Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

newyorker.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

361–370 of 381 posts

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#361

Post by wutbrodo »

mlom wrote: post #358
wutbrodo wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand on the slavery analogy? I'm aware that this is the naive perspective, but when I realized I was watching more TV than I liked, I stopped, and there was no overseer to whip, mutilate, or starve me into resuming. That isn't to say that it's trivial: I had to identify why I was doing it (I don't even like watching TV!), and then work on myself so that I had the mental energy to replace it with activities…

it's not a fucking analogy, if I don't pay rent I get thrown out on the street, or resort to prostitution (would you call that spending free time in the entertainment biz? fuck you), that's slavery, i'm not fucking worried about watching TV, truly the least of my problems. wake the fuck up

Consider working on both your writing clarity and reading comprehension. "It's not leisure if you don't like it" and "Slavery in entertainment" are easily interpretable as claiming that the entertainment itself is slavery, not the incoherent claim that we're enslaved by the need to work and also entertainment exists. And my comment is quite clearly addressing the latter claim.

Of course, I'd work on your emotional stability first. Seriously, man: wild-eyed cursing at internet strangers for imaginary statements they didn't make is the modern equivalent of getting into a screaming match with the voices in your head. I truly wish you all the best.

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#362

Post by wutbrodo »

scollet wrote: post #338
wutbrodo wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand on the slavery analogy? I'm aware that this is the naive perspective, but when I realized I was watching more TV than I liked, I stopped, and there was no overseer to whip, mutilate, or starve me into resuming. That isn't to say that it's trivial: I had to identify why I was doing it (I don't even like watching TV!), and then work on myself so that I had the mental energy to replace it with activities…

If you have to work to live, you are a slave.

I evidently misinterpreted GP's incoherent comment as claiming that we were enslaved by the entertainment itself, as some commentary about the inescapable addiction of modern media.

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#363

Post by pas »

tmnvix wrote: post #311
Havoc wrote: post #63

I think that may have come to pass if it hadn't been to the very top part of society capturing such a gigantic % of the new wealth generated. With more even distribution I could totally see more middle class deciding they've got a "good" life and no reason to work another 20 hours extra.

I agree. My own theory is that the benefits of higher productivity - that it was assumed would translate to more free time - have largely been captured by the financial sector by way of increased credit/debt servicing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pk654J8-5c

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2006/04/le...

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#364

Post by pas »

bombcar wrote: post #179
samhuk wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nicely written, but I don't fully understand your logic here. The bricklayer's wall in your comparison is precisely analogous to an "update" a developer has to do. The work is not complete for a bricklayer nor a software developer. Just as there is "one more revision or update" as you put it, there is always one more house to build walls for. What I think you may be feeling though, is that working on software sometim…

There's a satisfaction you get when you finish a house - there is something you can point to and say "that is done ". There's even a satisfaction with mopping a floor, it is clean now even though it will dirty again. Most programming doesn't have the first and only sometimes do you get the second. It'd be like building a house and finishing and immediately changing something on it, or fixing something that broke, for…

waterfall, well definied requirements, release every few months, have regression tests. have a few days to celebrate the release.

sure, business needs and software/IT complexity explosion means that only a small fraction of the problem-design space gets properly covered pushed the majority of the industry toward more agility

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#365

Post by CodeSgt »

Forgeties79 wrote: post #329
CodeSgt wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not relevant to the discussion, if you have something you want to say then just say it. Don't try to ask me a question you think you know the answer to and then tell me my answer precludes me from having an opinion on the subject at hand. This is one of the most common methods I see employed by bad-faith conversationalist and it's sickening. Your point should stand on it's own merit, not on your ability to inv…

> That's not relevant to the discussion, if you have something you want to say then just say it. Hey ease off throttle man. This isn’t Reddit.

No post body was provided.

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#366

Post by CodeSgt »

Forgeties79 wrote: post #359
CodeSgt wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I obviously wasn't saying the only prejudice in the world exists against lazy people and that no other group of people were ever looked down upon. You've got to use context clues before getting all fired up like this. The was in response to how we purportedly "tie work to morality". It was obviously meant as something closer to: > It's only people who are actually lazy and not doing anything useful with their lives t…

You’re being very rude and antagonistic.

No post body was provided.

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#367

Post by mlom »

wutbrodo wrote: post #361
mlom wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's not a fucking analogy, if I don't pay rent I get thrown out on the street, or resort to prostitution (would you call that spending free time in the entertainment biz? fuck you), that's slavery, i'm not fucking worried about watching TV, truly the least of my problems. wake the fuck up

Consider working on both your writing clarity and reading comprehension. "It's not leisure if you don't like it" and "Slavery in entertainment" are easily interpretable as claiming that the entertainment itself is slavery, not the incoherent claim that we're enslaved by the need to work and also entertainment exists. And my comment is quite clearly addressing the latter claim. Of course, I'd work on your emotional st…

i'd work on shutting the fuck up, because your speech reflects your underlying assumptions and if you don't address them soon someone like me will address them for you, slaver

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#368

Post by mlom »

wutbrodo wrote: post #362
scollet wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have to work to live, you are a slave.

I evidently misinterpreted GP's incoherent comment as claiming that we were enslaved by the entertainment itself, as some commentary about the inescapable addiction of modern media.

no, it means being forced to produce entertainment for others to live is slavery, and a very degrading form of slavery. work on your own fucking reading comprehension.

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#369

Post by s1artibartfast »

mschuster91 wrote: post #344
s1artibartfast wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of that is new or changed in 2020, so clearly there are at least some other factors going on.

There was clear and undeniable video evidence available right while it happened. That changed because it took away the narrative control from the cops.

Is also not new. There's a long history of documented video evidence police killing people. Walter Scott comes to mind but I think it goes back much longer than that. That one in my mind was even worse

Re: Experts once predicted that Americans would face excess leisure time (2015)

#370

Post by throwaway98797 »

mettamage wrote: post #320
throwaway98797 wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you’re under 30 and it shows repeated failures makes lack of pain the goal vs. pursuing something great Now, get off my lawn.

Older than 30, easily. You were wrong. Accept it, learn from it. Do your best to be more empirical next time or to speak more in a form of probability and by highlighting your assumptions. At least, if you want to make more accurate statements that are actually verifiably true. I think my approach outlined above would help. If you don’t, then I don’t really see the point of your comment.

the vast majority of the people who have too much to do are young.

The average person (in my life) is kinda waiting to die. Not suicidal but just clearly waiting for death.

Post reply on HN