Fake Candidates, Invented Enemies: Five Fraudulent Personas in Classic SF

Need a very specific person who does not actually exist? No worries!
Simply invent them!


https://www.tor.com/2024/01/08/fake-candidates-invented-enemies-five-fraudulent-personas-in-classic-sf/
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, 8 Jan 2024 15:09:50 -0000 (UTC), [email protected] (James
Nicoll) wrote:

[snip]

https://www.tor.com/2024/01/08/fake-candidates-invented-enemies-five-fraudulent-personas-in-classic-sf/

"Wasp�s cheerful take on terrorism might not play so well today."

Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on themselves.

I have been reminded of that many times in the last few decades.


--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Joy Beeson <[email protected]d> wrote:

Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >themselves.

That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than damage.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Scott Dorsey wrote:

Joy Beeson wrote:

Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >>themselves.

That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than damage.

Economic terrorism involves a state actor inflicting inflation on others
to achieve its own goals.

In PR 192 "Panik im Sonnensystem" ("Panic in the Solar System") the
Solar Imperium's Central Bank uses economic terrorism - inflation - to
try to bully others into submission. But inflation's a double edged
sword because financial leverage creates vulnerability. Inflation can
undermine the economy of either an aggressor or its intended victim,
depending upon mass psychology and perception. Publicity plays a
principal part. As an aside, this is the reason Cecil Rhodes' inner
circle included actors from both Fleet Street and Threadneedle Street.

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In article <[email protected]>, Don <[email protected]> wrote:

Scott Dorsey wrote:

Joy Beeson wrote:

Today, Wasp should be required reading -- the terrorist did almost
zero damage himself; he induced his victims to inflict great damage on >>>themselves.

That is the point of terrorism. Make people afraid so that they become
paralyzed, spend money needlessly, or shoot themselves in the foot. That
is why it is called "terrorism," because the point is terror rather than
damage.

Economic terrorism involves a state actor inflicting inflation on others
to achieve its own goals.

Not necessarily a state actor and not necessarily inflation either.
Deflation can break an economy just as well as inflation and a selling
panic can be just as much of a panic as a buying panic.

It's a very versatile form of terrorism.

In PR 192 "Panik im Sonnensystem" ("Panic in the Solar System") the
Solar Imperium's Central Bank uses economic terrorism - inflation - to
try to bully others into submission. But inflation's a double edged
sword because financial leverage creates vulnerability. Inflation can >undermine the economy of either an aggressor or its intended victim, >depending upon mass psychology and perception. Publicity plays a
principal part. As an aside, this is the reason Cecil Rhodes' inner
circle included actors from both Fleet Street and Threadneedle Street.

I could easily believe that Germans in the 1960s were especially
familiar with weaponized inflation.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)