And once they got Prime, me and a bunch of buddies set up one shared prime account. We even linked an ebates account to it, so it pretty much pays itself. It's really hard to go back now that I'm used to Amazon Prime for everything.
I despise this company just on how they treat employees. I use Amazon only if I absolutely have to. Obviously some things you just can't find locally. I also understand ordering something and having it sent directly to the person as well.
I think it's a sad, pathetic reflection on society at this point. It's too difficult to go out and interact with actual people so we would rather isolate ourselves and pretend that we're just too busy to actually do stuff. We have so many conveniences now that I can't wrap my head around how we are any busier than 30 years ago.
Companies like Amazon are a bad thing for everyone, but we'll just ignore the problems because it's not directly affecting us right this second.
Yeah big box retail jobs are crappy but some people need them and while those companies dint treat employees the best they treat them better than Amazon.
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I despise this company just on how they treat employees. I use Amazon only if I absolutely have to. Obviously some things you just can't find locally. I also understand ordering something and having it sent directly to the person as well.
I think it's a sad, pathetic reflection on society at this point. It's too difficult to go out and interact with actual people so we would rather isolate ourselves and pretend that we're just too busy to actually do stuff. We have so many conveniences now that I can't wrap my head around how we are any busier than 30 years ago.
Companies like Amazon are a bad thing for everyone, but we'll just ignore the problems because it's not directly affecting us right this second.
Yeah big box retail jobs are crappy but some people need them and while those companies dint treat employees the best they treat them better than Amazon.
You mean say hello to a cashier and pay more $$ for an item? I'll take my home delivery and spending my time with people I know and like thanks.
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Sorry, what's the problem with Amazon? It's inexpensive? Convenient? Fast? Yeah, what a real hassle.
Yep, and how much tax do they pay in the US, how do they pay and treat their employees, how big are they now that they can dominate and buy out and/or destroy startup competition (anti-trust laws no longer matter?)
Read the stories about the people doing deliveries, see how brutal they are to the whole supply chain, the effect these huge tax breaks they get for having their HQ somewhere, no money for schools, roads, police, etc..
This can also be said about Google, Apple, and countless others. If I was American I would be out protesting but then again when there is so much partisanship each side just yells at each other while the super wealthy and corporations laugh all the way to the bank.
Yes, absolutely love its convenience, efficiency, but I am wondering how many more the US middle and lower working classes can handle if these dominating players can hold near monopolies and contribute to the decade's stagnation of the middle class and the incoming changes to the workplace with more automation and AI.
We keep ignoring this stuff at our peril, Capitalism and Democracy are only healthy if we deal with the bad side of capitalism, to make it fair and equal as possible for all to be a part of, otherwise, you'll see more populist movements will grow and they are not going to be good for anyone, left wing or right wing movements.
But more to the monopoly issues, there are so many people are not even aware of, most Sunglasses stores and brands are all the same company, most mattresses are from 2 companies, the lists are long and depressing.
The US is becoming the pre-1920's again, with a wealth inequality now by some standards bigger than pre-1930's crash. Also could have sworn Robert Reich's excellent youtube channel covered the harm of how little taxes huge corporations are paying in the US and its devastating effects on the country.
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But more to the monopoly issues, there are so many people are not even aware of, most Sunglasses stores and brands are all the same company, most mattresses are from 2 companies, the lists are long and depressing.
The US is becoming the pre-1920's again, with a wealth inequality now by some standards bigger than pre-1930's crash. Also could have sworn Robert Reich's excellent youtube channel covered the harm of how little taxes huge corporations are paying in the US and its devastating effects on the country.
As long as people worship at the altar of capitalism, nothing is going to change. Society is reaping what it sowed.
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Yep, and how much tax do they pay in the US, how do they pay and treat their employees, how big are they now that they can dominate and buy out and/or destroy startup competition (anti-trust laws no longer matter?)
Read the stories about the people doing deliveries, see how brutal they are to the whole supply chain, the effect these huge tax breaks they get for having their HQ somewhere, no money for schools, roads, police, etc..
This can also be said about Google, Apple, and countless others. If I was American I would be out protesting but then again when there is so much partisanship each side just yells at each other while the super wealthy and corporations laugh all the way to the bank.
Yes, absolutely love its convenience, efficiency, but I am wondering how many more the US middle and lower working classes can handle if these domina ting players can hold near monopolies and contribute to the decade's stagnation of the middle class and the incoming changes to the workplace with more automation and AI.
We keep ignoring this stuff at our peril, Capitalism and Democracy are only healthy if we deal with the bad side of capitalism, to make it fair and equal as possible for all to be a part of, otherwise, you'll see more populist movements will grow and they are not going to be good for anyone, left wing or right wing movements.
Some of the items you list are outdated, debunked or not true at all. Amazon pays sales tax in all states now. The tax breaks for their hq in Virginia were not large at all, and will be revenue positive in less than a year. They now pay all employees a min of $15/hour.
Companies like Amazon are nothing compared to what Alibaba and Tencent are in China. The Chinese economy would cease to function tomorrow if Tencent and Alibaba were to disappear.
