6 ms·

I feel that the resentment to be short sighted. Datacenters do not vote, but people do. If a datacenter is in a locale, it gives those voters a de-facto, outsiz

I feel that the resentment to be short sighted. Datacenters do not vote, but people do. If a datacenter is in a locale, it gives those voters a de-facto, outsized, soft power.

throwaway85825 3mo ago
>gives those voters a de-facto, outsized, soft power How?
- delecti 3mo ago
  You, via your electeds, (in theory) have more power over a datacenter in your own jurisdiction than not. Though that does depend a lot on your electeds not being in the pocket of the datacenter's owners, and on the regulatory environment of the country/state leaving power available to city/county officials to do anything.
  - throwaway85825 3mo ago
    >(in theory) >leaving power available This just sounds like 'no' but with extra indirection.
dheera 3mo ago
No, it doesn't. Voters decide very little in the United States. People with money decide almost everything. They have better lawyers and better lobbyists than you do.
- wewtyflakes 3mo ago
  If you go in with the assumption that democracy does not work, then there is also no point in protesting, as being angry about datacenters would mean nothing anyway.
  - dheera 3mo ago
    On the contrary, if democracy works, then there is no point in protesting, as you would just vote (or campaign and run for office) instead. Most large scale protests are in fact because democracy failed to give the people a voice, and decisions were made without the input of the people.
    - wewtyflakes 3mo ago
      If democracy does not work, the consequences for that are broader than considering the pros/cons of data centers.
      - dheera 3mo ago
        And those consequences are happening
  - johneth 3mo ago
    > If you go in with the assumption that democracy does not work, then there is also no point in protesting You mean peaceful protesting. There are other kinds of protesting that may have better success.

6 ms·

I feel that the resentment to be short sighted. Datacenters do not vote, but people do. If a datacenter is in a locale, it gives those voters a de-facto, outsiz

by wewtyflakes 3mo ago

I feel that the resentment to be short sighted. Datacenters do not vote, but people do. If a datacenter is in a locale, it gives those voters a de-facto, outsized, soft power.

throwaway85825 3mo ago
>gives those voters a de-facto, outsized, soft power How?
- delecti 3mo ago
  You, via your electeds, (in theory) have more power over a datacenter in your own jurisdiction than not. Though that does depend a lot on your electeds not being in the pocket of the datacenter's owners, and on the regulatory environment of the country/state leaving power available to city/county officials to do anything.
  - throwaway85825 3mo ago
    >(in theory) >leaving power available This just sounds like 'no' but with extra indirection.
dheera 3mo ago
No, it doesn't. Voters decide very little in the United States. People with money decide almost everything. They have better lawyers and better lobbyists than you do.
- wewtyflakes 3mo ago
  If you go in with the assumption that democracy does not work, then there is also no point in protesting, as being angry about datacenters would mean nothing anyway.
  - dheera 3mo ago
    On the contrary, if democracy works, then there is no point in protesting, as you would just vote (or campaign and run for office) instead. Most large scale protests are in fact because democracy failed to give the people a voice, and decisions were made without the input of the people.
    - wewtyflakes 3mo ago
      If democracy does not work, the consequences for that are broader than considering the pros/cons of data centers.
      - dheera 3mo ago
        And those consequences are happening
  - johneth 3mo ago
    > If you go in with the assumption that democracy does not work, then there is also no point in protesting You mean peaceful protesting. There are other kinds of protesting that may have better success.