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So, the people who are flushing the world down the toilet with finance and adtech will finally use their powers for good... if we'd just give them a meager stip

• lifeplusplus 6y ago
  in usa most people live paycheck to paycheck. Who are in tech/finance/medical field just can afford few more checks. If you have mortgage then you pretty much in constant need of constant income, or outcome is losing a house. On a scale severe consequences that is pretty detrimental your wellbeing. Also spending $10k to "help" someone in a country where people survive on $80 annually is an oxymoron, just the plane ticket could have supported entire village. They don't lack in man power but resources. In my view, people who go there are mostly self indulgent. Exception being medical professionals. Open source is testament to people's will to do things that are creative and for greater good. we are after all community oriented creatures it makes sense we would have traits that benefit community as a whole. The modern answer to what human civilization ought to be is fundamentally anti-human. It's so far removed from how humans have lived for entirety. Humans always have lived as a village not just as family units. Land used to be owned by tribes, if you were born in the tribe, the land was already yours to build. Family (ultra socialism), Tribe, (extreme socialism), Village (mix of socialism), between outsiders (capitalism) now it's not mutually beneficial and equitable. connection with tribe has been replaced with 'work'. where your efforts are rewarded with least possible amount other party can get away with. And can be 'outcasted' on a whim. I don't know what's the answer, but first step must be to recognize it. although we don't know why, but we have all yearned at some point to be sitting around large campfire and listen to stories from mid size group of people and have laughs. because it was given and normal, and then lost. but our nature remembers it.
  • chaganated 6y ago
    > in usa most people live paycheck to paycheck give them more money, and they will still live p2p. > spending $10k to "help" someone in a country where people... Never mentioned that. Did mention that many people in the developed world already have enough assets to retire comfortably in a developing country. From there, they would have the time and the money to "do things that are creative and for the greater good," yet very few people avail themselves of this opportunity. > Family (ultra socialism), Tribe, (extreme socialism), Village (mix of socialism), between outsiders (capitalism) Socialism/Capitalism are industrial age concepts. Industrial society as a precondition of proper socialism was a major sticking-point in early soviet Russia, being that they wanted socialism, yet had little industry. Family/tribe/village is blood. > I don't know what's the answer, but first step must be to recognize it. I know that UBI isn't it. Whether it's socialism or capitalism, competition remains. Socialists jockey for power and position just like the capitalists. In a competition, if you give everyone the same "Universal Basic" leg-up, it stops being a leg-up. It's point-inflation! Since we are speaking of governments & financial systems rather than games, that leg-up is pernicious. The poor will remain poor, the rich will remain rich, yet it will reduce many people in the middle into dependency -- without the subsidy (& corresponding price inflation), they could cover their necessities without assistance, but with the subsidy, and with the inflation, the transfer payment goes from "nice to have" to necessity. It turns democratic process on its head -- another "third rail" for politicians, corporations, non-profits, NGOs to scare/blackmail voters with. > we have all yearned at some point to be sitting around large campfire and... I respect your Uncle Ted vision. Maybe you should read what old Ted wrote about leftists in general?
    • lifeplusplus 6y ago
      I agree with points, but wanted to add that it's acceptable to think that some people in natural economic system will become poor due to being sick, mental problems, addictions and so on. But it's dangerous to claim that all poor and even any significant percentage of poor people are poor due to their traits. It's not that having certain traits could bring them out of poverty but rather for the large majority the only difference between people who are rich and poor is luck, cards they were dealt. If we assume people spend first on necessities and then on luxury, which is pretty reasonable assumption, then UBI would increase consumption of necessities far more. Which would cause inflation in prices of those things, but over long run the supply chain would adjust bringing the prices back to equilibrium. Are there people who have no idea how to spend money, yes! Often this is just not poors but can be children of ultra rich, who never saw money as limited resource and by the third generation have squandered all of inherited wealth. It's valid concern that inflation would destroy the middle class. But assuming inflation is end result isn't the full picture. More money => higher demand => higher prices => more profit => increase in supply => more supply => lower prices. So over time prices come back down, perhaps not where they were before money supply increased but definitely not at peak. With that said UBI for bottom 50% is going to become more and more required as digitization, automation, and AI makes it that few people can own entire industries. There was a point where advances in tech would just mean new types of jobs but always more jobs... lost typewritters but gained more computer clerks. But now tech is at point where advances reduces total amount of jobs. Soon cab drivers, cashiers, pilots, teachers and much more is going to be replaced with technological solutions that scale without humans. The trend would eventually lead to 60%+ being unemployable and you only need so many people to write code. So yes i think post industrial society is flawed. UBI would alleviate some pain and symptoms, even if there are bad actors.