When RL is Shadowrun, Are we becoming runners? Options

[Daddy's Litt...]

There are a lot of threads looking at how he think like SR in RL or how real life has diverged from the SR time line but what about those momments in you life where it is SR?

I thought about this when I saw this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8575666.stm

Viacom is suing U-tube for showing Viacom programs without permission. U-tube is now pushing back that Viacom is the one up loading the videos.

When in your RL world do you think, if ever, you trip accross the line into SR?

[AndyZ]

When magic returns to the world. Until then, it might be cyberpunk, but it's nowhere near SR.

As I watch the current U.S. government, I find that ultracapitalism doesn't nearly scare me so much as anti-capitalism.

[nezumi]

When magic returns to the world.

Returns?

Magic exists. It just has a real bad PR team.

[svenftw]

Somebody else had a very similar thought yesterday:

viacom sues youtube over content viacom uploaded as marketing, i love when reality turns SR

[Daylen]

nothing scarier than the govt that will feed you and protect you... even from yourself?

[Snow_Fox]

Before I got into the much better paying financial advisor gig, I was a bill collector, doing a lot of work in the Bronx, who specialized in skip traces. Yup I would find people who tried to disappear. So I really do know a lot of leg work stuff. When you talk about 'contacts' I get flash backs to long hours in the county offices tracking down records. It was next to a methadone clinic so I learned to time my appraoch for AFTER the doors opened there so the junkies got their fixes, litterally, and before the traffic got too thick as Tremont street would be half blocked by double and triple parked delivery trucks.

[hobgoblin]

nothing scarier than the govt that will feed you and protect you... even from yourself?

and what about corps? any large organization have the potential to be scary.

[Daylen]

and what about corps? any large organization have the potential to be scary.

I have more trust in entities interested only in my money than those that want my money, my property, my liberties and total control over me. Even still though I certainly am wary of large corps especially the ones that are positioned to profit from governmental actions and monopolies. for me its a matter of the size, power location and motivation of the bully. Also unless the corp is in bed with a govt for force me to buy their product I can always ignore them and not do business with a corp that is really scary.

[Saint Sithney]

You're more afraid of a government trying to protect you from yourself than you are a government doing absolutely nothing to protect you from a huge predatory force powered by human suffering?

I guess that's like saying you're more scared of drowning than being eaten by sharks. Neither is a pleasant thing to face when somebody done sunk your battleship, but, in terms of Shadowrun, the UCAS is a pretty prime example of the government which governs least. That's changed some in recent editions with government power consolidating to reflect what I assume is a world coming to terms with magic and monsters and such. Still, it's generally the corps that round up truckloads of people for the Joe Mengele treatment and government inaction which makes that possible.

[Daylen]

You're more afraid of a government trying to protect you from yourself than you are a government doing absolutely nothing to protect you from a huge predatory force powered by human suffering?

you seem to assume benevolence in the govt. I like govt to only have the power to keep invaders and aggressors at bay. When they govern beyond that I worry. When govt officials say something is tough love I start making sure I'll be ok whatever they try.

[LurkerOutThere]

I will take this moment to gently remind everyone that Dumpshock specifically forbids discussing real world politics on here. Further I'll inform everyone that this is where I come to escape all that stuff from some of the other forums I frequent so if you track it in here you'll less have to worry about the mods and more about me crawling out your monitors like a 6'3 version of the ring chick. (admittedly with less hair and less of the whole chick thing)

Sleep well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Daylen]

Sleep well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

you must be in UK. 4PM here its a long way from sleep time.

[LurkerOutThere]

Actually i'm in the states, I just usually cause folks more nightmares then daydreams.

[Daylen]

Actually i'm in the states, I just usually cause folks more nightmares then daydreams.

oh. I sleep well with my milspec springfield with some funny JHP within arms reach. no nightmares here! crap I gota go run before that storm front gets here, supposed to be 35 degree air on the other side of it..

[cndblank]

When magic returns to the world. Until then, it might be cyberpunk, but it's nowhere near SR.

As I watch the current U.S. government, I find that ultracapitalism doesn't nearly scare me so much as anti-capitalism.

The SR dystopia is based on a near total lack of strong government of the people to provide checks and balances.


If you want a good example of that and what ultracapitalism gone bad looks like take a good long look at pre Putain Russia.

The West advised them to move from Communist Socialism to Capitalism as fast as possible and per the Shadowrun golden rule (He who has the gold makes the rules), they did.

They also had no checks and balances and very little rule of law.

So what happened when they privatized their Industries besides the expected?


You ended up with Billionaire Oligarchs owning the wealth of the nation until an ex KGB strongman took the country in the direction of nuclear armed ultra-nationalism that is rather desperately dependent on the price of oil and natural gas the entire time.

Ask your average Russian about how well Ultra capitalism works.


The United States has long history of checks and balances and rule of law.

We are in a re-balancing period and it is needed because the checks and balances failed in the short term.

