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  • (Tor Dot Com) Fake Candidates, Invented Enemies

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jan 8 15:09:50 2024
    Fake Candidates, Invented Enemies: Five Fraudulent Personas in Classic SF

    Need a very specific person who does not actually exist? No worries!
    Simply invent them!


    https://www.tor.com/2024/01/08/fake-candidates-invented-enemies-five-fraudulent-personas-in-classic-sf/
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Joy Beeson@21:1/5 to Nicoll on Fri Jan 12 20:00:02 2024
    On Mon, 8 Jan 2024 15:09:50 -0000 (UTC), jdnicoll@panix.com (James
    Nicoll) wrote:

    [snip]

    https://www.tor.com/2024/01/08/fake-candidates-invented-enemies-five-fraudulent-personas-in-classic-sf/


    "Wasp’s cheerful take on terrorism might not play so well today."

    Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
    zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on themselves.

    I have been reminded of that many times in the last few decades.


    --
    Joy Beeson
    joy beeson at centurylink dot net
    http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

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  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid on Sat Jan 13 03:37:02 2024
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
    zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >themselves.

    That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
    is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than damage.
    --scott


    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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  • From Don@21:1/5 to Scott Dorsey on Sat Jan 13 14:23:52 2024
    Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Joy Beeson wrote:
    Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
    zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >>themselves.

    That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
    is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than damage.

    Economic terrorism involves a state actor inflicting inflation on others
    to achieve its own goals.

    In PR 192 "Panik im Sonnensystem" ("Panic in the Solar System") the
    Solar Imperium's Central Bank uses economic terrorism - inflation - to
    try to bully others into submission. But inflation's a double edged
    sword because financial leverage creates vulnerability. Inflation can
    undermine the economy of either an aggressor or its intended victim,
    depending upon mass psychology and perception. Publicity plays a
    principal part. As an aside, this is the reason Cecil Rhodes' inner
    circle included actors from both Fleet Street and Threadneedle Street.

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to g@crcomp.net on Sat Jan 13 22:58:04 2024
    In article <20240113a@crcomp.net>, Don <g@crcomp.net> wrote:
    Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Joy Beeson wrote:
    Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
    zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >>>themselves.

    That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become
    paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
    is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than
    damage.

    Economic terrorism involves a state actor inflicting inflation on others
    to achieve its own goals.

    Not necessarily a state actor and not necessarily inflation either.
    Deflation can break an economy just as well as inflation and a selling
    panic can be just as much of a panic as a buying panic.

    It's a very versatile form of terrorism.

    In PR 192 "Panik im Sonnensystem" ("Panic in the Solar System") the
    Solar Imperium's Central Bank uses economic terrorism - inflation - to
    try to bully others into submission. But inflation's a double edged
    sword because financial leverage creates vulnerability. Inflation can >undermine the economy of either an aggressor or its intended victim, >depending upon mass psychology and perception. Publicity plays a
    principal part. As an aside, this is the reason Cecil Rhodes' inner
    circle included actors from both Fleet Street and Threadneedle Street.

    I could easily believe that Germans in the 1960s were especially
    familiar with weaponized inflation.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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