How We Got to Be So Self-Absorbed: The Long Story • Hacker News Board

Re: How We Got to Be So Self-Absorbed: The Long Story

#61

Post by matthewmacleod » Mon, Jun 25, 2018, 1:47 PM UTC

AmericanChopper wrote: post #60

matthewmacleod wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry again, but I couldn't disagree with you more. Like I said, it is down to each individual to make the best with what they have. I don't advocate anybody "wallowing in despair", but I do fully support objecting to structural inequality that denies people the opportunity to compete fairly. The only equality we can strive to achieve is equality of opportunity. Obviously. Although we could improve on this point,…

You agree that equality of opportunity is the only sort of equality we can hope to provide, and then spend the rest of your post rambling on about equality of outcomes. I have never in my life been denied an opportunity because of my background. No school ever considered my background before admitting me. No employer ever considered my upbringing before offering me a job. Again, unless you forcefully redistribute all…

You haven’t substantiated your argument that equality of opportunity doesn’t exist in any way, and you continue to advocate for people to focus on the unfairness of their circumstances, rather than what they can do about it. In life all you can do is play the cards your dealt, shaking your fist at the sky will get you exactly nowhere.

Okay pal, I'll have to stop this conversation here – because I literally advocated the exact opposite of that and it's clear that your views are set, you're not reading what I wrote, and you're unlikely to be convinced. All the best!

Re: How We Got to Be So Self-Absorbed: The Long Story

#62

Post by AmericanChopper » Mon, Jun 25, 2018, 6:45 PM UTC

matthewmacleod wrote: post #61

AmericanChopper wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You agree that equality of opportunity is the only sort of equality we can hope to provide, and then spend the rest of your post rambling on about equality of outcomes. I have never in my life been denied an opportunity because of my background. No school ever considered my background before admitting me. No employer ever considered my upbringing before offering me a job. Again, unless you forcefully redistribute all…

You haven’t substantiated your argument that equality of opportunity doesn’t exist in any way, and you continue to advocate for people to focus on the unfairness of their circumstances, rather than what they can do about it. In life all you can do is play the cards your dealt, shaking your fist at the sky will get you exactly nowhere. Okay pal, I'll have to stop this conversation here – because I literally advocated…

You advocate for everything at once. I’m not convinced you even know what your views are. You agreed that equality of opportunity is the only valid aspiration, and then post a wall of rambling text advocating for equality of outcomes. You said that personal responsibility is important, and then go on to advocate for personal victimhood, which aside from being a cancerous philosophy, is also the exact opposite. You haven’t conveyed a consistent line of thought throughout a single comment.

Re: How We Got to Be So Self-Absorbed: The Long Story

#63

Post by grigjd3 » Mon, Jun 25, 2018, 11:38 PM UTC

solarkraft wrote: post #52

grigjd3 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've been moralizing work in the US at least my whole life.

Productivity was also important before advanced civilization, though.

Let's keep our concepts where they belong. Moralizing work and productivity are not only different things, but come from different fields.