United Airlines Exposes Our Twisted Idea of Dignity: Bloomberg View

[Stuart G]

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-04-18/united-airlines-exposes-our-twisted-idea-of-dignity

by Cathy O'Neil
April 18, 2017 7:30 AM EDT

The outrage surrounding United Airlines’ brutal treatment of a customer has made one thing crystal clear: The story isn’t really about airline travel, overbooking policies or even consumer rights. It’s about the nature of dignity itself, and it doesn’t reflect well on the society it has so preoccupied.

The algorithm that decided to bump Dr. David Dao from an overbooked flight was trained to find the “lowest value customer” to inconvenience -- a coach passenger, naturally, not a business traveler, but also a passenger who had paid less than others and wasn’t a rewards member. In addition, the algorithm considered the immediate cost to the airline of bumping someone, which meant avoiding families, or requiring an overnight stay, to save reimbursement fees.

This all makes sense. Companies build algorithms to protect their interests, which in this case are profits. It illustrates how, in the age of big data, the customer has gone from an unknowable chap who might expect standard good treatment to a sized-up marketing category that can easily become expendable. Farewell to quaint sayings such as “the customer is always right.” We have been separated by our potential to generate income, and we can expect no more than what we’re worth.

There are countless examples like this online. For example, the websites of various companies -- including Capital One Financial Corp. -- have used data from people’s computers to help determine their value as customers and decide what specific products or perks to offer them. Some companies even size you up when you call customer service numbers. If you’re high-value, you get connected to an agent quickly. If not, you can stay on hold indefinitely.

[Wednesdays]

1. Bloomberg's readers: "You say that like it's a bad thing." nt

nt

[delisen]

2. To Be Treated with Dignity Based Upon Our Humanity-this is what the future is about

We are not going to have equality if we keep viewing people through an 18th century economics lens of the industrial revolution.

Dr Dao had no value to United on grounds of humanity because United views people only a economic units,

He had some value to United base on his economic worth to them, but it was low based upon their algorithm. He could therefore be sacrificed to United's economic self-interest, and then brutalized because United's business model doesn't not recognize humanity.

Many of the other passengers, however, recognized his humanity and his right to be treated with dignity and respect.

This is why human rights is more fundamental than jobs. It is related to why people do vote against their economic self-interest.

We should not be surprised when they do so. We also often vote against our own economic self-interest. If the day comes when we never do so, we will be living in a completely inhumane world.

[gopiscrap]

3. all for profit business is fucking evil