Interesting. In addition to post-high school education access, it's important that we also re-think our education system by creating environments that inculcates learning around our individual passion/talent. Above average performers are known to love their craft, and in a hyper-competitive economy that requires one to learn, unlearn and relearn, passion would matter a whole lot.
Average Is Over
111–120 of 254 posts
Re: Average Is Over
#112Welcome to Peak Capitalism. This is the peak of our current socio-economic system, and I'm fairly certain that everyone in the White House is now well-aware and convinced of what's likely going to happen over the course of the next 10 years. I hope they're preparing for it right now. I believe the coming collapse of the capitalistic-democractic system is imminent, and America needs to very seriously start planning fo…
Because that worked out so well for Russia and China. Command economies have never efficiently allocated resources, and they never will. Economies are just too complicated for a single central authority to control successfully. They can never have enough accurate information, and can't be flexible enough to rapidly changing circumstances. Just look at the hopeless response to the financial crisis from European leader…
Actually, it's working great for China (in the short-term at least). Though they probably wouldn't call their system "communist" anymore, in preference for the new description: "state capitalism."
Re: Average Is Over
#113It was only a few centuries ago that we paid this exclusive, elite upper class in society called scribes to write and transcribe things for us, because we weren't literate enough to do it ourselves. The parallels are pretty surprising today: we're paying an exclusive, elite class called programmers to write in the languages understood by computers. Software is eating the world, jobs are being displaced, and the deman…
Is programming that elite though? wages seemed to have hardly changed in the U.K. in the last 10 years (accounting for inflation). Also programming pays a similar amount to other jobs requiring a degree and is certainly a lot less than jobs like accountancy, finance, law and medical doctors. For example, average programmer salary in 2004 was about £31k and in £38k http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/programmer.do an…
I saw an interesting chart, but can't find it now, that showed the average salary of programmers in the US hadn't budged in 10 years either... Hardly something you would expect if there was a true shortage.
Since I never pass up a chance for the joke: A lawyer or accountant with 30 years of experience is charging a lot of money or semi-retired... A programmer with 30 years of experience is likely unemployed.
Re: Average Is Over
#114When a liberal talks about how somebody "should have access to" something, hang on to your wallet. Because you will pay for it.
Some people don't have problems lifting up those who never had the advantages that they had. It's a collective action problem that takes a whole society to fix.
And some people do have a problem with this.
I'm always curious about this -- to what extent do you think you can compel Maggie, me, and others who don't share your values to solve a collective action problem we don't particularly think is a problem? And what side effects do you think that will have on society?
Edit: yeah, yeah, downvote because I don't share your values, fine by me -- but my questions weren't rhetorical. I'm really interested in your answer.
Re: Average Is Over
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
The solution is none. There is no "solution" because it, in itself, is not a problem. The problem is that everybody feels entitled to a top 10% salary and many would kill for "their fair share" when nowadays even the lower 10% have their basic needs covered and some left for leisure. The problem is that a society where everybody have similar incomes is somehow fairer, when there is no logical chain leading there and…
I come across this "salary disparity isn't a problem" comment every so often and need to call it out. Salary disparity is definitely a social problem. When one person has the money of hundreds or thousands of others, they can wield significant power over them. I have no problem with there being rich people, but I find it obscene that our society allows people to become billionaires.
I've never understood the argument of "allowing" people to become billionaires. Many of these people created things that changed the world. Should they be artificially limited even more on their income?
Re: Average Is Over
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is programming that elite though? wages seemed to have hardly changed in the U.K. in the last 10 years (accounting for inflation). Also programming pays a similar amount to other jobs requiring a degree and is certainly a lot less than jobs like accountancy, finance, law and medical doctors. For example, average programmer salary in 2004 was about £31k and in £38k http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/programmer.do an…
I saw an interesting chart, but can't find it now, that showed the average salary of programmers in the US hadn't budged in 10 years either... Hardly something you would expect if there was a true shortage. Since I never pass up a chance for the joke: A lawyer or accountant with 30 years of experience is charging a lot of money or semi-retired... A programmer with 30 years of experience is likely unemployed.
I actually happen to know TONS of unemployed lawyers and accountants. There's quite an oversupply of lawyers. Not sure about accountants, but they are increasingly marginalized anyways.
Re: Average Is Over
#117 “Apple had redesigned the iPhone’s screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly-line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the [Chinese] plant near midnight. A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company’s dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day. ‘The speed and flexibility is breathtaking,’ the executive said. ‘There’s no American plant that can match that.’ ”
Ah yes, at midnight I'll just go walk over to my "dormitories" on my "plantation" and wake my "employees" and tell them to get to work harvesting cotton. In exchange for their 12 hour work day (and a comfy dormitory in which to live) I'll give them tea and a biscuit!
I don't understand why the "Average" American won't come work for me given these perks.
Re: Average Is Over
#118I can't believe those Presto touchscreens at restaurants are $100 per month. I love gadgets and technology, but much prefer dealing with a server and think most people do. My kids like the games and nag incessantly to play the "pay" ones, but I hardly think this is the end of waitresses and waiters. (I hope)
Agreed, I think replacing waitresses with touchscreens removes an important part of the whole dining out experience.
A touchscreen waiter seems very cold and utilitarian. It reminds me of the cheap LCD displays that have replaced gas station attendants. Almost all of the gas stations that I've used recently have them, and they all have very poorly worded prompts that show no regard for the time that I spend interacting with it.
I can't help but feel that we're headed the same route with eating food:
WELCOME. PLEASE SWIPE CARD.
SELECT FOOD.
THANK YOU. DISPENSING FOOD. PRESS ENTER DESERT?
COME AGAIN. SPC. 2 MEAL LOBSTER FRIDAY.
That's not the experience I'm looking for when I want to go out on a friday night. I want a real person to show up at the table and all of the imperfections that comes bundled along with it.
Is that just because it's what I'm used to? Will our kids grow up in a world without waiters and not even care?
Re: Average Is Over
#119Ridiculous. The solution to average people becoming less relevant in the economy (which I don't dispute, btw) can of course never be to make everyone above average as that is by definition impossible. It's a feel good message for average folk that papers over the truth, which is that average folk that used to make a decent living doing average work will become poor. All of them, eventually. How poor exactly? Well, yo…
I think that point is we'll have many opportunities in the future to specialize in something, and be great at that.
Re: Average Is Over
#120This is fascinating. I think the big (and scary) meta-trend is this: The population is increasing and the requirement for people is decreasing. This gap is made wider by increased birth-rates and better automation. More people are being born into a world where fewer are required. That is quite a scary thought. Computers and machines automate and replace people everywhere. I have some anecdotal evidence of this: At my…
In parts of the world where there is a lot of automation birth rates are basically either flat or declining below replacement level. Maybe this is a natural response to increasing automation or at least understanding there is a need for less people.