4 ms·

I don't think that sounds too bad. There's very few things in modern life that bothers me more than insurance. Somehow humans used to get by, helping each other

by Pigo 7y ago

I don't think that sounds too bad. There's very few things in modern life that bothers me more than insurance. Somehow humans used to get by, helping each other out when times were tough. I guess we're too bought in now to go back, but a healthy, single person can dream of not subsidizing teenagers livestreaming behind the wheel & overpriced medicine and unnecessary medical tests.

Balgair 7y ago
> Somehow humans used to get by, helping each other out when times were tough Not a big fan of history?[0] I've not run the grep on that data, but there aren't many years that didn't have an armed conflict going on (in just Europe). If anything, humans have only recently started helping each other to really any lasting degree. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Europe
- Pigo 7y ago
  I'm talking about when communities used to help individuals when they had a fire, a bad harvest, lost someone. Helping each other out on a smaller scale. That along with the church (which is why they had tax exemption) used to be our safety net. People still fell threw the cracks if they were in the wrong community, but a lot could be said for how poorly the system works now.
  - Balgair 7y ago
    I mean, the lens of history is firmly nearsighted on the aristocracy, so we don't have a lot of good data on the normal folk. But smaller communities were not any more or less nice than the larger ones. People are still just people. One somewhat clear example is the Huguenot riots of France after the Medieval warm period [0]. Towns would routinely tear themselves apart. Another is actual Socrates. He was killed for teaching the youth 'bad' things, essentially [1]. I'm not saying that people did not help each other out in times of stress. But I am saying that they did fly apart and go all murdery too. The past was not less rosy than the present, as far as we can tell. That lesson is very important, it means we have have power in our own lives and that our choice, your's and mine, have a lot of effects on those around us. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot_rebellions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot_rebellions [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Socrates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Socrates
perl4ever 7y ago
People used to get by without insurance because robust regulation is required to make an insurance industry viable. Unregulated insurance is a scam by default if there is no way to be sure anyone will pay out in the event.
- Pigo 7y ago
  I briefly worked at a insurance company. I sat through meetings where they actively strategized signing more people like myself up, and obfuscating the process for mothers and the elderly. I never looked at those companies the same way again.

by Pigo 7y ago

Balgair 7y ago

> Somehow humans used to get by, helping each other out when times were tough Not a big fan of history?[0] I've not run the grep on that data, but there aren't many years that didn't have an armed conflict going on (in just Europe). If anything, humans have only recently started helping each other to really any lasting degree. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conflicts_in_Europe

Pigo 7y ago
I'm talking about when communities used to help individuals when they had a fire, a bad harvest, lost someone. Helping each other out on a smaller scale. That along with the church (which is why they had tax exemption) used to be our safety net. People still fell threw the cracks if they were in the wrong community, but a lot could be said for how poorly the system works now.
- Balgair 7y ago
  I mean, the lens of history is firmly nearsighted on the aristocracy, so we don't have a lot of good data on the normal folk. But smaller communities were not any more or less nice than the larger ones. People are still just people. One somewhat clear example is the Huguenot riots of France after the Medieval warm period [0]. Towns would routinely tear themselves apart. Another is actual Socrates. He was killed for teaching the youth 'bad' things, essentially [1]. I'm not saying that people did not help each other out in times of stress. But I am saying that they did fly apart and go all murdery too. The past was not less rosy than the present, as far as we can tell. That lesson is very important, it means we have have power in our own lives and that our choice, your's and mine, have a lot of effects on those around us. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot_rebellions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot_rebellions [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Socrates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Socrates

perl4ever 7y ago

People used to get by without insurance because robust regulation is required to make an insurance industry viable. Unregulated insurance is a scam by default if there is no way to be sure anyone will pay out in the event.

Pigo 7y ago
I briefly worked at a insurance company. I sat through meetings where they actively strategized signing more people like myself up, and obfuscating the process for mothers and the elderly. I never looked at those companies the same way again.