Amazon.com confesses its risks

Roger Odisio rodisio at igc.org
Fri Jan 7 10:43:48 PST 2000


Jordan Hayes wrote:


> >> Lawyers suck.
> >
> > Is there something wrong with lawyers writing (in this case quite
> > careful, honest, and accurate) risk statements to minimize
> > Amazon.com's liability by telling people true things in plain
> > language that anyone can understand?
>
> I knew all the lawyers on this list would get their backs up.
>
> I wasn't talking about Amazon's lawyers in this case. I was talking
> about the lawyers who would help some half-wit to pursue suing
> Amazon for not having said clearly what everyone else says clearly:
> Amazon is never going to make a profit. So the fact that Amazon
> has to get it's own lawyers to keep the other lawyers away is one
> big huge steaming lump.
>
> But: all lawyers play this game [it's sort of a meta-game, since
> only the lawyers get any enjoyment out of it on either side], so
> don't tell me there are "good lawyers" and the like.

Lawyers are trained to argue either side of a point with equal facility, without regard to principles or issues like ethics, justice, etc. Relieved of any responsibility to seek the good, they are a ready resource to serve the interests of elites with power, wealth, and capital. To say nothing of establishing a niche of power and wealth for themselves as a group, in the process of serving capital.

The only lawyers who don't suck are those who can throw off or ignore that training to serve people fighting elites. All of this can also be said about economists, of course.

RO



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