Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is why I come to Hacker News.
This whole thread of folks arguing about PJs in public is reinforcing OP’s point IMO :)
Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
471–480 of 835 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#472I think you're way off base. It's called rosy retrospection, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection . As you already mentioned in your comments, you're judging the past disproportionately more positive that the present. If you really want to know if everything is declining, try measure it everyday for the next five years. For example, every day, rate your personal well being, track how (un)happy you are wit…
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#473Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re wrong on pretty much every measure here.
ah yes, the 10k€/m2 studio is probably my imagination.
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#474Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those are a bunch of statements that angry people with agree with, but you haven't presented any evidence for your claims, and I think they're mostly backward. We're in the longest period of peace in thousands of years. Check out this cool graphic that puts in perspective: http://www.fallen.io/ww2/ People are mad about politics, but I don't think it's any worse than the cold-war, kennedy assassination, mcarthyism, be…
Not to sound adversarial, but you’re not presenting any evidence either. Where do you get that innovation is the fastest it’s ever been?
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#475I think you're way off base. It's called rosy retrospection, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection . As you already mentioned in your comments, you're judging the past disproportionately more positive that the present. If you really want to know if everything is declining, try measure it everyday for the next five years. For example, every day, rate your personal well being, track how (un)happy you are wit…
There are some pretty clear indications that the derivative of civilization is strongly negative at the moment, particularly if you live in Europe. Actually, the fact that people are supposed to pretend things are OK, while everyone over there is possibly a few steps away from being drafted into war, is another sign that things have headed in the wrong direction in exactly the manner OP is suggesting.
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#476Thing is, I remember the area from visiting when I was a kid (like 30 years ago) and it was in a worse state back then.
Recently in the just-for-fun soccer practice team I met a guy probably in his mid-60ies who - after practice when we hang around - told a story from his childhood growing up next to the red light district. I asked where that was, and he grew up 200m away from the place where I live, same street.
The town I grew up in was just generally gray. Now its painted, has pedestrian zones, etc. When looking for an appartment a landlord showed me the storage area of an apartment in the basement, this storage area, he told me, had been in the past rented out to labourers, as in bunk-beds for 6 men. I asked him when it was and it turned out that this was during my lifetime (not turn of the 18th to 19th century or something, more like "the 80ies").
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#477I think you're way off base. It's called rosy retrospection, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection . As you already mentioned in your comments, you're judging the past disproportionately more positive that the present. If you really want to know if everything is declining, try measure it everyday for the next five years. For example, every day, rate your personal well being, track how (un)happy you are wit…
There are some pretty clear indications that the derivative of civilization is strongly negative at the moment, particularly if you live in Europe. Actually, the fact that people are supposed to pretend things are OK, while everyone over there is possibly a few steps away from being drafted into war, is another sign that things have headed in the wrong direction in exactly the manner OP is suggesting.
Why do you think so? Might be different in Eastern Europe, but as a Central European I think it’s quite unlikely that a direct conflict is going to happen.
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#478Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#479This 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.
Re: Ask HN: Why Is Everything Declining?
#480I think you're way off base. It's called rosy retrospection, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection . As you already mentioned in your comments, you're judging the past disproportionately more positive that the present. If you really want to know if everything is declining, try measure it everyday for the next five years. For example, every day, rate your personal well being, track how (un)happy you are wit…