6 ms·

Conspiracy theory: Amazon's sorting is intentionally bad so that you have to look through other items you might purchase, much like grocery stores organize so t

by gjreda 11y ago

Conspiracy theory: Amazon's sorting is intentionally bad so that you have to look through other items you might purchase, much like grocery stores organize so that you have to work your way through them. I don't actually believe that, but I do find myself thinking of other things I've needed/wanted when browsing Amazon.

themetrician 11y ago
In your "conspiracy theory", who is Amazon conspiring with? Themselves? Do you know what "conspiracy" means? Do you think a "conspiracy" can be achieved by fewer than two different parties?
- logfromblammo 11y ago
  "Conspiracy theory" is an idiomatic phrase in en_US now. You don't need to have an actual conspiracy, just a Them that is secretively and maliciously acting against Us. You may label any possible explanation for an observed phenomenon as a "conspiracy theory" if the following conditions are met: - You wish to pre-empt calls for citations and evidence by admitting up front that you don't have any. - You admit that you might not necessarily even believe your own explanation is valid in any way. - You are explicitly discarding Hanlon's Razor. [0] The usual reasoning is that the observed behavior could only be explained by stupidity of such colossal magnitude that a much lesser amount of malice would actually be more plausible. This is usually a backhanded dig at the party that may actually be that colossally stupid. (Seriously, how many merchants can't sort a list of their merchandise by price?) [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
- loco5niner 11y ago
  Conspiring among themselves would be sufficient for this usage.
  - themetrician 11y ago
    Not according to the dictionary. Conspire, verb. 1. make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act 2. (of events and circumstances) seem to be working together to bring about a particular result [...] Was Amazon making secret plans jointly with itself? Did Amazon seem to be working together with themselves to bring about a particular result? The sentences above make no sense in English, and neither does using the word "conspiracy" when fewer than two different parties are involved.
- loco5niner 11y ago
  HN wouldn't let me reply to your most recent response, so I'm replying here: All it takes is 2 people to conspire, whether they are co-workers or not. It fits very well with your first definition: 1. make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act
  - themetrician 11y ago
    Ah, thanks for that. I can accept that argument and stand corrected. Also, thanks for letting me know about HN not letting you reply to my other comment. HN is very much into controlling who can talk to whom, and what thoughts can be shared among its participants.

by gjreda 11y ago

themetrician 11y ago

In your "conspiracy theory", who is Amazon conspiring with? Themselves? Do you know what "conspiracy" means? Do you think a "conspiracy" can be achieved by fewer than two different parties?

logfromblammo 11y ago
"Conspiracy theory" is an idiomatic phrase in en_US now. You don't need to have an actual conspiracy, just a Them that is secretively and maliciously acting against Us. You may label any possible explanation for an observed phenomenon as a "conspiracy theory" if the following conditions are met: - You wish to pre-empt calls for citations and evidence by admitting up front that you don't have any. - You admit that you might not necessarily even believe your own explanation is valid in any way. - You are explicitly discarding Hanlon's Razor. [0] The usual reasoning is that the observed behavior could only be explained by stupidity of such colossal magnitude that a much lesser amount of malice would actually be more plausible. This is usually a backhanded dig at the party that may actually be that colossally stupid. (Seriously, how many merchants can't sort a list of their merchandise by price?) [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
loco5niner 11y ago
Conspiring among themselves would be sufficient for this usage.
- themetrician 11y ago
  Not according to the dictionary. Conspire, verb. 1. make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act 2. (of events and circumstances) seem to be working together to bring about a particular result [...] Was Amazon making secret plans jointly with itself? Did Amazon seem to be working together with themselves to bring about a particular result? The sentences above make no sense in English, and neither does using the word "conspiracy" when fewer than two different parties are involved.
loco5niner 11y ago
HN wouldn't let me reply to your most recent response, so I'm replying here: All it takes is 2 people to conspire, whether they are co-workers or not. It fits very well with your first definition: 1. make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act
- themetrician 11y ago
  Ah, thanks for that. I can accept that argument and stand corrected. Also, thanks for letting me know about HN not letting you reply to my other comment. HN is very much into controlling who can talk to whom, and what thoughts can be shared among its participants.