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This kind of article — provocative without providing substantial alternatives — rarely seems to produce a good discussion even without the word hate on the titl

This kind of article — provocative without providing substantial alternatives — rarely seems to produce a good discussion even without the word hate on the title.

jjj123 6y ago
Why is flagging a problem without having a solution a bad thing? This article offers a change in perspective, is that not enough to be worthy of HN?
- JesseObrien 6y ago
  I don't think it's a problem. It's another symptom of the min/maxing culture this article is taking aim at. There's a culture shift that's taken place in the last few years which says no one's allowed to complain unless they have a better solution. Seen it rearing it's head more recently in very rigid ways. From my observations, it kills creativity in it's tracks and instead of making everyone carefully consider what they complain about and solve problems better, it quashes anyone's ambition to say anything for fear of becoming a target. I've seen the targeting happen in such childish ways too. "If YOU think it's so shit, then YOU fix it."
  - foogazi 6y ago
    I was expecting an HN worthy submission but it seems very hollow - you shouldn’t work because AI
- gorgoiler 6y ago
  I don’t need a change in perspective. I need original research (or a summary thereof) on the implementation of universal basic income, controlled deflation of the housing and education loan bubbles, redistribution of resources (money, income, “wealth”, land, power), and a one hundred year plan to deal with the loss of NYC and London to the oceans. Something a little more substantial.
whack 6y ago
> The problem is that the kinds of jobs they often work in — customer services, food service and other forms of low-skilled labour — are now becoming increasingly susceptible to automation. This lays the foundations for a potential ‘cycle of immiseration’: machines increasingly substitute for young unskilled labour, which limits the ability of young people to invest in their own skill acquisition (education) and physical capital (housing etc.). This means they face a double disadvantage: increased susceptibility to automation and decreased capacity to upskill and uplift themselves. > This needs to be stopped. The economic progress of the past 200 years has brought many unquestioned benefits. But we should question whether compelling humans to work is essential to the continuation of that progress. The article doesn't say it clearly, but it seems to be recommending a Universal Basic Income, on a large scale. Or at least enough to allow for students to continue studying without having to work. A common response I've heard about the above proposal, is some variant of work-valorization. "People these days are just lazy and expect a handout. People should have to earn their keep. Working a job builds character, and is essential to a meaningful life." Presumably the author is responding to such statements.
- epicureanideal 6y ago
  Another solution that we don't seem to be seriously working on is educating more of the population, so we have more doctors and engineers. There's not a surplus of doctors. But it's more than just making the classes available. We also need to change the culture that is still somehow vaguely anti-nerd, anti-geek, anti-studying, even though everyone has smartphones and tablets and laptops open 24 hours per day. That's a harder task.

This kind of article — provocative without providing substantial alternatives — rarely seems to produce a good discussion even without the word hate on the title.

jjj123 6y ago

Why is flagging a problem without having a solution a bad thing? This article offers a change in perspective, is that not enough to be worthy of HN?

JesseObrien 6y ago
I don't think it's a problem. It's another symptom of the min/maxing culture this article is taking aim at. There's a culture shift that's taken place in the last few years which says no one's allowed to complain unless they have a better solution. Seen it rearing it's head more recently in very rigid ways. From my observations, it kills creativity in it's tracks and instead of making everyone carefully consider what they complain about and solve problems better, it quashes anyone's ambition to say anything for fear of becoming a target. I've seen the targeting happen in such childish ways too. "If YOU think it's so shit, then YOU fix it."
- foogazi 6y ago
  I was expecting an HN worthy submission but it seems very hollow - you shouldn’t work because AI
gorgoiler 6y ago
I don’t need a change in perspective. I need original research (or a summary thereof) on the implementation of universal basic income, controlled deflation of the housing and education loan bubbles, redistribution of resources (money, income, “wealth”, land, power), and a one hundred year plan to deal with the loss of NYC and London to the oceans. Something a little more substantial.

whack 6y ago

> The problem is that the kinds of jobs they often work in — customer services, food service and other forms of low-skilled labour — are now becoming increasingly susceptible to automation. This lays the foundations for a potential ‘cycle of immiseration’: machines increasingly substitute for young unskilled labour, which limits the ability of young people to invest in their own skill acquisition (education) and physical capital (housing etc.). This means they face a double disadvantage: increased susceptibility to automation and decreased capacity to upskill and uplift themselves. > This needs to be stopped. The economic progress of the past 200 years has brought many unquestioned benefits. But we should question whether compelling humans to work is essential to the continuation of that progress. The article doesn't say it clearly, but it seems to be recommending a Universal Basic Income, on a large scale. Or at least enough to allow for students to continue studying without having to work. A common response I've heard about the above proposal, is some variant of work-valorization. "People these days are just lazy and expect a handout. People should have to earn their keep. Working a job builds character, and is essential to a meaningful life." Presumably the author is responding to such statements.

epicureanideal 6y ago
Another solution that we don't seem to be seriously working on is educating more of the population, so we have more doctors and engineers. There's not a surplus of doctors. But it's more than just making the classes available. We also need to change the culture that is still somehow vaguely anti-nerd, anti-geek, anti-studying, even though everyone has smartphones and tablets and laptops open 24 hours per day. That's a harder task.