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Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

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Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#801

Post by account42 »

swatcoder wrote: post #36

People notice and express this pattern every year for all of recorded history. People also express the opposite, seemingly as often and seemingly as perpetually. It might just be subjective. There are countless things to see in the world and you can make a list of examples affirming whatever you want to (or dread to) believe.

> People notice and express this pattern every year for all of recorded history. People also express the opposite, seemingly as often and seemingly as perpetually.

These are not incompatible observations. The likely truth is that some things are getting better - but that should not mean that we need to tolerate other things getting worse. If housing is becoming less affordable then that is not mitigated by availability of shiny gadgets.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#802

Post by account42 »

ryan93 wrote: post #289
keiferski wrote: post #89

This is pretty much just the inevitable consequence of a market-based, individualist society that is obsessed with removing any standards or expectations on behavior, cultural output, language use, dress, or anything else. Unfortunately, I don't expect things to improve until people start caring about their local communities (i.e. the other people around them) and "Society" in general in a concrete, actionable way, a…

Probably hard to do without religion. Dont mention europe. They have marginally larger governments.

Do we really need religion to care about other people? Perhaps we could first try to limit how much some individuals can extract from society and then redistribute that wealth to make people feel appreciated for contributing to society.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#804

Post by account42 »

talkingtab wrote: post #414

People, humane beings, have grown and prospered in the past because they were able to form and act as communities. We are good, really good at that. If you want a modern example of how effective functional communities can be, you can look at the Ukraine. Or at revolutionary war era Americans. Or hunting mastodons to extinction. As communities we do exceedingly well. If you take away our ability to form and act as com…

The internet is no less made of people than any other community. The ads, the tracking, the fanaticism - that all is not done by the internet but by corporations and organizations that exist here in the real world. The problem is not the internet. The problem is that we do not hold people accountable for their negative externalities - on the internel and elsewhere.

I do agree with your more general point that a lot of todays ills stem from individualism, aka a lack of focus on community though.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#805

Post by account42 »

jfalcon wrote: post #748
acjohnson55 wrote: post #464

I think it's hard to pick an overall narrative, because the world is complicated, memory is unreliable, and what's actually visible to regular people changes with the times. In many ways, I think the trend for the individual person's most likely experience has been sharply positive over the past century. I share your frustration with the level of unpunished grift and abuse of power in our society, but I suspect that…

Uh... there is governance. >- Nuclear Weapons The several non-nuclear proliferation treaties and disarmament talks that have reduced the number of warheads down by about 2/3? Just because there may be more "threat actors" doesn't mean that we're not safer. Look at South Africa, it was a nuclear power and gave it back. >- Genetic Engineering There are many laws in place. Some that are even hampering valid benefit (Umb…

> The several non-nuclear proliferation treaties and disarmament talks that have reduced the number of warheads down by about 2/3? Just because there may be more "threat actors" doesn't mean that we're not safer.

That's exactly what it means. That the US and Russia can only kill the world two times over instead of three times is irrelevant. It only takes one actor for a nuclear catastrophe.

> Look at South Africa, it was a nuclear power and gave it back.

And if think any more contries are going to give up their Nukes after how well that is working out for Ukraine, think again.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#806

Post by account42 »

coliveira wrote: post #478

Regarding subscription services, most people don't know how to use them. I use subscription services, but I only pay for the time I use. For example, if I need an app today, I will pay the subscription and cancel it next week when I need to do something else. I subscribe Netflix to watch one or two series, and cancel after it is done. Most people think it makes sense to keep paying a subscription for months on end, j…

Having to "manage" your subscriptions is itself a decline over one-off payments. I shouldn't have to remember to cancel a subscription. That's why I avoid almost all subscriptions - my only atomatically recurring payments are housing, internet/mobile connection and my VPS. That's getting harder and also more expensive all the time though as subscriptions for everything become the norm.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#807

Post by account42 »

Tool_of_Society wrote: post #102

I would like to point out that prior to the EPA rivers and lakes catching on fire was a yearly thing in some sections of this country. Yes pollution is still a thing but it's NOTHING like it used to be.

The EPA is 50 years old. Older than many of us. OP is not saying that things have never gottent better, only that (some) things currently seem to be getting worse.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#808

Post by adamhp »

lamontcg wrote: post #203
maerF0x0 wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the stock trading in congress is another one for your list. I sometimes feel like America is the most corrupt country I've ever encountered. it's not overt like "Pay me $50 and you can avoid a ticket" but it's pernicious and wide spread. - Law makers trade on what they're going to vote prior to voting it - charging people a different price for the exact same procedure, at the same location, under the same market…

Yeah America has largely avoided the little corruptions like the cops shaking you down for money, but we've got massive amounts of large corruption instead. Although the way that corporations are looking for any kind of new parasitic revenue stream they can find (flip around displays with tip amounts growing everywhere) are sort of a kinder, gentler style of little corruptions.

We've just got the cops that will murder you in cold blood for looking at them wrong. I think I'd take the $50 get out of jail free card, if I could.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#809

Post by Zircom »

thrwawy74 wrote: post #159
Zircom wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>being a grown-ass adult in pajamas out in public I'm with you about all the other things but people wearing whatever clothes they want to affects you in literally no way shape or form.

I disagree with this. People - at not just Walmart - with brown stains on the rear, or pajamas that don't cover their butt. :x

Okay except I didn't say anything about people with literal shit stains or exposing themselves, stop putting words in my mouth. Both of the things you mentioned can apply to ANY kind of clothing.

Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?

#810

Post by maerF0x0 »

somethoughts wrote: post #573
maerF0x0 wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear what you're saying. Things are improving, but what share do I have in it? Another angle is if I struggle and work hard, what rewards accrue to others, and what do I get in return? The ROI on effort seems to be dwindling cause fakes are crowding out the real hard workers. And the buyers (ie wealthy investors) cant seem to tell the difference between expertise and bald faced lies. (I blame social media and rise…

A mind shift (that might help) is to realize that if you have a 401K or IRA or pension - which if you are on HN you have at likely at least have some modicum amount likely - then you are an indirect beneficiary by these profit seeking moves. From the distribution chart it seems most of the US stock market is owned via IRAs/401Ks/defined benefits and insurance versus individual accounts. [1] Those evil corporate landl…

That's also a good point. Boomers legislated themselves to a bunch of entitlements at my expense, whilst simultaneously cutting any sort of good for my (and subsequent) generations.
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