So to work long term, we need to swing in the other direction. That is the system working.


And "nothing scarier than the govt that will feed you and protect you... even from yourself?" sounds like "Atheists in foxholes" comment.

When people are scared and hungry, an all powerful government starts to look really really good, and people start lining up behind who ever they think can deliver it.

And while there is little you can do about scary times, the best way to prevent that is to make sure it does not get to that point in the first place which means things like good public health care, education, and a safety net.

All things lacking in the Sixth world.

[cndblank]

I will take this moment to gently remind everyone that Dumpshock specifically forbids discussing real world politics on here. Further I'll inform everyone that this is where I come to escape all that stuff from some of the other forums I frequent so if you track it in here you'll less have to worry about the mods and more about me crawling out your monitors like a 6'3 version of the ring chick. (admittedly with less hair and less of the whole chick thing)

Sleep well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Started my last post before this posted so no 6' ring chick please.

But since Shadowrun was first written, there have been some pretty scary examples of just how we could get to a Corp run Dystopia.

[Daylen]

perhaps a distinction should be made more often then in capitalism and a free market. Russia and china could certainly be called capitalist countries nowadays, but as you say govt officials, former govt officials and a few others running the whole show in an Oligarchy is not what I'd call a free market.

[Tanegar]

I have more trust in entities interested only in my money than those that want my money, my property, my liberties and total control over me.

And you think corporations don't want those things? CEOs and the people on the boards of directors would be creaming their shorts to have you completely dependent on their company and their products. They'd have it, too, except for little things like antitrust laws.

[Daylen]

And you think corporations don't want those things? CEOs and the people on the boards of directors would be creaming their shorts to have you completely dependent on their company and their products. They'd have it, too, except for little things like antitrust laws.

yes those antitrust laws sure worked well to keep any companies from becoming so big that everyone is dependent on them so they could never fail.

and yes I know some are very much interested in control. hence why I said "Even still though I certainly am wary of large corps especially the ones that are positioned to profit from governmental actions and monopolies." right after the part you quoted. perhaps you should read a full post before commenting.

[Blackb1rd]

When people are scared and hungry, an all powerful government starts to look really really good, and people start lining up behind who ever they think can deliver it.

Case in point: Fidel Castro....

[hobgoblin]

i wonder what have done most harm to cuba, ol fidel, or the US trade blockade...

btw, big government and big corps have the same issue, the potential for disconnect between those the claim they run the show, and those that actually do.

to keep this SR, how many of the day to day activities of the SR mega-corps are actually known about by the owners and top level CEOs? Ok, there is ol scaly that runs SK like a chess board, but for the rest of them?

this becomes especially nasty once things becomes publicly traded, and the shareholder want increasing profits NOW. then the next tier down, the ones that get a paycheck and maybe a bonus for good work, will do whatever it takes to please those writing the checks.

same thing in government, by swapping shareholder for elected official, so the next tier becomes the faceless bureaucrat.

supposedly the one thing that keeps both variants "honest" is investigative journalism. But thats a dying trend in both SR and real life. observe the person doing the digging in emergence. Not employed by a big megas news service, but a independent one.

[Daylen]

Case in point: Fidel Castro....

and the scary part is when people are hungry because of the govt in the first place...

[Tanegar]

yes those antitrust laws sure worked well to keep any companies from becoming so big that everyone is dependent on them so they could never fail.

and yes I know some are very much interested in control. hence why I said "Even still though I certainly am wary of large corps especially the ones that are positioned to profit from governmental actions and monopolies." right after the part you quoted. perhaps you should read a full post before commenting.

Those companies became so big precisely because of recent (past ten years or so) large-scale deregulation. You know, by people who were terrified that government was becoming too powerful and figured the market could regulate itself?

I did read the whole post. I chose to quote the part that struck me as being particularly short-sighted. You know what happens when you ass-u-me.

[Daylen]

Those companies became so big precisely because of recent (past ten years or so) large-scale deregulation. You know, by people who were terrified that government was becoming too powerful and figured the market could regulate itself?

I did read the whole post. I chose to quote the part that struck me as being particularly short-sighted. You know what happens when you ass-u-me.

the problems on what caused that last feasco go back further than 10 years, probably back at least to the mid 90s. Discussing that would be a bit far from topic though. and I only assumed you jumped the gun. I should not have assumed the best I see now you just wanted to attack me for saying something other than govt good corporation BAD. oh and bush did not shrink the govt or have any desire to and neither did the repubs, they seemed to be happy with privatizing it in the fashion of Russia.

[Saint Sithney]

Speaking of Cuba, I need to work some Caribbean League into my game. Nothing terrifies runners quite like some deep water. Good luck swimming with all that tin chummer. Bone density was such a great idea until you had to walk across the ocean floor hoping your oxyrush nanites don't crap out before you find a way up the continental shelf.

Team all being chased down the length of an archipelago by a sea drake. I'm making this happen.