The End of the Road

Regardless, I think it’s a horrible critique of the miserably dystopic political climate we’re in today that such plain statements about factual reality can’t even be made without someone feeling it necessary to call attention to a more recent historical example of the powerful driving out the powerless — a dynamic which has been with humans and every other creature on this planet since time immemorial.

Nomadism in antiquity had at least some chance of resulting in zero cost homesteading for those brave people willing to endanger their own lives to engage in it. It was more a reflection on the hidden plight of modernity — not being able to afford a home, despite our forefathers being able to just homestead at zero up front cost mere centuries ago — than a projection of jealousy or some other contrivance.

> The only benefit of not having money is that it makes all other horrible life conditions and outcomes seem somewhat less horrible comparatively. It dulls the pain and stress receptors.

^^ so what they're saying is that if you're being diagnosed with a terminal disease you might be so far into depression and suicidal ideation[1] that it literally doesn't matter any more because you have no power (money) to solve it. Think about your own privilege that causes you to not comprehend what is being said before you downvote something you can't empathize with.

[1] https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/what-is-passive-suicidal-id...

there are places where an individual can hide and gradually go insane alone. But I don't know where today one could go and bring their whole family/tribe/clan and settle down.

No matter how dry or hostile the area, the moment you're moving from surviving to thriving (which you often will if you're in a pack) the locals or the government will find ways to remove you. And it would be even worse if you don't hold a passport from that country.

Humans are pack animals so the "no more demand" argument perhaps isn't too strong.

When I lived in France in July/August the pigs regularly picked up Roma[1] traveling through from Spain. They usually got by washing windows at traffic lights. They drove them 20-30 km away into a forest where they set them free and let them walk home. I walked my dogs in the Parc de la Valmasque where they were frequently set lose among other places (even further away). Many times I watched it unfold in my parked car and the pigs abusing some person with a baton or simply shouting and threatening them. When the pigs were gone I offered them a drive back to Cannes or Nice. Sometimes kids with age 10 or 12 literally alone not knowing where tf they were or how they can get back (and then having to trust as stranger to offer a ride in their car to drive them back).

It's not that "there simply is no demand for it". But we no longer see it when the system commits these crimes[2]. It's expected normal behavior the moment you monopolize violence by giving it to one group over another.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

[2] UK Johnson government launches anti-Gypsy/Traveller/Roma measures https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/28/trav-d28.html

The observation about falling for scams is spot-on. Nowadays you don't even have to be very poor to find yourself in this situation. Opportunities are so rare that you cannot pass up any opportunity at all, if there is even 10% chance that it's not a scam, then it could be the best opportunity of your life... I'm not even talking about lottery, getting a decent paid job can feel like a lottery when you don't have any money.