A mechanism or tactic · 1985 · Retail
The counter sits between
The person who knows you is also the person who profits from you, and is paid to be there, and goes home at six. The relationship has an employer.
The distinction nobody makes: a parasocial bond feels the same whether the other end is a person, a corporation, a platform or a state. The counter sits between the two, and that middle is where the ethics live. It is also why the video store clerk is the right mascot for a site about this.
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