responding a little out of order
>And this good standing has been converted to currency. Which is a much more isolated and cut throat version of good standing. In many ways it is more unfair. And what you don't realize as a kid is also how EXPENSIVE this "good standing" actually is. To receive the benefits of the technological state we purport to be in you usually have to be upper-class. The poor are often much closer to being completely alone. As if no society exists for them at all
I think this is a supper interesting observation, and a useful way for viewing this whole thing. At some point, people did rely on social currency and their personal memory of interactions to know if someone is "credit worthy".
I'm not sure that it was more "fair" than the hard numerical of financial currency, but I agree that social currencies could have been more forgiving. With social currency, you could go into debt with someone, and start fresh with someone new. The financial currencies, debt/assets follows people through their lives, and even across generations.
Yes, poor people are by parts of society who find they have little to offer. Poor people are free to associate with each other, but often have little use for eachother as well. This
>We don't assume we are still in a period of being "left behind by the herd" because of how great everything is. But in fact, you will realize, when you see someone deny treatment for their advanced cancer due to finances and "the odds of survival" that in fact, you can be left behind by the herd. And the more
I see how that could be jarring realization. If someone thought they had an equal ownership of social wealth, and equal say over the direction of the herd, it would be devastating to learn that it was all a lie at the last minute when it actually matters. I think many people were grifted by those who told them this would be the case, by people who were stating an aspiration as fact, and hoping that enough lies would make it true. Society has a little bit of compassion, but not nearly as much as some want and act as if it does. I do think it is sad and cruel that many people were indoctrinated with this false expectation. It set them up to live their lives thinking the world is a cruel and malicious place, when it is simply indifferent.
>I, on the other hand, think that they don't go far enough. They aren't good enough. I'm actually not so sure what is being "taken for granted" in a for profit system, I pay every fucking dime of it. I am not impressed with its state.
When I say "taken for granted", I mean the little compassion the society and the herd does have, and it is not guaranteed that it stay this way. In fact, it could very easily be much worse, and there are place with no compassion or welfare. There are places even worse than that, without decent rule of law, where being dangerous means you can take what you want or buy and sell humans for their commodity value.
Thats not to say that you cant want and advocate for something better than the current state. Im not sure what you mean by you pay for every dime of it. Is your ideal system one where you dont have to compensate others for what you take?