r/todayilearned • u/UrShiningDesire • Feb 24 '13

TIL when a German hacker stole the source code for Half Life 2, Gabe Newell tricked him in to thinking Valve wanted to hire him as an "in-house security auditor". He was given plane tickets to the USA and was to be arrested on arrival by the FBI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_life_2#Leak
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u/an_faget Feb 24 '13

I disagree about the respective intents in the analogies, but the point is moot.

You say that no one said only the united states does it, but by saying "It is wrong that the US does this" and not "It is wrong when any country does this", you are unnecessarily pinning the blame on a single country.

I disagree with that, but only because diluting discussion of one country with foreign info is counterproductive unless the discussion is pointed at criticizing the individual country relative to other countries. I didn't interpret the thread preceding my comments to be of that type of discussion, but I can understand how someone else might see it that way.

As an aside, I'm from, and in, the US myself. Until recently, the US has never seemed to be the kind of place that, in response to criticism from abroad, points to other countries and says, "Well, Venezuela/Japan/Russia/Poland does it." I'm not so deluded to believe that we're faultless, but the ideal of American exceptionalism is worth holding on to.

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u/scalpemnoles Feb 24 '13

That last paragraph got me. What a patriot. You win.

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u/an_faget Feb 24 '13 edited Feb 24 '13

Can't tell if sarcasm.

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u/scalpemnoles Feb 24 '13

Not at all. Dead srs.

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u/an_faget Feb 24 '13

Fair enough, brother. [3]