Is everything an MLM • Hacker News Board

Re: Is everything an MLM

#291

Post by prepend » Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 9:59 AM UTC

kadendogthing wrote: post #279

seibelj wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sorry that this is your world view, because it is deeply flawed and focusing on such cynicism leads to depression. Most of HN lives in a tech bubble where everyone is focused on building semi-useless software like you describe. However the majority of society still does “normal” things like construction, manufacturing, sales, etc. and some sort of fundamental reorganizing of society on non-market principles doesn…

>I’m sorry that this is your world view, because it is deeply flawed and focusing on such cynicism leads to depression. No one in the comment section is going to address this?

It’s a bit exaggerated, but reasonable. Having a nihilistic view that everything is zero sum certainly seems correlated to depression [0]. I’m sure that there are lots of folks who think this way and don’t have clinical depression.

[0] https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/23/3/369/475828 (although about therapeutic nihilism and not market nihilism)

Re: Is everything an MLM

#292

Post by htmk » Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 10:01 AM UTC

orthecreedence wrote: post #143

p1esk wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you be that naive? On the large scale, marketing (which includes paid for by industry, biased scientific studies) is what shapes people’s desires. Vast majority of people are perfectly happy with letting someone else choose for them, and even smart people fall for it. It has truly became a fundamental principle of our society.

Not only this, but the capitalists talk of economic free choice, but you can't just go "start a business"...you need capital. And you can be lucky enough to already have it, or you need to convince someone to give it to you. In essence, we're all either lucky, forced to beg for capital (ie, someone else making decisions for you, there goes "freedom"), forced to sell our labor for less than what it's worth, or live in…

Expanses are growing thanks to government created inflation, by printing money.

Re: Is everything an MLM

#293

Post by htmk » Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 10:09 AM UTC

petra wrote: post #289

tomp wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would "equal" matter though? E.g. if noone has access to medicine (probably some African countries), they're all "equal". But... The point is, "equal" is just a buzzword that needs to be deconstructed and analysed in each specific scenario. In medicine in particular, extremes are usually bad (completely private => expensive, completely public => inefficient), and middle ground (public & private) seems to be decen…

People living in equal societies are happier, and less stressed. Maybe it's because differences in status translate to differences in the natural anti-depressant chemical, Serotonin.

No reason to force everyone to be equal, just create your equality paradise and open the doors to the world.

Re: Is everything an MLM

#294

Post by kadendogthing » Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 3:20 PM UTC

prepend wrote: post #291

kadendogthing wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’m sorry that this is your world view, because it is deeply flawed and focusing on such cynicism leads to depression. No one in the comment section is going to address this?

It’s a bit exaggerated, but reasonable. Having a nihilistic view that everything is zero sum certainly seems correlated to depression [0]. I’m sure that there are lots of folks who think this way and don’t have clinical depression. [0] https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/23/3/369/475828 (although about therapeutic nihilism and not market nihilism)

>It’s a bit exaggerated, but reasonable.

Yeah labeling someone as having a mood disorder because of their economic perspectives -- which are perfectly and reasonably formulated -- is weirdly... cult like. It's not reasonable at all.

>Having a nihilistic

There is absolutely nothing nihilistic about that view point. Not even close? Perhaps choose a different label.

Re: Is everything an MLM

#295

Post by orthecreedence » Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 10:58 PM UTC

ericd wrote: post #283

orthecreedence wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the response, these are great perspectives. And you're right, some of the sentiment is probably fueled by media stoking the flames. And you're also right, saving is huge. I'm a big proponent of it and practice it quite a bit.

Thanks for the discussion! And glad to hear you're a saver, spread the good word :-) Sorry about the tone in my previous comment, very jet lagged and salty.

I got Chinese food yesterday (don't worry, it was expensed ;)) and my fortune cookie read "Big fortunes come from the sky. Small fortunes come from saving." How funny, right after our conversation...

Re: Is everything an MLM

#296

Post by ericd » Wed, Apr 24, 2019, 9:42 PM UTC

orthecreedence wrote: post #295

ericd wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the discussion! And glad to hear you're a saver, spread the good word :-) Sorry about the tone in my previous comment, very jet lagged and salty.

I got Chinese food yesterday (don't worry, it was expensed ;)) and my fortune cookie read "Big fortunes come from the sky. Small fortunes come from saving." How funny, right after our conversation...

hahaha that fortune cookie maker is on top of their game!

Re: Is everything an MLM

#297

Post by atoav » Mon, Apr 29, 2019, 11:03 PM UTC

dnautics wrote: post #237

atoav wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except if you are wealthy, or at least a momentarily embarrassed bilionaire that soon expecta wealth and fortune

Well by that token armchair politicians who make social choices on forums on behalf of the dispossessed, in lieu of actually rolling up their sleeves and doing social work are merely momentarily embarrassed 'benevolent' dictators.

Which can only turn into a true statement after individual inspection of each commenter. Assuming everybody that enters political discourse online is apolitical in their activities offline might turn out a right guess at times, but it stays a guess. As if you are only allowed to say something while you are out in the streets covered with sweat. No. Then they will complain that you say anything at all instead of fixing symptoms that have a systemic origin.

Within any system, be it a society a family or a friendship, communication is important to react to shifts and regain balance (or to restructure the system). Talking is not dictating, talking is talking and the other person can always respond.