Where it was mentioned:
Some people have commented there already and made valid points IMO, Osiris's response in particular:
The video in a (AFAIK) complete single clip:
I don't know what keeps changing the URL, but to see the video I open that URL, click on the 'discussion' button below the topic heading, then click on that discussion which should be at the top of the list, then I can view the video.
What I'm wondering is related to it - how do you break the cycle that Osiris mentioned? It seems to me that there are a number of problems it highlights, based on a presumption of a general agreement that hard times are desirable to avoid:
1) Conservatism as usual - FYGM - cutting public funding that benefits future generations in particular to benefit those in the present who are in least need of it.
2) The 'hard' generation learned from hard times and as a result instituted progressive policies; the 'soft' generation doesn't have the personal experience that helped push those progressive policies
3) The pendulum swing starting with 'hard times', causing progressive policies to be championed, then that generation is no longer at the wheel and conservatism/right-wing-ism creeps in causing point 1 to occur, resulting in hard times again
4) The dime-a-dozen corrupt politician looking to make a quick buck preaching populist rhetoric while taking bribes and/or adopting policies mostly for personal financial gain.
5) People not having a reasonable grasp of how/why the system works and therefore being easy marks for point 4 politicians, examples being people believing demonstrable nonsense spouted by Brexiteers/Trump/covid cooks.
A friend of mine reckoned that the pendulum swing is perennial. I'd like to think it's not.
IMO a decent civilisation needs to have a long-term plan which isn't easily altered by just the party in power, perhaps something akin to a constitution with enduring and principled language but with an understanding of when the needs of the people demand it, the constitution must be altered. I'm using the word 'civilisation' because IMO many people fundamentally misunderstand what allowed humanity to thrive: co-operation.
IMO political education needs to be part of mandatory education because future generations need to have an understanding of why the progressive policies were adopted in the constitution, and partly to address point 5.
I think a symptom of the problem is the sheer amount of people who believed nonsense about covid, and IMO covid was a pretty easy test for a civilisation to pass whereas climate change is a huge problem in comparison partly because of the pendulum effect and partly because most politicians are thinking about the next 5 minutes rather than 50 years.
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Some people have commented there already and made valid points IMO, Osiris's response in particular:
Page 1893 - P&Ns middle name is and
Page 1893 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
forums.anandtech.com
The video in a (AFAIK) complete single clip:
I don't know what keeps changing the URL, but to see the video I open that URL, click on the 'discussion' button below the topic heading, then click on that discussion which should be at the top of the list, then I can view the video.
What I'm wondering is related to it - how do you break the cycle that Osiris mentioned? It seems to me that there are a number of problems it highlights, based on a presumption of a general agreement that hard times are desirable to avoid:
1) Conservatism as usual - FYGM - cutting public funding that benefits future generations in particular to benefit those in the present who are in least need of it.
2) The 'hard' generation learned from hard times and as a result instituted progressive policies; the 'soft' generation doesn't have the personal experience that helped push those progressive policies
3) The pendulum swing starting with 'hard times', causing progressive policies to be championed, then that generation is no longer at the wheel and conservatism/right-wing-ism creeps in causing point 1 to occur, resulting in hard times again
4) The dime-a-dozen corrupt politician looking to make a quick buck preaching populist rhetoric while taking bribes and/or adopting policies mostly for personal financial gain.
5) People not having a reasonable grasp of how/why the system works and therefore being easy marks for point 4 politicians, examples being people believing demonstrable nonsense spouted by Brexiteers/Trump/covid cooks.
A friend of mine reckoned that the pendulum swing is perennial. I'd like to think it's not.
IMO a decent civilisation needs to have a long-term plan which isn't easily altered by just the party in power, perhaps something akin to a constitution with enduring and principled language but with an understanding of when the needs of the people demand it, the constitution must be altered. I'm using the word 'civilisation' because IMO many people fundamentally misunderstand what allowed humanity to thrive: co-operation.
IMO political education needs to be part of mandatory education because future generations need to have an understanding of why the progressive policies were adopted in the constitution, and partly to address point 5.
I think a symptom of the problem is the sheer amount of people who believed nonsense about covid, and IMO covid was a pretty easy test for a civilisation to pass whereas climate change is a huge problem in comparison partly because of the pendulum effect and partly because most politicians are thinking about the next 5 minutes rather than 50 years.