4 ms·

We do not have a good way to run a society where elderly people substantially outnumber young people. A shrinking population is not necessarily a problem. A r

We do not have a good way to run a society where elderly people substantially outnumber young people. A shrinking population is not necessarily a problem. A rapidly shrinking population is.

MilStdJunkie 3y ago
"A wild Correct Answer appears" Speaking as a "rapidly becoming old person" myself, something we always dodge around is that old people aren't good for a whole lot. I mean, you'll see, but I'd estimate I have about fifty percent the hustle, physically. Mentally, I'm just not as . . eh . . exuberant? I guess I'm slower, but I'm also not crazy. I don't work as hard on other people's dumb ideas - I mean, sure, I'll help out, sure, do what I can, but I'm not spending a week without sleep on it. I guess you get a good intuition for what's going to crash and burn and what's got legs. That's actually a negative in your employables. The Overlords want people to jump when they say jump, even if it's off a cliff.
oliwarner 3y ago
Funding pension and institutional investment on a pyramid scheme of infinite growth is definitely the problem. But this isn't something that can be gradually fixed. Capitalism —at least this version of it— has to go.
- friend_and_foe 3y ago
  How do you take care of non productive old people with very few productive young people? You call it a pyramid scheme, I don't see how you socialize caring for old people in away that cannot be classified that way. Perhaps the solution is to take care of your parents and if someone didn't have the foresight to have kids they're on their own? Pyramid scheme averted.
  - oliwarner 3y ago
    That's not the pyramid I mean. It's too expensive to have kids because housing (and to a significant but much lesser extent fuel) prices are out of control. The infinite growth pyramid that's the problem is that banks, governments and pensions all rely on real estate doubling in value every 10 years. They have for decades but we're at a point now where people can't even afford rents in some places. The Welltodos in their 50s and 60s have hoovered up a large bank of properties in the past few recessions with a view they can sit back and make their 8%. It can't carry on. This euphemism, "global fertility" is the side effect that our economics is utterly unsustainable. And no, I don't have a solution.

We do not have a good way to run a society where elderly people substantially outnumber young people. A shrinking population is not necessarily a problem. A rapidly shrinking population is.

MilStdJunkie 3y ago

"A wild Correct Answer appears" Speaking as a "rapidly becoming old person" myself, something we always dodge around is that old people aren't good for a whole lot. I mean, you'll see, but I'd estimate I have about fifty percent the hustle, physically. Mentally, I'm just not as . . eh . . exuberant? I guess I'm slower, but I'm also not crazy. I don't work as hard on other people's dumb ideas - I mean, sure, I'll help out, sure, do what I can, but I'm not spending a week without sleep on it. I guess you get a good intuition for what's going to crash and burn and what's got legs. That's actually a negative in your employables. The Overlords want people to jump when they say jump, even if it's off a cliff.

oliwarner 3y ago

Funding pension and institutional investment on a pyramid scheme of infinite growth is definitely the problem. But this isn't something that can be gradually fixed. Capitalism —at least this version of it— has to go.

friend_and_foe 3y ago
How do you take care of non productive old people with very few productive young people? You call it a pyramid scheme, I don't see how you socialize caring for old people in away that cannot be classified that way. Perhaps the solution is to take care of your parents and if someone didn't have the foresight to have kids they're on their own? Pyramid scheme averted.
- oliwarner 3y ago
  That's not the pyramid I mean. It's too expensive to have kids because housing (and to a significant but much lesser extent fuel) prices are out of control. The infinite growth pyramid that's the problem is that banks, governments and pensions all rely on real estate doubling in value every 10 years. They have for decades but we're at a point now where people can't even afford rents in some places. The Welltodos in their 50s and 60s have hoovered up a large bank of properties in the past few recessions with a view they can sit back and make their 8%. It can't carry on. This euphemism, "global fertility" is the side effect that our economics is utterly unsustainable. And no, I don't have a solution.