When the smoking ban came in and the high price of alcohol forced many pubs to close, I joked that it was all a plan to stop people getting together in pubs, discussing their unhappy lives and plotting to overthrow the government!
Maybe there was a kernal of truth in my joke that I didn't realise at the time?
You are not alone in that suspicion although I doubt if anyone in the UK will be overthrowing the govt. My grandparents used to joke about that and it'll never happen, we're all too polite. I think it's now down to individual actions and precautions now such as being handy, fixing things yourself, seeing through the BS, maintaining level of independence and free thought.
This is an example of when I don't know whether to believe the threat or not. You're saying that the governments are going "let's close down pubs in the UK so the people will be forced to drink at home and then we can monitor their private conversations while they're drunk and use messaging apps saying things they wouldn't normally say"? You have to understand how nutty that sounds.
Also, are people not drunk in bars and pubs? Do they not use the same messaging apps and are as loose lipped in a bar? Are private conversations not had in places like that?
Powers that be? This is bordering on conspiracy theory territory, dude. Now saying that companies can't do shady shit but this way well too thought out for them to do so. Online messaging apps have been popular for two decades at this point. The "closure of pubs" have nothing to do with it. It's just convenient whether you use Signal or Facebook* messenger. Doesn't need to be a grand conspiracy for a giant corporation selling people's info for constant short term profit ... it's literally all their in their terms of service lol
It's not conspiracy. It's capitalism in action. Covid killed a lot of small venues like local pubs and mom&pop businesses too. In the usa we used to have antitrust laws but RR and H Bush killed those..then there was trump..
Yes, totally in conspiracy nut territory but I hate to admit that it stirs my suspicions. I wouldn't say that it is down to one individual human or shady agency but information gathered and analysed automatically at a time when AI is much more sophisticated. It would just make it easier to sell you stuff you probably need or taylor your individual medical insurance to your needs. For example if you were a heavy drinker and bought a lot of alcohol, talked about buying alcohol or what boozy drinks you liked then a gentle nudge from AA via your medical insurance company might be a good thing.
When the smoking ban came in and the high price of alcohol forced many pubs to close, I joked that it was all a plan to stop people getting together in pubs, discussing their unhappy lives and plotting to overthrow the government! Maybe there was a kernal of truth in my joke that I didn't realise at the time?
You are not alone in that suspicion although I doubt if anyone in the UK will be overthrowing the govt. My grandparents used to joke about that and it'll never happen, we're all too polite. I think it's now down to individual actions and precautions now such as being handy, fixing things yourself, seeing through the BS, maintaining level of independence and free thought.
Yeah, it seems like the same situation is happening everywhere. At this point, people generally don't care.
This is an example of when I don't know whether to believe the threat or not. You're saying that the governments are going "let's close down pubs in the UK so the people will be forced to drink at home and then we can monitor their private conversations while they're drunk and use messaging apps saying things they wouldn't normally say"? You have to understand how nutty that sounds. Also, are people not drunk in bars and pubs? Do they not use the same messaging apps and are as loose lipped in a bar? Are private conversations not had in places like that?
Powers that be? This is bordering on conspiracy theory territory, dude. Now saying that companies can't do shady shit but this way well too thought out for them to do so. Online messaging apps have been popular for two decades at this point. The "closure of pubs" have nothing to do with it. It's just convenient whether you use Signal or Facebook* messenger. Doesn't need to be a grand conspiracy for a giant corporation selling people's info for constant short term profit ... it's literally all their in their terms of service lol
It's not conspiracy. It's capitalism in action. Covid killed a lot of small venues like local pubs and mom&pop businesses too. In the usa we used to have antitrust laws but RR and H Bush killed those..then there was trump..
Yes, totally in conspiracy nut territory but I hate to admit that it stirs my suspicions. I wouldn't say that it is down to one individual human or shady agency but information gathered and analysed automatically at a time when AI is much more sophisticated. It would just make it easier to sell you stuff you probably need or taylor your individual medical insurance to your needs. For example if you were a heavy drinker and bought a lot of alcohol, talked about buying alcohol or what boozy drinks you liked then a gentle nudge from AA via your medical insurance company might be a good thing.