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What have these people done to deserve such treatment? Have they made strides to further their education? Have they embraced modernity? And where has that "pull

What have these people done to deserve such treatment? Have they made strides to further their education? Have they embraced modernity? And where has that "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality gone? As far as I can tell, the coal industry a small, whiny, retrograde minority that refuse to engage with reality. They done nothing for me except ruin my future from the other side of the continent.

AnimalMuppet 8y ago
> Have they embraced modernity? Wow. Sounds like you ought to embrace modernity, specifically the part about tolerance for others who are different from you. As for the substance of your question: They vote. We're talking several states' worth of voters, who will turn against anybody who advocates your position as a political platform. So, politically, if you want to kill coal, you have to not dead-end these people, no matter what you think of them personally.
- adamwong246 8y ago
  I'm sorry but this election has taught me the limits to my own tolerance. My patience for "The Reds" is exhausted. As someone who grew up in these places, I can tell you without hesitation: These people won't change. They despise change. They don't want new jobs, any more than they want healthcare. What they want is endless adoration and rose-tinted nostalgia. The coal industry is a racehorse with a broken leg and it should be treated as such. And if coal miners can't figure that out, they shouldn't be accommodated.
- mikeash 8y ago
  Why should I have tolerance for someone who thinks their need to keep an obsolete job is more important than my need to not die?
  - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
    Those who lose those obsolete jobs have a higher probability of dying than you do. The stress literally kills people, even if they don't commit suicide or wind up addicted to opioids.
    - mikeash 8y ago
      Sure, but there are way more of us so the harm is far larger. Coal currently kills about a million people a year worldwide, and thousands in the US. And I don’t even want them to become destitute! I just want to help them move on to a better job. Meanwhile they apparently don’t care that they’re dumping poison into the air. Why should I tolerate that?
      - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
        > Meanwhile they apparently don’t care that they’re dumping poison into the air. And what would you regard as signs of "caring"? If they quit their job? In a region with no other jobs, you want them to voluntarily quit to show that they "care"? If not that, what? The rest of your post is fine. This one sentence, though, is pretty judgmental.
        mikeash 8y ago
        A sign of caring would be not supporting politicians who want to subsidize their industry so that it can continue to poison the world long after it stops being economically viable.

AnimalMuppet 8y ago

> Have they embraced modernity? Wow. Sounds like you ought to embrace modernity, specifically the part about tolerance for others who are different from you. As for the substance of your question: They vote. We're talking several states' worth of voters, who will turn against anybody who advocates your position as a political platform. So, politically, if you want to kill coal, you have to not dead-end these people, no matter what you think of them personally.

adamwong246 8y ago
I'm sorry but this election has taught me the limits to my own tolerance. My patience for "The Reds" is exhausted. As someone who grew up in these places, I can tell you without hesitation: These people won't change. They despise change. They don't want new jobs, any more than they want healthcare. What they want is endless adoration and rose-tinted nostalgia. The coal industry is a racehorse with a broken leg and it should be treated as such. And if coal miners can't figure that out, they shouldn't be accommodated.
mikeash 8y ago
Why should I have tolerance for someone who thinks their need to keep an obsolete job is more important than my need to not die?
- AnimalMuppet 8y ago
  Those who lose those obsolete jobs have a higher probability of dying than you do. The stress literally kills people, even if they don't commit suicide or wind up addicted to opioids.
  - mikeash 8y ago
    Sure, but there are way more of us so the harm is far larger. Coal currently kills about a million people a year worldwide, and thousands in the US. And I don’t even want them to become destitute! I just want to help them move on to a better job. Meanwhile they apparently don’t care that they’re dumping poison into the air. Why should I tolerate that?
    - AnimalMuppet 8y ago
      > Meanwhile they apparently don’t care that they’re dumping poison into the air. And what would you regard as signs of "caring"? If they quit their job? In a region with no other jobs, you want them to voluntarily quit to show that they "care"? If not that, what? The rest of your post is fine. This one sentence, though, is pretty judgmental.
      - mikeash 8y ago
        A sign of caring would be not supporting politicians who want to subsidize their industry so that it can continue to poison the world long after it stops being economically viable.