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[return to "Why Americans Are So Awful to One Another"]
1. roenxi+Y3[view] [source] 2023-08-15 10:21:19
>>helsin+(OP)
This a article cites an N=2 anecdote, conflates a couple of trends at random, then draws a conclusion that we live in an age of moral decay (ie, a perennial no-signal communication favourite).

We should consider the likely alternative - Americans are actually pretty nice to each other, all things considered. It is really quite impressive what American grass roots organisations can do if people let them. Trust in institutions is low because the institutions are being exposed to the harsh light of Very Good Communication and it turns out that bodies that rule by decree are kinda corrupt. That should shock people, but it doesn't represent a radical change in the status quo.

There are serious economic headwinds that someone needs to do something about.

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2. jemmyw+W9[view] [source] 2023-08-15 11:17:58
>>roenxi+Y3
It's an article putting forward an opinion, not a scientific paper. Though they do cite plenty of interesting statistics. I enjoyed reading it and it provides an alternative view to the other hypotheses for the stats, which they list.

I assume you're coming from the direction that economy first fixes the social issues. That's a valid view but I'm not sure it tackles inequality. No point in a bigger economy if only a few at the top benefit.

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3. roenxi+Ac[view] [source] 2023-08-15 11:39:01
>>jemmyw+W9
> That's a valid view but I'm not sure it tackles inequality.

"Tackling inequality" comes from reading too many say-nothing articles by Mr. Brooks and not enough time spent reflecting on what we should be trying to do to get the best result for people.

We should not care how much money a neighbour has. In fact, the more the better. I don't want to have to offer them charity if there is an option for them to stand on their own. They could be billionaires next door for all I care and that doesn't harm me or anyone else in the city.

Inequality is one of a number of fake issues that are major unhelpful distractions. The focus should be on median and low living standards.

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4. jemmyw+Gf[view] [source] 2023-08-15 12:02:03
>>roenxi+Ac
I both disagree and agree. We should be able to live happily without trying to keep up with the neighbours or covet their good fortune. But that's a macro level thing. Inequality is a real issue where too much wealth gets funneled to the folks who already have the most wealth and in such a way that it gets worse over time.

What you describe doesn't seem to be at odds with what I think of as the inequality problem - a larger proportion of economic value going to folks doing the work rather than the capital investors. It might not even be that drastic a change for that to have real effects over time, and the rich would still be rich.

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5. jellic+Xub[view] [source] 2023-08-18 14:27:19
>>jemmyw+Gf
Something I read today: Poverty exists because workers don’t have a role in the value chain of production.

Rings true.

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