To some degree the “cutting your own leg off” strategy, whilst on the face of it is a funny gotcha, isn’t too dissimilar to a hunger strike, which can be effective. You put yourself in danger specifically to signal to others that yes, this is a serious issue and we’re not kidding around.
Acts of unlawful violence (whilst I don’t condone it) can also function as this same signal. In terms of news coverage, it has potential to build support by making it clear that the situation is extreme enough that some people are willing to go outside the law. The most obvious example is the 2024 assassination of Brian Thompson, United Healthcare CEO. It wasn’t widely condemned by the public, many of whom had sympathies with the killer. In fact it sparked a global conversation about the unethical behaviour of the company and the incentives in health insurance more broadly and arguably had a hand in changing policy in the short term.
To some degree the “cutting your own leg off” strategy, whilst on the face of it is a funny gotcha, isn’t too dissimilar to a hunger strike, which can be effective.
It’s pretty dissimilar. A hunger strike works because you can easily end it at any point. On the other hand, you can’t easily undo having your leg cut off.
That’s fair. It is different. More like a less extreme version of self-immolation, and I’m assuming that it’s done publicly and symbolically in order to create a news story. Something like “Woman cuts her own leg off to symbolise humanity harming itself, in extreme act of public protest outside Anthropic headquarters”. I admit there’s nothing to be gained in doing it in private at home and not telling anyone the reasons for it, which is probably the spirit in which the original post meant it.
To some degree the “cutting your own leg off” strategy, whilst on the face of it is a funny gotcha, isn’t too dissimilar to a hunger strike, which can be effective. You put yourself in danger specifically to signal to others that yes, this is a serious issue and we’re not kidding around.
Acts of unlawful violence (whilst I don’t condone it) can also function as this same signal. In terms of news coverage, it has potential to build support by making it clear that the situation is extreme enough that some people are willing to go outside the law. The most obvious example is the 2024 assassination of Brian Thompson, United Healthcare CEO. It wasn’t widely condemned by the public, many of whom had sympathies with the killer. In fact it sparked a global conversation about the unethical behaviour of the company and the incentives in health insurance more broadly and arguably had a hand in changing policy in the short term.
It’s pretty dissimilar. A hunger strike works because you can easily end it at any point. On the other hand, you can’t easily undo having your leg cut off.
That’s fair. It is different. More like a less extreme version of self-immolation, and I’m assuming that it’s done publicly and symbolically in order to create a news story. Something like “Woman cuts her own leg off to symbolise humanity harming itself, in extreme act of public protest outside Anthropic headquarters”. I admit there’s nothing to be gained in doing it in private at home and not telling anyone the reasons for it, which is probably the spirit in which the original post meant it.