Comment on ‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid

TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• Quill7513@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Tolkein’s idyllic structure for a society, the shire, is frequently analyzed through a lens of “is this anarchism?” and it’s not all that uncommon to conclude “yes”

  all these fuckers read Tolkien and adopted the imagery of the villains. none of them realize that the message is that all the top level people are addicted to power. the people who actually get shit done, the hobbits, they are tempted by power because it’s tempting, but ultimately value singing songs, making tea, and eating potatoes too much to want to possess the ultimate power in the universe. almost everyone who comes into contact with the one ring wants to possess it forever. Bilbo’s first desire for it is to use it to help him escape a dangerous situation. Frodo is indifferent to it at first. Sam immediately hates it, feels guilt for letting Frodo carry it alone, and commits himself to destroying it.

  You’re not supposed to read Tolkien and implement fascism. you’re supposed to read Tolkien and learn to value pacifism

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• Tattorack@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I mean… Palantir showed Denethor false images of doom and despair fed by Sauron. It drove him to become a completely mad tyrant.

  I think Palantir is a very apt name. They just don’t realise why.

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  • fort_burp@feddit.nl ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    They just don’t realise why.

    Yup. Just how Sauron was able to see via the Palantiri, the Swiss army have concluded that they can’t rule out US intelligence accessing data through Palantir systems, despite reassurances.

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    • Tattorack@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      American “reassurance” is a “trust me bro” with no backing and no consequences for them if they break it.

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• alberttcone@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I think that’s a Thiel thing. Tolkein was was one of his obsessions growing up. It doesn’t surprise me that he saw a plot device intended to be a warning as a really cool idea…

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  • PolarKraken@programming.dev ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    After listening to some of the Behind the Bastards on Thiel’s Antichrist obsession, his names for things are more understandable. Not by being sensible, by his demonstrated tendency to read things and take interpretations from them that make no sense to anyone else.

    So yeah I’m sure he’s got some nutso bananas reinterpretation of what a Palantir is, etc.

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    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I mean, Thiel is part of the ‘basically an actual vampire irl’ club, right?

      Gets infusions?

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• Avicenna@programming.dev ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Palantir should be trialed for crimes against humanity and literature

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• fossilesque@mander.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Tolkien is rolling in his grave.

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• ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  An organisation that harvests the organs of homeless called “Rivendell”?

  Surely “Mordor” would be a better choice?

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