Techies, Politics Now Click

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-geeks11aug11,1,1446297.story?coll=la-home-leftrail

--snip--

After years as political agnostics, the programmers and engineers who orchestrated the technological revolution of the 1990s are trying to reboot government. Top technology executives such as Bill Gates found their public voice years ago. Now, the tens of thousands of technology workers who toiled in cubicles writing software and creating gadgets are making their influence felt.

They have money, earned during the boom. They have time, found since the bust. And they are using their technological savvy to recruit even casual Internet users to their causes.

They want to make sure civil liberties aren't trampled in the push for greater security. They want privacy respected. And they want the media and the political conversation in general to be freed from the dominance of a small number of powerful groups and corporations. Otherwise, they are hard to place on the political spectrum.

One of the leaders of this loose-knit movement is Wes Boyd, a 42-year-old computer programmer who works out of a book-lined home office in a leafy section of Berkeley.

[ixion]

1. The only people playing are freaks and weirdos

boy, if that doesn't describe the Bush junta to a tee. ;-)

[goobergunch]

2. I think that qualifies them as Dems

They want to make sure civil liberties aren't trampled in the push for greater security. They want privacy respected. And they want the media and the political conversation in general to be freed from the dominance of a small number of powerful groups and corporations. Otherwise, they are hard to place on the political spectrum.

Pro-civil liberties and anti-corporation...that sounds like the Democratic party to me!

[starroute]

3. Not necessarily -- there's a strong libertarian streak as well

A lot of geeks just want to be left alone to do what they enjoy. They like to open things up (hardware, software, household gadgets) and tinker with the insides. They like to share ideas around freely, even dangerous ideas. They don't want anything telling them they can't do those things, and they don't like Microsoft or the RIAA.

But beyond that, they're pretty short on positive social agenda. They know they got where they are through their own brains and talent and tend to resist helping those who aren't similarly endowed. They're essentially individualists, with a strong respect for cooperative effort but minimal interest in anyone who isn't part of that effort.

I've been watching them at Slashdot over the last couple of years getting increasingly radicalized. But even their radicalization consists mostly of extreme skepticism about government and corporations. They just don't have much in common with traditional liberal goals -- even their idea of humanitarianism tends toward dreams of bringing wireless Net access to starving Africans. They may become part of the anti-Bush/anti-war effort in the short run, but in the long run they're never going to be Democrats.

[goobergunch]

4. Yeah...

but I'm thinking of the "big tent" strategy that we're going to need to retake the Congress.

[CivilRightsNow]

5. Morphing Angst

I pretty much disagree with the sterotypical nature of your reply. Kids like to take things apart as do engineers and even MBAs and right now I think a large number of tech workers are busy unravelling the promise of america that somehow went awry. Some may be doing it socially, some introspectively but have no doubt.. since the tech sector is really the largest hit in the pocketbook at this point ( atleast that is my opinion as I sit watching the exodus from the bay area) they are starting to ask some questions.

We arent pissed at the RIAA or Microsoft because we want to be able to do dangerous things. We are pissed because we are sick of people trying to charge us for arts and knowledge. We are pissed that we were the programmers sitting around developing the features and functions yet some fat cat is getting all the profits and on top of that all of our jobs are being shipped off to india and the phillipines.

We definately arent short of positive social agenda and although we do acknowledge that we got where we were through our own brains and talent, you are completely wrong in saying that we resist helping those who arent similarily endowed. I mean hell, why dont you do a search on "MSSQL query help" or some other tech term and see how many helping hands you come up with. In the technology age we work as a virtual commune in many ways like never before.

Slashdot is made up of a large number of very young people and I dont know your age, but it kind of pisses me off that you describe techs as such. As a young american that has radical ideas I have nothing to look at for guidance. We have a bunch of baby boomers that forgot how to organize a social movement or even acknowledge the problems that we are facing in america. They forgot about their protests and vietnam and corrupt government and fell into the ease of SUVs and fondue sets. They fed their children ritalin so they didnt have to interact with them and humped an american dream while letting their children get raised by the local day care and you are wondering why the kids you see posting on Slashdot are talking about giving wireless Net access to starving Africans.

