Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
A cracking summary from Jonathan Liew in the Guardian;
"This, in many ways, is how Amazon implants itself in our lives: subtly, seamlessly, insidiously. It appears and it disappears at the same time. First it takes over your bookshelf. Then your music player. Then your food cupboard and the items in your drawers. Then your evenings in front of the television. Self-worth gets delivered promptly to your door within one working day. It’s all so easy, so frictionless, you don’t notice the 30-day trial you forgot to cancel, the data you’re giving away for free, the factory workers denied toilet breaks, the small high street bookshop with closing down signs in the windows.
In many ways, it’s a form of sportswashing as stealthy and cynical as any nation-state could dream up. Like any large corporation trying to monetise your love of football, Amazon is not doing this for love of the game. Football is the conduit, the glossy leafleting campaign, the free cheese samples, the sweets placed tantalisingly by the till. Would I like Amazon to provide a more reliable stream and some more incisive analysis? Yes. But on balance, I think I’d probably rather it just paid more tax.
"This, in many ways, is how Amazon implants itself in our lives: subtly, seamlessly, insidiously. It appears and it disappears at the same time. First it takes over your bookshelf. Then your music player. Then your food cupboard and the items in your drawers. Then your evenings in front of the television. Self-worth gets delivered promptly to your door within one working day. It’s all so easy, so frictionless, you don’t notice the 30-day trial you forgot to cancel, the data you’re giving away for free, the factory workers denied toilet breaks, the small high street bookshop with closing down signs in the windows.
In many ways, it’s a form of sportswashing as stealthy and cynical as any nation-state could dream up. Like any large corporation trying to monetise your love of football, Amazon is not doing this for love of the game. Football is the conduit, the glossy leafleting campaign, the free cheese samples, the sweets placed tantalisingly by the till. Would I like Amazon to provide a more reliable stream and some more incisive analysis? Yes. But on balance, I think I’d probably rather it just paid more tax.