Site BLOG PAGE🔎 SEARCH  Ξ INDEX  MAIN MENU  UP ONE LEVEL
 OJB's Web Site. Version 2.1. Blog Page.You are here: entry1242 blog owen2 
Blog

Add a Comment   Up to OJB's Blog List

George and Bill

Entry 1242, on 2010-11-11 at 21:46:09 (Rating 3, News)

Two of the greatest villains of recent years for many people would be George Bush and Bill Gates: Bush because of his extreme political conservatism and because he started two wars, and Gates because he created a company which has held back the computer industry for years and which regularly uses dirty business tactics.

Of course there are many people who would disagree with these two appraisals but in the past I have never been much of a fan of either of those two famous figures. But now, although I still can't forgive either of them for their obvious and significant transgressions, I have a more moderate attitude to them.

I recently listened to some commentary and interviews about Bush's book which was recently released. His behaviour does seem to make sense when understood in the context of his own belief system and world view. So he really can't be accused of being evil, just misguided.

For example, he has a point that it might be justifiable to use torture to extract information which results in the prevention of terrorist activities which potentially lead to to the death of innocent civilians. Maybe the end does justify the means. Certainly Bush seems to think so in some cases although I don't know whether he would support the idea in general.

A similar idea applies to Gates. I personally have never seen a Microsoft product I like and I think, despite its propaganda to the contrary, Microsoft has had more to do with suppressing innovation rather than encouraging it, but I do have to admire Gates' attitude since he left Microsoft.

Bill and his wife Melinda were the subject of a TV current affairs program I watched last night and it showed them giving away billions. And he's not just throwing it at high profile or popular causes - he's really thinking about where the money will be most useful. I admit I am impressed. Again I have to temper this praise with the observation that he never really deserved the wealth he now has.

It's so easy to stereotype people and judge them based on one aspect of their personality or on one action with which you might or might not agree, but the world is always more complex than that and there is good and bad in everyone. So there's hope for every person and organisation - who knows, one day Microsoft might even make a good product!


There are no comments for this entry.


You can leave comments about this entry using this form.

Enter your name (optional):
Enter your email address (optional):
Enter the number shown here:number
Enter the comment:

To add a comment: enter a name and email (optional), type the number shown, enter a comment, click Add.
Note that you can leave the name blank if you want to remain anonymous.
Enter your email address to receive notifications of replies and updates to this entry.
The comment should appear immediately because the authorisation system is currently inactive.

I do podcasts too!. You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2024-08-22 Stirring Up Trouble: Let's just get every view out there and fairly debate them..
 Site ©2024 by OJBWeb ServerWhy Macs are BestMade & Served on Mac 
Site Features: Blog RSS Feeds Podcasts Feedback Log04 Nov 2024. Hits: 49,837,729
Description: Blog PageKeywords: BlogLoad Timer: 11ms