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There is a very simple way to determine if a service is essential or not. If it existed 15 years ago it might be essential, but if it did not, then it is defini
by giglamesh 6y ago
There is a very simple way to determine if a service is essential or not. If it existed 15 years ago it might be essential, but if it did not, then it is definitely not essential. Human civilization arose and thrived for thousands of years without ride-share. We'll be fine (better off actually) without it.
- tomjen3 6y agoWhy 15 years? Why not 50? Or 150? By those measures BTW, antibiotics, modern sewers and (for the most part) vacinations aren't essential. And indeed they aren't, for the survival of the human race. They are, however, very important for the survival of individual humans.
- ollerac 6y agoThis is a terrible measure. The World Wide Web was invented only 30 years ago, yet it's arguably the single most essential service during this time. Without it, social distancing while keeping large parts of the economy alive wouldn't have even been an option. At the rate technology is becoming embedded into our daily lives, I think an arbitrary number of years is definitely not the way to decide whether something is essential. Context matters. What if instead of a pandemic that affects the lungs, the next one affects older people's ability to walk? Not very hard to imagine Uber being considered a 100% essential service at that point.
- drstewart 6y agoWell, you're right about one thing: that sure is a simple method. Useful? No. Effective? No. Meaningful? No. But definitely simple.