You really think we have been given a world full of options? You really think that they have been given the tools to even understand what the Democratic party is? Have you looked at the educational system that has been given to us? I mean hell, look at the people we have in office... you really think that they epitomize the qualities these people should aspire to? Do you really think indulged children of the 80s are going to understand or discuss the importance of traditional liberal programs like social security? Hell no! They are too immersed in what they can understand right now ..corporations, the same ones that took their parents away on 70 hour work weeks and babysat them with the computer in the first place and government-- or lack thereof.
Think about how you'd feel about the status of the government when one of the elections out of maybe 2 that you were able to participate in was completely rigged and led to a war, a screwed up economy and lord only knows what's to come. So yes, the young mind does indeed focus on these things. But there is no doubt as I stand in the midst of all of it, that the democratic party is at a very unique time in history and that this sector of people is a very big key. So someone needs to try to educate and engage them and finally throw them a life preserver because right now, the democratic party is treating them as insignificant youth and one day, they will get it together and perhaps create a party that will make this one obsolete.

"The American nation is in the worst condition I can remember in my lifetime, and our prospects for the immediate future are even worse. I am surprised and embarrassed to be a part of the first American generation to leave the country in far worse shape than it was when we first came into it. Our highway system is crumbling, our police are dishonest, our children are poor, our vaunted Social Security, once the envy of the world, has been looted and neglected and destroyed by the same gang of ignorant greed-crazed bastards who brought us Vietnam, Afghanistan, the disastrous Gaza Strip and ignominious defeat all over the world.

The Stock Market will never come back, our Armies will never again be No. 1, and our children will drink filthy water for the rest of our lives.

The Bush family must be very proud of themselves today, but I am not. Big Darkness, soon come. Take my word for it." - Hunter S Thompson

[w4rma]

6. As a techie, myself, I fully agree with you

You tell 'em! :hi:

[bushh8ter]

7. Great Post - took the words right out of my mouth

Gee, and the boomers wonder why the "slacker" generation is so apathetic. One point though - the outsourcing of tech/white collar jobs has the potential to unite enough voters be they Green, Republican or Democratic against * in 2004. My two co-workers are both diehard Republicans and after sending them links about the outsourcing of tech jobs and the * administration efforts to block state legislation (in New Jersey) curtailing or punishing corporations from doing this - well they are not too happy. Nothing else seemed to bother them - not the war, not the lies, not Enron -- OUTSOURCING.

[CivilRightsNow]

9. It's genius

Outsourcing... it is really opening up a can of worms. The other day I had someone ask me what globalization was. They said that they had heard the word.. but that it didnt sound half bad.

I tried to explain that it ties into so many things. A one world government, preemptive strikes, the destruction of the american economy and social services.. I could go on and on. If we continue to spread our economy out to workers in other countries everyone loses. None of that money is coming back to us. No taxes will be paid on that money. The country we farm our shit out to loses as well, they become slaves to our government and the economic advantages it can offer them. We take their best and brightest and pay them ridiculously low american rates in exchange for their assimilation to our practices, ideas and culture.

The scary thing to me is that nobody is making this a campaign issue at all. In this recall election in cali it should be a HUGE issue. It's really frightening the hell out of me that there are so many in the tech sector that are out of work and have no prospects. As it gets worse, the companies that are still running are able to scale back their work force and everyone I know who does have a job still is working ridiculous hours and are complete spread thin. And now we are farming out various white collar jobs like customer service, etc. Pretty soon we will have no economy left. All of our goods are made in taiwan, all of our services will be in india.. and then what?

My fiance made a good point that the american people will continue to tolerate declining service because if IBM can farm out 10 programming jobs to India (lets say the programmers only make 60K in the US) at 5k a pop then that frees up 550K ( not to mention the unpaid taxes they get to keep). So IBM can send you a new computer, Microsoft can give you a free month of internet service.. That is nothing to them and they get to pocket the excess. So what if you are unsatified? Give the average american something free, even if its only work 5 bucks, they are saited.

The government should pass legislation banning this crap.. and if whining companies like IBM cant deal with it.. let them collapse and open up the markets to companies that can do it more efficiently and keep it at home.

You are completely right, it has the possibility, more then anything else that Im aware of at this moment, to unite the populace against this administration and kick them out on their asses where they belong. Money talks.

[SharonAnn]

8. Your words ring true. I'm so ashamed of my generation

Your words ring true. I'm so ashamed of my generation (boomers) and what have done are are doing to the country. Yet there are at least two sides to it. There's the George W. Bush side and the Tom DeLay side and the Rick Santorum side and the Al Gore side and Dennis Kucinic side and the Howard Dean side and the John Kerry side.

Some of these people are just the kind we need as leaders and some of the others are pure evil.

I'm sorry the evil ones have gotten so far! Some of us forgot to remember that this wonderful country can be broken and looted and that it hurts all of us, and all of the world, when that happens.

You're right about needing to communicate more to the younger generation. I sincerely hope we can figure out what to say.

