The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
1–10 of 12 posts
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#2There are are reasons to be skeptical of BI, but the author is willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???) and being an asshole about it.
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#3There are are reasons to be skeptical of BI, but the author is willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???) and being an asshole about it.
> willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???)
It's an analogy.
Rich douchebag = taxpayers.
Grad students = agency that manages the program.
Whores = those accepting basic income
The "profit" of basic income would go to us, the taxpayers, and to humanity as a whole. Or not! We don't know yet.
> being an asshole about it
You didn't see the big flashing neon sign? Or the fact that the author is a sci fi writer?
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#4There are are reasons to be skeptical of BI, but the author is willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???) and being an asshole about it.
I think (though I'm not entirely sure) that this is intended as a somewhat satirical piece arguing for basic income based on its ability to unleash productive human potential trapped by economic circumstance, using the "all profits go to me" arrangement as a device to be able to construct a self-interested narrator so that the social benefit being advocated becomes a personal benefit of the narrator.
That is, I'm sure its satirical; I'm less certain of the exact intent (and particularly there are some choices of examples that are odd given the apparent intent.)
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#5The title should have been a dead giveaway to the weight of the article. Does every Basic Income article make it to the top of HN now?
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#6This article is total rubbish. It reads like the fan fiction "confessions" that 9/11 truthers write.
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#7What a horrible article.
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#8There are are reasons to be skeptical of BI, but the author is willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???) and being an asshole about it.
I think (though I'm not entirely sure) that this is intended as a somewhat satirical piece arguing for basic income based on its ability to unleash productive human potential trapped by economic circumstance, using the "all profits go to me" arrangement as a device to be able to construct a self-interested narrator so that the social benefit being advocated becomes a personal benefit of the narrator. That is, I'm sur…
Author here. You pretty much nailed it.
The exact intent is what you describe plus "make people that read HN laugh". If some of the meaning gets muddied for the sake of comedy, well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
If it's not funny, well, that's the risk of satire. In any case, I'll keep working on the story.
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think (though I'm not entirely sure) that this is intended as a somewhat satirical piece arguing for basic income based on its ability to unleash productive human potential trapped by economic circumstance, using the "all profits go to me" arrangement as a device to be able to construct a self-interested narrator so that the social benefit being advocated becomes a personal benefit of the narrator. That is, I'm sur…
Author here. You pretty much nailed it. The exact intent is what you describe plus "make people that read HN laugh". If some of the meaning gets muddied for the sake of comedy, well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. If it's not funny, well, that's the risk of satire. In any case, I'll keep working on the story.
I thought it was great my dude
Re: The Rich Douchebag's Approach to Basic Income
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think (though I'm not entirely sure) that this is intended as a somewhat satirical piece arguing for basic income based on its ability to unleash productive human potential trapped by economic circumstance, using the "all profits go to me" arrangement as a device to be able to construct a self-interested narrator so that the social benefit being advocated becomes a personal benefit of the narrator. That is, I'm sur…
Author here. You pretty much nailed it. The exact intent is what you describe plus "make people that read HN laugh". If some of the meaning gets muddied for the sake of comedy, well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. If it's not funny, well, that's the risk of satire. In any case, I'll keep working on the story.
I also thought it was great. I think people are put off because they hate the character.