What's the author trying to say here?

It's good that the law isn't the only line between good and evil. A bit of stigma is a bottom-up way for people to shape society.

If nobody invites you to dinner parties because you run a startup that combines payday-lending and day-trading, that's a good thing. It's free alpha for companies doing more worthwhile things.

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3form 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I don't like mixing of everything 18+ in the article. I think the author wants to put all the stigma in one basket, and I don't it's as simple. For example, porn meets some actual human needs and has a certain function - but gambling? Simple abuse at scale.

I think like you argue, society shaping business is good. And some people should really reevaluate what they're going for if that's too much for them.

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embedding-shape 3 hours ago | parent [-]

> For example, porn meets some actual human needs and has a certain function - but gambling? Simple abuse at scale.

Now I'm as as free-minded as people typically gets, but both of those are just "entertainment" for me, one is not more "essential" than the other, what exact "human need" does pornography meet that somehow gambling doesn't also meet, since we're not talking about "fun" or "entertainment" here but something else it sounds like.

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8-prime 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

While the porn industry has issue, at its core it isn't constructed to extract money from you.

Boiling Gambling down to just being "entertainment" is a bit too reductionist in my opinion.

	▲	embedding-shape 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> While the porn industry has issue, at its core it isn't constructed to extract money from you. For what purpose do you think that industry was indirectly created for, if not to make money from people? Even if it might not have been created with that intent (although I'd still argue it was), today it surely is mainly driven and maintain with the (at least) implicit purpose of extracting money from people, that's literally why we call it an "industry" instead of just a "community".
	▲	lurkshark 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> it isn't constructed to extract money from you I mean yes, it is; It’s not a charity. I guess you could argue it tends to do it slower than gambling?

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jjulius 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

[dead]

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strken 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

One of the clients I've worked with was a female-led sex toy manufacturer. It was a nuisance trying to dodge some of the roadblocks.

Stigma and regulatory pressure don't always mean the company is evil.

	▲	nekusar 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Just call the brand "Pickle Bread". Cause it's made with dill dough :D (gotta at least have a joke for a friday. its rough for a lot of us.) (edit: seriously, tough crowd. hovering between -2 and -4. Like, this is a light-hearted joke. Not even insulting anyone, either.)

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cj 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> line between good and evil

Talking about good and evil in tech is a slippery slope.

What's worse, working at Meta building products causing addiction in kids, or building an adult content site?

I think there's an argument that Meta is morally worse, yet there's no stigma associated with having Meta on your resume. I find that interesting.

	▲	ohyoutravel 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Meta isn’t as blatant about it, but they’re arguably much worse than anything else listed here. I think because it has legitimate uses up front, like keeping up with your friends or selling something on the marketplace, and the true evil is just below that veneer. Gambling and payday lending is right out front.

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raincole 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The article is about payment providers.

Do you think payment providers should act like moral police that decide how the customers can spend their money? If so, do you think Google/Apple/Microsoft should have a say in which apps the users can install? Should ISPs decide which sites the users can access?

	▲	projektfu 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The article does talk about church and social gatherings, and uncomfortable SOs?

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melenaboija 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That is successful and makes tons of money.

The author is saying it explicitly, you can’t flex as normal people do so you have to feed your ego finding different ways such as anonymous posts. Or talking to an stranger being drunk.