[CivilRightsNow]

10. The truth

I really feel like so many of us are just looking for truth. We are trying to understand how exactly you guys toppled Nixon and he didnt do half as much shit as the current president select. Yet, today, so many sit aside idly and do nothing. Clinton gets threatened with impeachment over a blow job. But the American public doesnt seem to care that thousands of people are dying in this unjust war and the economy is about to crash on all of those comforts that we take for granted. Christians beat the war drum and human shields get fined by the american government for trying to protect life. It just doesnt make a damn bit of sense.

We are trying to reconcile the morals that you taught us as children, wether they be from the bible or simply life experience with the realities of today. And yes, I think we are a lazy generation.. we are confused and I really feel like we are looking at the boomers for some spark that could ignite a whole generation to finally believe in itself again. Help us get it started.. To believe that we are a government of and for the people and that change is possible.

It's really sad because I honestly think for all the love and all the things that the boomers wanted to provide for their children, for all the goodness that comes out of trying to lead a comfortable life and make sure your children want for nothing we have instead stunted something within us that knows how to fight for the things that really matter. These things are learned, they are taught. We need your love, your support and your wisdom.. not your money. I think we need to hear the stories of what changed that generation into what it is today. How hope, courage and strength were traded for comfort and a revised american dream somewhere along the way and how in the heck you guys managed one of the greatest things in american history, a brief shining moment on Nixon's way out the door, where it really was a land of the people and for the people.

[Fovea]

12. Well for one thing

we are mesmerized by 500 channels of garbage.
We watched Lance win the Tour de France, but think that riding a bike in our neighborhood is too dangerous. But we will buy the Subaru he is advertising during the commercials.

We listen to Rush, think he is a fat head, and vote for his product anyway. We are by turns frightened by bogiement and agressive to smaller nations. To callo our foreign policy loathsome is an insult to all things that are merely loathsome.

Sadly, I think things are going to collapse here soon, and there will be a lot of blood in the streets. Some of America will join Canada, and the rest will march on into fascism and failed attempts at world domination.
And the failure will be catastrophic in a way that we have never seen catastrophe before.

Information is best described as the collection of differences that make a difference. Seperating the information from the noise takes intellegence. We need to refocus some of our intelligence back into the media, because the standards for journalism these days are beyond embarrassing.

[bpilgrim]

17. it was simple... affluance, population explosion in college, and time...

the same ingrediants we have today :bounce:

it is happening folks, remember we had MILLIONS in the streets before the war even started, they weren't figments of our imagination and they tried to stop a horror BEFORE it was commited and have witnessed first hand how irresponcible and destructive these fools runnin the show now really are and they didn't just go back to their lives and forget everything they were on the streets for earlier they are now COMMITED and plotting and planning and looking for ways to get involved and stay involved.

this is only the beginning, imo, and together we will take this country back.

who's streets...

OUR Streets

:bounce:

peace

[bpilgrim]

13. wow! very well said

good to have you on board :toast:

btw: i use slash to drive my corny online 'newspaper' at http://news.GlobalFreePress.com

if you ever are looking for a place to apply your talent to help give the people back a voice please let me know :toast:

peace

[CivilRightsNow]

14. Thanks!

Thanks! I'll definately keep that in mind. Of course, another problem is that we have alot of chiefs and not enough indians in the younger generation-- so, Im currently struggling with which one it would be more helpful to be :)

[Desperadoe]

15. You are 99% Correct

I was a young man when I fought the civil rights issues, the Nixon situation and the Vietnam fiasco. My generation did indeed fight those battles and we took a lot of shit and abuse for what we believed in.

We did those things and I am very proud that we didn't whine about where our parents were and why they weren't helping us. WE knew that their generation would eventually support us but we also knew how difficult it would be to convince them. We also knew that this type of a war is best fought by the young guns because we were much stronger.

I hope that you understand my point because it is your world. If this movement does not get the support from the under 30 crowd it will wither on the vine. I am just as disappointed in my children as some of you are in your parents.

[bpilgrim]

16. no worries

if you set something up let me know so we can 'network' ;->

peace

[shanti]

18. damn

that was an awesome rant! you are brilliant...it's good to see that the generations following the boomers have a good head on their shoulders.

[bpilgrim]

11. i'm a liberal progressive geek...

and i am the first to admit that i was too busy 'workin' before 12-12-2000 to take much notice, i knew things were messed up here n there but i thought that the constitution would protect us from too much extremeism and not only was i selfish but i was gravely wrong i believe and i am determined from now on, as long as i am able, to leverage the skills i have honed working for the 'man' will now also be used to spread the word about the sorry state of affairs our nation and our liberties are in right now with a decidedly liberal slant.

i am fed up and us in the MIDDLE/TECHNO class ARE gonna TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK or die tryin :bounce:

peace