Correct. I suspect it’s too broad a category, and imprecisely defined (or at least different from things commonly measured) to have much basis OTHER than analogies and anecdotes. Fortunately, it’s also irrelevant to most of us—no action is proposed or expected as part of this discussion/debate.
[ edit: I’m embarassed to say that until now I hadn’t even looked up the legality of it. In the US, blackmail is specifically about demanding payment for not informing of a violation of US law, not for any other topics of gossip. It’s also a relatively minor offence. Many jurisdictions just treat it as a special case of extortion, which is severe, but unclear whether that’s because it’s often violent or because it’s bad on it’s own.]
It’s very unlikely that if someone would contemplate an action, that the action would be within the Overton window of the public debate and be expressed here.
Fair enough. I think my “no action proposed/expected” was mostly an expression of frustration that we don’t seem to have found any crux for the “debate”, and I don’t think anyone has changed their opinion based on it.
In retrospect for the debate, this makes it seem like a useless topic. In prospect, it was interesting and potentially useful (in that it could illuminate some aspect of morality of behavior). I’m trying to explore how I might know the difference next time such a topic becomes popular in these circles. Action probably isn’t it, but I’m not sure what is.
So now it seems that there is a debate about the pros and cons of blackmail, and it is based on anecdotal evidence and vague impressions.
Correct. I suspect it’s too broad a category, and imprecisely defined (or at least different from things commonly measured) to have much basis OTHER than analogies and anecdotes. Fortunately, it’s also irrelevant to most of us—no action is proposed or expected as part of this discussion/debate.
[ edit: I’m embarassed to say that until now I hadn’t even looked up the legality of it. In the US, blackmail is specifically about demanding payment for not informing of a violation of US law, not for any other topics of gossip. It’s also a relatively minor offence. Many jurisdictions just treat it as a special case of extortion, which is severe, but unclear whether that’s because it’s often violent or because it’s bad on it’s own.]
It’s very unlikely that if someone would contemplate an action, that the action would be within the Overton window of the public debate and be expressed here.
Fair enough. I think my “no action proposed/expected” was mostly an expression of frustration that we don’t seem to have found any crux for the “debate”, and I don’t think anyone has changed their opinion based on it.
In retrospect for the debate, this makes it seem like a useless topic. In prospect, it was interesting and potentially useful (in that it could illuminate some aspect of morality of behavior). I’m trying to explore how I might know the difference next time such a topic becomes popular in these circles. Action probably isn’t it, but I’m not sure what is.