If it is any consolation I've upvoted all you. I think in many ways things are better (I don't even think when I put stuff in my grocery basket, and I buy "expe

If it is any consolation I've upvoted all you. I think in many ways things are better (I don't even think when I put stuff in my grocery basket, and I buy "expensive" humane stuff) but in many ways things are harder. Programmers are in a social class where certain goods are really expensive in either time or money or both and because housing is so out of reach for some people it just feels impossible to even get a downpayment. I also really think that two forces have simultaneously make the west worse. First, we try to educate everyone in the same subjects until they're almost adults. It's dumb. The level of skill you can get working with wood or computers from the age of 5 just pales in comparison with what you can pickup at 18. There should be a baseline, absolutely, but there should also be a measurable amount of tailored specialization from a young age. The second thing that is making the west worse is an absolutism on thinking about rights around property. Car-centric cultures are so stupid and inefficient. Everyone builds their own pool. Everyone builds their own gym. Nobody is happy because we're all separated from each other.