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My thoughts exactly. You can't base a person/nation's health on extraordinary events. The article sounds a lot like saying "ohhh, I'm hangover, better drink mor

My thoughts exactly. You can't base a person/nation's health on extraordinary events. The article sounds a lot like saying "ohhh, I'm hangover, better drink more so that I don't suffer from it". This is one of the things that are very wrong with a lot of people in charges: they want magical solutions, quick fixes for the next elections. It's true the real solutions, the long term ones, the ones that matter most, are hard to set up right: education, research, building trust, leading by example... And it's far easier to sell a new gold rush: people love those stories, it gives hope, it's fun and simple to comprehend. Even better, it puts the blame on the people instead of the leaders since if they don't live the great life, it's because they failed to grab the opportunity. The American dream in essence. The fact that there can be only so many gold rushes, so many factions that will have the control of it (and the others can go to hell), and so many people from those factions that will actually benefit from those are not issues that will occur to the minds of the targets of this strategy. It's why it's such a good one.

pm90 9y ago
I agree that "gold rushes" shouldn't absolve leaders of their responsibility in fixing (or trying to fix) some of the fundamental problems of our economy. But it is a fact that these gold rushes, which I'm assuming are events when entirely new markets are developed/open up, are a huge stimulus to the economy and young people in particular. The discovery of and refining of Oil set off a gold rush. So did the spread of the internet. The problem with such kind of events in the future seems to be that the workers would require a high degree of education to participate. e.g. if there is an AI gold rush, the demand would seem to be mostly for people who know CS fundamentals, math and AI principles. But maybe I'm underestimating people; a lot of wildcatters started off as oil workers, learned skills and then moved up the chain.
- sametmax 9y ago
  > are a huge stimulus to the economy and young people in particular. Sure a gold rush is always good. However one's life should be based on the normal, not the exceptional. Otherwise it's completely unstable. You should definitely embrace the exceptional when it happens, you may even look for it or try to trigger it, but it should not be a sine qua non condition for you having a decent life. > in the future seems to be that the workers would require a high degree of education to participate It may be a good thing. Right now, society promote art and sports are mean to become rich. We communicate value about violence, sex, money, owning stuff, power... If suddenly the media see a gold rush and promote "hey, to become rich, educate yourself and try to make a dent in the world." that would not be so bad. After all, the 2000 bubble did a HUGE service to all the nerds. We are way cooler than we used to be, and our life is way easier now.

pm90 9y ago

I agree that "gold rushes" shouldn't absolve leaders of their responsibility in fixing (or trying to fix) some of the fundamental problems of our economy. But it is a fact that these gold rushes, which I'm assuming are events when entirely new markets are developed/open up, are a huge stimulus to the economy and young people in particular. The discovery of and refining of Oil set off a gold rush. So did the spread of the internet. The problem with such kind of events in the future seems to be that the workers would require a high degree of education to participate. e.g. if there is an AI gold rush, the demand would seem to be mostly for people who know CS fundamentals, math and AI principles. But maybe I'm underestimating people; a lot of wildcatters started off as oil workers, learned skills and then moved up the chain.

sametmax 9y ago
> are a huge stimulus to the economy and young people in particular. Sure a gold rush is always good. However one's life should be based on the normal, not the exceptional. Otherwise it's completely unstable. You should definitely embrace the exceptional when it happens, you may even look for it or try to trigger it, but it should not be a sine qua non condition for you having a decent life. > in the future seems to be that the workers would require a high degree of education to participate It may be a good thing. Right now, society promote art and sports are mean to become rich. We communicate value about violence, sex, money, owning stuff, power... If suddenly the media see a gold rush and promote "hey, to become rich, educate yourself and try to make a dent in the world." that would not be so bad. After all, the 2000 bubble did a HUGE service to all the nerds. We are way cooler than we used to be, and our life is way easier now.