3 ms·

No, no. Let's double down on the existing system. Also, we should eliminate fancy restaurants, because that's where rich people meet other rich people. And ni

No, no. Let's double down on the existing system. Also, we should eliminate fancy restaurants, because that's where rich people meet other rich people. And nice houses! Housing advantage is a clear indicator of classism. Now that I think of it, pretty much everyone in the US does better than rural Somalis. We should equalize the class divide by reducing the US standard of living until we're all equal.

rhacker 8y ago
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking everyone 1000 years from now, after we've decided how everyone should be will live in a 10x10x10 box with a screen that shows a beautiful mountain.
acangiano 8y ago
This is a great concept that will resonate with many young people. We could divide the resources equally among the population and no one would receive less than anybody else. I bet it will work out just fine and in no way lead to the death of millions of people.
wwweston 8y ago
If the point is that it'd be difficult and absurd to try and equalize all outcomes, that's reasonable enough. If the point is that any attempt to equalize an opportunities is conceptually the same, though, that's much less reasonable. Education is often one specific focus because it's in the overlap of (1) a common and early place where inequality of opportunity presents itself (2) early maximization of individual potential has potentially cascading effects (3) baseline tractable social projects (raising the ceiling on outcomes for everyone may be hard, but providing a reasonable floor more most is one thing it already does) (4) seems plausible that everyone benefits the more educated the population is (especially in a representative democracy). And while eliminating fancy restaurants may be absurd, if you're thinking about the question of when/why it might be important for poor people to meet rich people, then it may well be entirely worth trying to address that problem. To pick one issue near and dear to the heart of HN folks, access to capital is key for many entrepreneurial folks.

rhacker 8y ago

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking everyone 1000 years from now, after we've decided how everyone should be will live in a 10x10x10 box with a screen that shows a beautiful mountain.

acangiano 8y ago

This is a great concept that will resonate with many young people. We could divide the resources equally among the population and no one would receive less than anybody else. I bet it will work out just fine and in no way lead to the death of millions of people.

wwweston 8y ago

If the point is that it'd be difficult and absurd to try and equalize all outcomes, that's reasonable enough. If the point is that any attempt to equalize an opportunities is conceptually the same, though, that's much less reasonable. Education is often one specific focus because it's in the overlap of (1) a common and early place where inequality of opportunity presents itself (2) early maximization of individual potential has potentially cascading effects (3) baseline tractable social projects (raising the ceiling on outcomes for everyone may be hard, but providing a reasonable floor more most is one thing it already does) (4) seems plausible that everyone benefits the more educated the population is (especially in a representative democracy). And while eliminating fancy restaurants may be absurd, if you're thinking about the question of when/why it might be important for poor people to meet rich people, then it may well be entirely worth trying to address that problem. To pick one issue near and dear to the heart of HN folks, access to capital is key for many entrepreneurial folks.