We have gone the other way during my lifetime in the UK. Once there was a time when every single shop in the local town was closed on a Sunday and most of the s

We have gone the other way during my lifetime in the UK. Once there was a time when every single shop in the local town was closed on a Sunday and most of the shops were closed on a Wednesday afternoon. The banks were only open from 10 until 3. There were very few convenience stores open until late in the evening. The choice of late night fast food options comprised of a couple of fish and chips shops or a couple of restaurants. It was also possible for families to have just the one parent out working. That parent would also be back home in time to watch the six o clock news. People did not go on two hour commutes. We accepted all of the changes positively. For instance, it was great that women could now do the same jobs as men. It was nice to have the shops open when you were not working. It was convenient to be able to buy stuff late in the evenings, including alcohol from places other than pubs. Sundays were not boring or difficult if you had run out of milk. Education in those days was also about preparing the younger generation for a future where there would be leisure time. On the syllabus were lessons on how to use that time. But it did not pan out, this generation ended up working more hours than what the teachers imagined, paying for their education, being burdened with debts, unable to afford a home and having to sit in traffic jams on absurd commutes. Why do we do this? There is a rent-seeking class that we collectively have to pay for. The few that own the property, that have the capital and don't actually work. Sure they work, making sure that people pay their rents, but this work does not add value to the economy. We were sold this as 'trickle down economics' where the rich, by having more money, would have more crusts available for the poor. None of us can step out of this situation. To do so would involve loss of the roof over one's head, destitution and worse. We just have to do the best we can and hope matters somehow improve for the next generation. In the world of programming we can carve a niche working differently, to escape the tyranny of modern day capitalism. But nobody is of the strength to get into office and un-do the changes that have been made to society by the neoliberal revolution.