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Everytime I read one of these articles I get the feeling that I'm reading a report from the village elders that people have never been fuller or more prosperous

by jgon 4y ago

Everytime I read one of these articles I get the feeling that I'm reading a report from the village elders that people have never been fuller or more prosperous now that we've consumed all our seed corn. We just need to keep eating all the corn we can, and let's not worry about winter because our priests (engineers) tell us they'll probably find a way around it. I don't know, maybe its the background environment that I've spent my whole life growing up in, but every time I read this I'm always left asking what it is that I don't know/can't see, especially when it comes to the billionaire class. Do they have access to different reports that suggest global warming won't be as devastating as the scientific consensus broadly predicts? Is it nihilism/sociopathy, aka I'll be dead by the time it gets bad and I can't feel any sort of connection/care for my offspring, let alone my fellow humans? At the risk of memeing, is there a project to build Elysium going on that us plebs don't know about and that's what SpaceX/Blue Origin is all about? I just find it hard to square what the current message is wrt to global warming, a message that appears highly credible to my lay understanding, with the behaviour of the people who have the power to help nudge the direction our society is headed. Does anyone else get this, or have thoughts on it? I am genuinely asking here, because I can't resolve the contradiction and it weighs on me.

sfink 4y ago
The Elysium is already here, it's just less separate than you imagine. The $100M and billionaire classes are quite good at wresting a higher standard of living for themselves, and naturally select for those who feel separate from and superior to the unwashed masses. They're not thinking they'll be dead by the time it matters, they are concerned about their offspring, they just know that their offspring won't be the ones suffering. Large disruptions always create opportunities for a limited subset of people to do even better at the cost of everyone else doing much worse. The billionaire class is doing everything in their control to be in that elite subset, and so far they've been quite successful at that and there really isn't any reason in sight as to why their approach is going to fail any time soon. Elysium is made out of people who live among us for as long as it is advantageous to them to do so, who can pay reputation consultants to keep the mobs with pitchforks away, who are pouring their money and influence into promoting a culture that makes everyone feel like the elite deserve their exalted positions and that if you don't feel that way, you're at risk of losing your chance of getting up there to be with them. And making us feel like that chance is real, it's just a breakout app away, and you'd better keep playing the game or you'll be driven into medical bankruptcy and your kids will get shot at school.
- jgon 4y ago
  I kind of hear you, but honestly I have to question even that? If it is less separate than I can imagine how does that work in the face of catastrophic global warming? It was one thing when elites could pull the strings in one nation, knowing if things go real they go just hop on a private jet, but global warming is just that, global. Everyone is going to feel the consequences, and that's not even talking about other resources such as food, raw materials, etc. You can't just have a bunker in New Zealand, unless you also plan to just live in the bunker for years and years? I guess what I am trying to say is that Elysium is plausible because it's literally "up there". Riding out the second half of this century on earth seems waaaaaay different to me.
Out_of_Characte 4y ago
Global warming has a lot of mixed bias messaging. Scientists claim the earth is warming News organisations gain more traction on fear-based claims regardless of motive Politicians need to express their utmost urgency on whatever the above mentions And yet there's no actual consensus on a realistic action plan. Like preventing a homocide before it happens. What point is there in preventing something that might not actually prevent anything but make it worse. To carry on like nothing's happening is the most rational choice. Like the food shortage that didn't happen. Best to wait and see what crisis is most real and most urgent to prevent

by jgon 4y ago

sfink 4y ago

The Elysium is already here, it's just less separate than you imagine. The $100M and billionaire classes are quite good at wresting a higher standard of living for themselves, and naturally select for those who feel separate from and superior to the unwashed masses. They're not thinking they'll be dead by the time it matters, they are concerned about their offspring, they just know that their offspring won't be the ones suffering. Large disruptions always create opportunities for a limited subset of people to do even better at the cost of everyone else doing much worse. The billionaire class is doing everything in their control to be in that elite subset, and so far they've been quite successful at that and there really isn't any reason in sight as to why their approach is going to fail any time soon. Elysium is made out of people who live among us for as long as it is advantageous to them to do so, who can pay reputation consultants to keep the mobs with pitchforks away, who are pouring their money and influence into promoting a culture that makes everyone feel like the elite deserve their exalted positions and that if you don't feel that way, you're at risk of losing your chance of getting up there to be with them. And making us feel like that chance is real, it's just a breakout app away, and you'd better keep playing the game or you'll be driven into medical bankruptcy and your kids will get shot at school.

jgon 4y ago
I kind of hear you, but honestly I have to question even that? If it is less separate than I can imagine how does that work in the face of catastrophic global warming? It was one thing when elites could pull the strings in one nation, knowing if things go real they go just hop on a private jet, but global warming is just that, global. Everyone is going to feel the consequences, and that's not even talking about other resources such as food, raw materials, etc. You can't just have a bunker in New Zealand, unless you also plan to just live in the bunker for years and years? I guess what I am trying to say is that Elysium is plausible because it's literally "up there". Riding out the second half of this century on earth seems waaaaaay different to me.

Out_of_Characte 4y ago

Global warming has a lot of mixed bias messaging. Scientists claim the earth is warming News organisations gain more traction on fear-based claims regardless of motive Politicians need to express their utmost urgency on whatever the above mentions And yet there's no actual consensus on a realistic action plan. Like preventing a homocide before it happens. What point is there in preventing something that might not actually prevent anything but make it worse. To carry on like nothing's happening is the most rational choice. Like the food shortage that didn't happen. Best to wait and see what crisis is most real and most urgent to prevent