Re^7: Please remember that geeks have their own social mores.

Granted Chrysler was a bad choice as representative of US manufacturers, especially as they've been owned by Daimler Benz for nearly a decade. GM or Ford would have served better. But the point was not really about individual companies, but about the excellence and innovation that competition between producers engenders.

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

"Too many [] have been sedated by an oppressive environment of political correctness and risk aversion."

Comment on Re^7: Please remember that geeks have their own social mores.

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Re^8: Please remember that geeks have their own social mores. by educated_foo (Vicar) on Apr 06, 2008 at 03:07 UTC
See also the fantastic innovations in toothpaste and breakfast cereal found in your local supermarché... ;) I agree that competition can foster innovation, but it produces useless or downright harmful results often enough that you can't just say "competition is good" without analyzing it on a case-by-case basis.	[reply]
Re^9: Please remember that geeks have their own social mores. by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Apr 06, 2008 at 03:42 UTC
you can't just say "competition is good" I agree. And given the dross that is produced, that's certainly hard to argue against--though I don't recall ever having said that--so I won't. Instead I'll turn it around. A lack of competition in the commercial world is bad. I won't offer examples, they are simply too numerous to mention, but without someome poised to steal their market share, companies and even whole industries become complacent and lazy, and innovation is stifled. Competition produces winners, but also losers. It's a triumph of marketing & advertising, over common sense and consumer purchasing power, that so much dross persists for as long as it does. Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error. "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. "Too many [] have been sedated by an oppressive environment of political correctness and risk aversion."	[reply]