Discussion
Loading...

Post

  • About
  • Code of conduct
  • Privacy
  • About Bonfire
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Billionaires are a danger to themselves and (especially) us; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/03/09/autocrats-of-trade/

#Pluralistic

1/

https://pluralistic.net

Pluralistic: Billionaires are a danger to themselves and (especially) us (09 Mar 2026)

A king on a sumptuous, much elaborated throne; in one hand he holds a sceptre of office, in the other, the leashes for two fierce stone dogs that guard the throne. The king's head has been replaced with a character who was used as the basis for MAD Magazine's Alfred E Neumann. The new head sports a conical dunce cap. Behind the king is a large group of 1960s business men, seated and standing, in conservative suits. The background is the view from the 80th floor of World Trade Center 3. The floor has been carpeted in sumptuous tabriz from the Ottoman court.


Image:
Aude (modified)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg

CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
A king on a sumptuous, much elaborated throne; in one hand he holds a sceptre of office, in the other, the leashes for two fierce stone dogs that guard the throne. The king's head has been replaced with a character who was used as the basis for MAD Magazine's Alfred E Neumann. The new head sports a conical dunce cap. Behind the king is a large group of 1960s business men, seated and standing, in conservative suits. The background is the view from the 80th floor of World Trade Center 3. The floor has been carpeted in sumptuous tabriz from the Ottoman court. Image: Aude (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
A king on a sumptuous, much elaborated throne; in one hand he holds a sceptre of office, in the other, the leashes for two fierce stone dogs that guard the throne. The king's head has been replaced with a character who was used as the basis for MAD Magazine's Alfred E Neumann. The new head sports a conical dunce cap. Behind the king is a large group of 1960s business men, seated and standing, in conservative suits. The background is the view from the 80th floor of World Trade Center 3. The floor has been carpeted in sumptuous tabriz from the Ottoman court. Image: Aude (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
  • Copy link
  • Flag this post
  • Block
GhostOnTheHalfShell
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pluralistic

The rich are just as subject to folly as any of us. Their wealth allows them to inflict it on everyone.

It’s a harm amplifier

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓱【ツ】☮(📍🇬🇧)
@serapath@mastodon.gamedev.place replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @pluralistic

Yeah, they are actually imho way more subject ot folly than any of us, because their money printers means they always print more to solve their problems which shields them from being in touch with reality. It shields them from any feedback. It shields them from learning. They have to all "imagine" things in the abstract.

The masses feel the consequences personally and thus learn a lot more much faster, because they have to.

Lets stop their money printers! 🙂

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Kate Nyhan
@nyhan@fediscience.org replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pluralistic

> Gates simply opposes open science and compulsory licenses on scientific patents, even when that kills millions of people (as it did in South Africa).

He opposes open science for vaccine patents. He enforces open science for the rest of us, to the extent to no longer allowing Gates Foundation grant funds to be used to cover open access article processing charges, instead preferring Gates-funded authors to post preprints on their in-house preprint server
https://openaccess.gatesfoundation.org/

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Bastian Greshake Tzovaras
@gedankenstuecke@scholar.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@nyhan @pluralistic my take on that is that he conveniently enforces open science when it's in the interest of capital, and fights it tooth and claw when it doesn't.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
केशव
@k3shav@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pluralistic today’s write-up mentions billionaire Peter Singer, but a quick search showed a *Paul* Singer (and not Peter), if true, then I’m pleased to have helped ☺️ (your ardent reader, admirer to the point of an addict 😅).
P.S. Met Cindy Cohn at SCALE23x Friday, and equally inspired (EFF alums are the best).

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@k3shav Fixed! Thank you!

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
oscarfalcon
@oscarfalcon@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pluralistic

This collage also portrays perfectly the subject matter, Good One Doctorow!

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@oscarfalcon Thank you, Oscar! I love making these collages.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
oscarfalcon
@oscarfalcon@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pluralistic

Yours are fun, I like them.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@oscarfalcon Thank you!

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

Billionaires are a danger to themselves and (especially) us: A billionaire is a machine for producing policy failures at scale.

https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116200392773231841

2/


Image:
Aude (modified)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg

CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
Image: Aude (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
Image: Aude (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:80th_floor_of_3_World_Trade_Center_-_OHNY.jpg CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

Hey look at this

* How Live Nation allegedly terrorized the concert industry https://www.theverge.com/report/891241/live-nation-ticketmaster-week-one-jury-trial

* Canada's One-Man Air Force – and His Calculated Airline Crusade https://www.donotpassgo.ca/p/canadas-one-man-air-force-and-his

* Cloud Sovereignty Framework Self Assessment https://www.suse.com/cloud-sovereignty-framework-assessment/

* EFF, Ubuntu and Other Distros Discuss How to Respond to Age-Verification Laws https://linux.slashdot.org/story/26/03/09/0544224/eff-ubuntu-and-other-distros-discuss-how-to-respond-to-age-verification-laws

* Reading “The Ethnography of Infrastructure” https://www.not-so-obvious.net/reading-the-ethnography-of-infrastructure/

3/

Not so obvious

Reading “The Ethnography of Infrastructure”

The first in a periodic series called "Reading," today's text covers a seminal academic article you might like, but find long and dense. I break down Susan Leigh Star's 1999 article, "The Ethnography of Infrastructure" and explain why it matters.

