| From: | woneal@*******.NET |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Runner's Attitudes |
| Date: | Wed, 2 Jul 1997 20:33:11 -0005 |
> At 03:25 PM 7/2/97 -0005, woneal@*******.NET wrote:
> >On 1 Jul 97 at 23:24, Paul J. Adam wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> The mere fact that a target is a megacorporation doesn't change the
> >> financial cost of a given run against it, and your fixation that every
> >> run against any megacorp involves a cost of billions is the crux of the
> >> problem here. If the cost is small, the benefit of pursuit is similarly
> >> small.
> >
> > That's half the crux. I get the distinct impression that Bob
> thinks all
> >runners are pond scum, low-lives, street trash and rank amatuers. He
> >seems to think that there are no professionals in the shadow business,
> >that they are all lying, thieving criminals. That a very limit view of a
> >very diverse group. Obviously *some* runners fit into that category, but
> >there are plenty who don't.
>
> Yeah, they're are all those heroe's out there that are clean cut,
> wonderful people with no problems with society, and that's why they run
> the shadows rather than use their skills to a productive end. I mean,
> they learned all that great stuff at the corp and left because the corps
> are bad mean people. Or they learned it in the military because gov't's
> are all bad mean people. And now they run against corps and the gov't
> for other corps and gov't's and don't worry about killing because, of
> course, if you work for a corp, you aren't trying to feed your family and
> be a good member of society, you're one of the bad mean people who's
> bringing down the world with your crimes. You know, you kill people.
> Oh, and shadowrunners who do are different. They're heroes of the common
> man. You know, that ones that work at corps and try to be a productive
> member of society. But not ones you encounter. Those are all bad mean
> people, and shadowrunners are heroes and great guys. Yeah!
>
My we are feeling sarcastic aren't we. Borrowed Bob's blinders did you?
No, they aren't heroes of the common man, and no where did I say or imply
that. What I did say is that not all of them are street punks. Why go to
extremes here? It's not a case of either/or, there is more to it than
either you are a low life piece of gutter trash OR a hero of the people.
There's all those thousand shades of grey in between. How about the guy
in the middle who's lived through a few runs, trys not to kill people
unless he has too, has enough skill to make him reasonably good at what he
does and avoids screwing people over. Why does he run? Maybe he's just a
social misfit, not a bad person, just never fit in. Maybe he's on the run
from something (the law, and ex wife, pick a reason). The point is, there
are lots of things to play beside some violent scum of the earth type and
the "hero of the common man" you described.
Course if you want to play scum of the earth, be my guest. In which case
I think you probably can expect one of Bob's manhunts. There is a huge
difference between a runner with some restraint and professionalism and
some punk who gets his thrills from random violence. But I've said that
before as well.
--
Ashlocke
(woneal@*******.net)
"We shall never be able to remove suspicion and fear
as potential causes of war until communication is
permitted to flow, free and open, across international
boundries." -- Harry S. Truman