Amazon is so, so much more than an online store. a massive chunk of the internet's infrastructure runs on their servers. and they have their tendrils hooked into tons of industries at all levels. safe to say that if it suddenly disappeared, a lot of the world's economic engine would go with it.
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You mean say hello to a cashier and pay more $$ for an item? I'll take my home delivery and spending my time with people I know and like thanks.
But people aren't spending more time with people they know and like, that just isn't true.
I mean get out and support companies that actually employ people in your community. Your statement illustrates exactly what I'm talking about. We're becoming more and more selfish and less empathetic.
I get it, we're all above those pathetic workers that are treated terribly, they didn't try hard enough to get a better position in life like the rest of us so they deserve what they get. You don't require a local retail job to get by so you don't care. As these giant corporations take more and more control over every aspect of our lives it will at some point have a negative effect on you. Keep supporting companies that treat workers like trash, and provide no benefits while making tremendous profits though.
But hey we all need to save $3 dollars on a USB cord right?
These companies have their place but everyone acting like life is soooo difficult makes me laugh. I'm definitely not perfect but I do try and make an effort to support actual businesses /workers in my actual community.
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But people aren't spending more time with people they know and like, that just isn't true.
I mean get out and support companies that actually employ people in your community. Your statement illustrates exactly what I'm talking about. We're becoming more and more selfish and less empathetic.
I get it, we're all above those pathetic workers that are treated terribly, they didn't try hard enough to get a better position in life like the rest of us so they deserve what they get. You don't require a local retail job to get by so you don't care. As these giant corporations take more and more control over every aspect of our lives it will at some point have a negative effect on you. Keep supporting companies that treat workers like trash, and provide no benefits while making tremendous profits though.
But hey we all need to save $3 dollars on a USB cord right?
These companies have their place but everyone acting like life is soooo difficult makes me laugh. I'm definitely not perfect but I do try and make an effort to support actual businesses /workers in my actual community.
I didn't know it was my responsibility to drive 15-30 minutes to the nearest store, spend time going from store to store, and hoping to find what I need to pay more for it, so I can support businesses that can't survive (and technically aren't needed anymore)
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I find it difficult to be sympathetic to one gigantic monopoly (Walmart) and less so in the direction of another (Amazon). You can replace Walmart with any other corporate giant that doesnt give a damn about the average shopper and from there derive the results we are seeing with online purchases today.
Large malls are dying, big box stores are hurting, wa wa wa. I get the fact that we should support our neighbors jobs, but in the end we still support the 1% first. Pick your poison, if it is cheaper online then why not? Cheaper at that box store? Hop in the car.
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be angry all you want that big bad Amazon and the others have changed the consumer experience, and that the local malls or mom 'n pop shops are hurting for it. just as long as you get used to it, cause the old days are never coming back.
in the early times of the industrial revolution, humanity's productivity took a massive leap forward, and the cost was a great deal of suffering for the factory workers. took us a long time to improve things, and the same problems are still playing out in other places that are catching up.
the working conditions at Amazon are crap, but they will improve as the voices demanding change get louder. it's happened before and it will happen again. and eventually, automation is going to take over more and more of the grunt jobs anyways, so it'll be a different set of issues to resolve.
The corporate oligopoly we're seeing emerge before our eyes is an example of hundreds of millions of people all doing what works best for them, without malice, leading to consequences that will be very bad for most of us collectively.
There was a time when American legislators broke up companies when they got as big as Amazon or Google/Alphabet. When they recognized that colossal companies that could absorb or smash all competitors were bad for free markets and bad for democracy. No longer. America wants their corporate titans to remain huge so they can stand up against China's titans. And, of course, American legislators have rolled over on corporate taxation - Republicans have been relentlessly cutting the budget of the IRS for years, resulting in 10s of billions of corporate taxes going uncollected.
There's going to be a reckoning down the line. If we're fortunate, the masses of citizens with no meaningful work will be pacified with cheap entertainment and drugs. But if those low-skilled workers with no future get more uppity, well, just look to what's going on in France right now and imagine it being a more or less permanent state of affairs across the developed world. And that's not to mention what society's losers can do to elections when roused by a demagogue.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
Last edited by CliffFletcher; 12-14-2018 at 12:38 PM.
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I think it's a sad, pathetic reflection on society at this point. It's too difficult to go out and interact with actual people so we would rather isolate ourselves and pretend that we're just too busy to actually do stuff. We have so many conveniences now that I can't wrap my head around how we are any busier than 30 years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AFireInside
But people aren't spending more time with people they know and like, that just isn't true.
Yep. A recent study has found college students in the U.S. today spend 1 hour a day less socializing with one another than their counterparts 20 years ago did. And that time isn't made up for with homework (which they actually do less of) - it's all down to an increase in screen time.
I honestly believe I'll live to see a day when most people rarely leave their homes. Pathological behaviours that we see on the fringes of Japanese society today will become common across the developed world within a few decades.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
I honestly believe I'll live to see a day when most people rarely leave their homes. Pathological behaviours that we see on the fringes of Japanese society today will become common across the developed world within a few decades.
Yeah, but you're a bit of an alarmist when it comes to social ills.
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