On 9/14/20 9:51 AM, uǝlƃ ↙↙↙ wrote: > Well, the argument is not mainly that they're too big. It's that they use > offensive marketing tactics to *kill* smaller "competitors" ... e.g. > diapers.com. You know, good old fashioned capitalism. If they didn't engage > in that sort of thing, they wouldn't be villains. The "natural" reduction to > the mediocre that happens in monopoly or oligopoly isn't as much of a > concern. And their consistent mistreatment of their delivery workers (not > their IT workers) is also not the main concern. If, as RussS argues, they > were simply more competent, then the "freedom" of the market might be enough > to allow a radical idea to disrupt them. But it's not mere competence. Amazon > is anti-freedom and predatory. I think "online shopping" in general has proven to be an effective competitor to "mall shopping" as "malls" became effective competitors to "main street", and I suppose "main street" to the old-school "general store" model. It is a reverse-backflow system where some aspects of the "business" improve while others flail. The mall has *everything you want* compared even to a rich mainstreet selection, but you have to drive out to the suburbs and hike across a 1000 acre parking lot, but are rewarded by ambient entertainment, air conditioning and an invitation to use them for senior exercise walks. > > Besides, this government will not break them up. Amazon is way more powerful > than the Trump admin, despite Trump's idiotic personal vendetta.
Yup, but it felt like Elizabeth would like to "rain hell down on them" like an early c20 Trust Buster if she'd gotten hold of the reins (for better or worse). I paradoxically drive past small hardware stores on my way to "the big box" too often, though usually only when I am confident the local doesn't have what I need, and after I've checked in on "do I really NEED what I can only find at the big box". Before COVID I studiously eschewed *marts but still went to Target and Sams as if they were qualitatively different (whilst also doing the calculus of the big-box hardware store example when I could). COVID had me going back to my DIY roots and trying desperately NOT to think I needed ANYTHING from ANY of those places.... just as practice for the Apocalypse, should it come (yes, it is still inevitable, just not sure what time-scale). Speaking of which, our flock of 8 hens is finally producing 5-7 eggs a day which is only slightly more than we are eating... but now we have a racoon who jumped the 8' courtyard wall (an interesting obstacle at best, not an obstruction for him) and shat on the roof of our coop (knocked together from my hoards of salvaged supplies) last night. Time to double-down on fasteners and get the dog habituated to the chickens (while in their coop at least)... I'd rather not have to figure out how to pass Raccoon Stew off to Mary as vegetarian. <anecdote meant to reinforce the value and hazards of distributed sourcing of goods and services> - Steve > > On 9/14/20 8:47 AM, Gary Schiltz wrote: >> Which, by transitivity must mean animosity toward the 40% of idiot citizens >> who keep such radical ideas from having a chance in hell of happening. >> >> On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 10:38 AM Marcus Daniels <mar...@snoutfarm.com >> <mailto:mar...@snoutfarm.com>> wrote: >> >> I guess I don't get all this animosity toward Amazon. If it is too >> big, then use the force of government to break it up. - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/