EFF, Ubuntu and Other Distros Discuss How to Respond to Age-Verification Laws - Slashdot

System76 isn't the only one criticizing new age-verification laws. The blog 9to5Linux published an "informal" look at other discussions in various Linux communities. Earlier this week, Ubuntu developer Aaron Rainbolt proposed on the Ubuntu mailing list an optional D-Bus interface (org.freedesktop....
SUSE

SUSE Cloud Sovereignty Framework Self Assessment

Free EU Cloud Sovereignty Framework compliance assessment. Get your SEAL rating and actionable recommendations in 10 minutes. No signup required.

Canada's One-Man Air Force – and His Calculated Crusade Against Airlines

For passenger rights activist Gabor Lukacs, fighting Air Canada, WestJet and the others is a big mathematical problem and an even bigger matter of principle
The Verge

How Live Nation allegedly terrorized the concert industry

Live Nation allegedly threatened to skip venues that switched from Ticketmaster.
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

#15yrsago Wondrous, detailed map of the history of science fiction https://web.archive.org/web/20110310152548/http://scimaps.org/submissions/7-digital_libraries/maps/thumbs/024_LG.jpg

#15yrsago American Library Association task forces to take on ebook lending https://web.archive.org/web/20110310085634/https://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=5749

#15yrsago Wisconsin capitol bans recording, flags, reading, balloons, chairs, bags, backpacks, photography, etc etc etc https://captimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/more-rules-released-for-state-capitol-visitors/article_f044044f-6183-5128-b718-d5dffbfdb573.html

#15yrsago Librarians Against DRM logo https://web.archive.org/web/20110308170030/https://readersbillofrights.info/librariansagainstDRM

4/

American Library Association tackles new challenges in the e-environment | District Dispatch

Wayback Machine
Wayback Machine
Wayback Machine
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

#20yrsago Indie label uses heartfelt note instead of copy-restriction http://blog.resonancefm.com/archives/48

#20yrsago Clay Shirky’s ETECH presentation on the politics of social software https://craphound.com/youshutupetech2006.txt

#20yrsago Judge quotes Adam Sandler movie in decision blasting defendant https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/motion-denied-because-youre-idiot

#15yrsago Video game in your browser’s location bar web.archive.org/web/20110309212313/http://probablyinteractive.com/url-hunter

4/

The Smoking Gun

Motion Denied Because You're An Idiot

MARCH 6--In what is surely a first for the federal judiciary, a Texas bankruptcy judge has quoted from the Adam Sandler film canon in a recent opinion. Dismissing a motion due to "incomprehensibility,
https://craphound.com/youshutupetech2006.txt
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

#15yrsago Extinct invertebrates caught in a 40 million year old sex act https://web.archive.org/web/20110303234001/http://news.discovery.com/animals/40-million-year-old-sex-act-captured-in-amber.html

#15yrsago Improvised toilets of earthquake-struck Christchurch https://web.archive.org/web/20110310044912/https://www.showusyourlongdrop.co.nz/

#15yrsago Canadian MP who shills for the record industry is an enthusiastic pirate https://web.archive.org/web/20110310163136/https://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5673/125/

#15yrsago The Monster: the fraud and depraved indifference that caused the subprime meltdown https://memex.craphound.com/2011/03/07/the-monster-the-fraud-and-depraved-indifference-that-caused-the-subprime-meltdown/

5/

https://memex.craphound.com
The Monster: the fraud and depraved indifference that caused the subprime meltdown

40-Million-Year-Old Sex Act Captured in Amber : Discovery News

Just as a pair of mites began to mate, a blob of tree resin fell upon them, preserving the moment for eternity.
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Log in

Bonfire Dinteg Labs

This is a bonfire demo instance for testing purposes. This is not a production site. There are no backups for now. Data, including profiles may be wiped without notice. No service or other guarantees expressed or implied.

Bonfire Dinteg Labs: About · Code of conduct · Privacy ·
Bonfire social · 1.0.0 no JS en
Automatic federation enabled
  • Explore
  • About
  • Code of Conduct
Home
Login