Is everything an MLM
annehelen.substack.com
Is everything an MLM
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Re: Is everything an MLM
#2Life is a pyramid scheme. Rather than figure out a way to exist in a steady-state forever, our cells divide exponentially, accumulate genetic mutations until they can't take it anymore, and then rather than fix themselves, we just make new humans and let the old one die. Humanity in developed countries at least has the kindness not to make more humans than we believe have a reasonable chance of survival, but that restraint is not universal either within humanity or within the animal kingdom. Most animals just spray & pray and whatever happens to survive carries on the mantle of the next generation.
The universe is a pyramid scheme too - we know that thermodynamically, the ending state is the eventual heat death of the universe, but until it happens gravity creates this big positive feedback loop where smaller clouds of hydrogen coalesce with bigger ones, which eventually start fusing, which generates all the energy the universe will ever have.
We've grown to believe in steady-states and sustainable systems because until recently, the pyramids have not been birthed and died within the span of a human lifetime. Far enough down a pyramid's base and it looks like a steady-state, at least until it collapses. But now that we can watch economic systems get conceived, grow, IPO, and die all within a decade or two, we're waking up to the fact that pyramid schemes are far more ubiquitous than previously thought.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#3Life is a pyramid scheme. Rather than figure out a way to exist in a steady-state forever, our cells divide exponentially, accumulate genetic mutations until they can't take it anymore, and then rather than fix themselves, we just make new humans and let the old one die. Humanity in developed countries at least has the kindness not to make more humans than we believe have a reasonable chance of survival, but that res…
There's another big aspect to this: the orientation of the economy towards growth.
When you start asking "What happens when the population and the economy are in a steady state, where we don't expect things to increase at 2% forever", and the answers are pretty grim.
Retirement systems, for example, need a certain ratio of productive workers for each retiree, and I can't figure out any math that makes sense for the next ~20 years.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#4Life is a pyramid scheme. Rather than figure out a way to exist in a steady-state forever, our cells divide exponentially, accumulate genetic mutations until they can't take it anymore, and then rather than fix themselves, we just make new humans and let the old one die. Humanity in developed countries at least has the kindness not to make more humans than we believe have a reasonable chance of survival, but that res…
There's another big aspect to this: the orientation of the economy towards growth. When you start asking "What happens when the population and the economy are in a steady state, where we don't expect things to increase at 2% forever", and the answers are pretty grim. Retirement systems, for example, need a certain ratio of productive workers for each retiree, and I can't figure out any math that makes sense for the n…
The math involves space mining.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#5Life is a pyramid scheme. Rather than figure out a way to exist in a steady-state forever, our cells divide exponentially, accumulate genetic mutations until they can't take it anymore, and then rather than fix themselves, we just make new humans and let the old one die. Humanity in developed countries at least has the kindness not to make more humans than we believe have a reasonable chance of survival, but that res…
No, it's not. A pyramid scheme works with net zero productivity. It's just a rearrangement of resources, that's it.
Life is a resource network. There is production, and consumption. Economically people contribute to the economy and are paid money which is used to "take" goods and services back out of the economy. This is very different from a pyramid scheme.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#6Life is a pyramid scheme. Rather than figure out a way to exist in a steady-state forever, our cells divide exponentially, accumulate genetic mutations until they can't take it anymore, and then rather than fix themselves, we just make new humans and let the old one die. Humanity in developed countries at least has the kindness not to make more humans than we believe have a reasonable chance of survival, but that res…
There's another big aspect to this: the orientation of the economy towards growth. When you start asking "What happens when the population and the economy are in a steady state, where we don't expect things to increase at 2% forever", and the answers are pretty grim. Retirement systems, for example, need a certain ratio of productive workers for each retiree, and I can't figure out any math that makes sense for the n…
My expectation is that the ratio of productive workers for each retiree will be approximately constant, and the retirement age will be adjusted to match… at least, up until the next black swan or grey swan. At this rate, I expect at least one of those to happen between now and 2030.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#7It is an effective strategy, my observation is that way more energy is expended in debating the term MLM by assuming it is a pejorative term and the potential legal ramifications
Without a government stance on any particular viral campaign I typically try to avoid MLMs as I find them unattractive
With government stance and intervention I notice that the only result is for people to understand exactly how to operate an MLM to avoid government intervention
Most ideas simply arent self sustaining without the productivity of new participants getting diminishing returns from that idea
Adding a pejorative label to that reality is arbitrary
Re: Is everything an MLM
#8I think all of the above is very specific to higher-education in the US. I'm a PhD resarch student in a UK university and that's really not what I see from where I stand. And keep in mind that universities here too are for-pay and the tuition fees can be very high and the UK society has very much embraced free-market capitalism. And UK universities these days will take on just anyone for a PhD (see: me). But, really- Avon? I mean, come on.
Or perhaps it has to do with the field the author was in? I'm not sure what that was, but in my case, nobody has ever asked me to do any sort of "lab work" at all. I have been asked to help with invigilation and TA duties, because I receive a stipend from the dept. of eng. as part of my funding, and they "expect" you to do that sort of thing if you get funding from them, but I do get paid for my trouble and even my advisor has to mark exam papers (from courses he doesn't deliver himself) once in a while. Like, honestly, if this is exploitation I don't think my university is doing it right.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's another big aspect to this: the orientation of the economy towards growth. When you start asking "What happens when the population and the economy are in a steady state, where we don't expect things to increase at 2% forever", and the answers are pretty grim. Retirement systems, for example, need a certain ratio of productive workers for each retiree, and I can't figure out any math that makes sense for the n…
My expectation is that the ratio of productive workers for each retiree will be approximately constant, and the retirement age will be adjusted to match… at least, up until the next black swan or grey swan. At this rate, I expect at least one of those to happen between now and 2030.
> My expectation is that the ratio of productive workers for each retiree will be approximately constant, and the retirement age will be adjusted to match…
This isn't necessarily a problem as long as the number of productive workers continues to increase.
Re: Is everything an MLM
#10TLDR: A reflexion on wether graduate school is a form of pyramid scheme.