The modern world is trash

[Darkover]

We work all day at salaries carefully calibrated to ensure that you have to work your whole life. The nature of work itself has changed where no one has agency anymore - we can all do only that which the boss orders.

The central banks universally and openly pursue a goal of maximum employment. Somehow we've been making business and technology better since the industrial revolution, but now it takes 2 adults working full time to make ends meet when just 1 man working could support a family and buy a house in the west in the 1960s? Where the fuck is all the productivity gain going? Shouldn't we all have much easier and better lives if things are more efficient?

Society is more divided than ever, we all live as atomized individuals who have forgotten what a strong society looks like. In a united society, collective action is possible, which is the only meaningful way to fight against corruption and preserve democracy. Central banks are incredibly powerful, yet they are legally UNANSWERABLE to the government - does that sound like democracy to you?

In a modern company, almost no body has any say whatsoever in what the company does. You have a boss, your boss has a boss, even the CEO has a boss called the stock market and finance. In effect, we have allowed the creation of incredibly efficient structures of control, where a few investors basically call the shots on what an entire company or industry does.

The "democracies" we live in give us a choice between 2 near identifical candidates every 4-5 years. That's the extent of our power - 2 meaningless votes per decade. Can you even imagine what real democracy looks like? For one, it means being able to ask questions of anyone in the government and getting a straightforward answer. It means demanding a change in a city or a company or society and getting it, actually having the power to affect society. That's not AT ALL where we are now. Free speech is meaningless if 20 million people can demand a change and be ignored or beaten by the police. Why do we allow police to kill people in cold blood and just accept the outcomes when they get a slap on the wrist and go on with their lives? Who do the police work for if not us?
The worst part is very few people even know that things don't have to be this way or how to fight against it.

We need to go back to the basics of what democracy is and what collective action looks like (it is the only way that people have historically defeated tyrants or made any large scale changes to society). Bitcoin won't fix it, GME won't fix it, YOU PERSONALLY GETTING RICH won't fix anything. We need a critical mass of people to align on these ideas so we can begin to take collective action.

 

[Christopher Reeve]

It was a masterstroke to make women leave their homes and become slaves for large companies, the number of workers increased by 2x as a result of which salaries decreased, everything the big capitalists needed. Nowadays I notice that many political movements have played one gender against the other, which I believe is a big smokescreen to hide all the problems from public view.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Late-stage capitalism has only been causing the world to go to trash, but a lot of people, especially Americans, have been brainwashed into thinking that it's the best thing since sliced bread. People have this out-dated gloriflied view of this faulty system, not realizing that the 1950s/60s is a poor representation of it. The people back then benefited from economic boom that happened post WWII, but prior to it things were basically going in a similar direction to how they are now. People seem to love to forget about things, like the Great Depression, and only focus on the 50s and 60s. Along with that, the benefits of the good economy at the time weren't even experienced by everyone. A lot of people, especially people of colour, were still poor and had to survive off two-incomes.

It's funny, because the same people who kiss the asses of shitty politicians, who are loyal to the police, who love capitalism, who are fine with the wealth-gap, and who promote fear and hatred of marginalized goups are the same people who act as though they are ones rebelling against the system. The amount of times I've seen these dumbasses call themselves shit like "punk", despite literally advocating for all the things that are against that philosphy is headache inducing. I'm not even punk and even I know they are the exact opposite of punk.

Things are going downhill, yet somehow people still advocate for the things harming all of us. It's just heartless at this point.

 

[Namarupa]

Democracy itself is a joke. It's not the root cause, but still a very profound symptom of decadence and ugliness of spirit in modern men.

 

[Ashu]

I know eh it was so much better in the olden days.

 

[sserafim]

Democracy itself is a joke. It's not the root cause, but still a very profound symptom of decadence and ugliness of spirit in modern men.

Wdym? What's the root cause?

 

[sadman710]

It looks like I found the best way out of this trashcan world. What are the chances, one in a million. And it's as pleasant as it can be. Nothing illegal or that would involve an authority. No one could save me if they knew. Who knew an accident would come at such a right moment. No one will be ridden with guilty emotions, judgment, or whatever. No fear, trauma, SI, or any of that trash. Just feeling the hourglass tick.

This thread is spot on. The democracy part as i discussed people doesn't matter. What matters is how either no one gives a shit or they know things are just rotting and doing nothing about it but pretending shit is normal. Living this trajectory of a life that gets you nowhere. I've been rich, poor, whatever in between. The misery is still there. The problem is who runs its system and the culture these inhabitants have subscribed to so blindly.

 

[Namarupa]

Wdym? What's the root cause?

I'm not sure myself. It's a tough question. If I had to point the undermining agent, many of the ideological and aesthetic movements that reek of performativeness and sentimentality might be at fault. To name a few: mahayana, chivalry, the renaissance, romanticism, the enlightment etc

 

[sadman710]

I'm not sure myself. It's a tough question. If I had to point the undermining agent, many of the ideological and aesthetic movements that reek of performativeness and sentimentality might be at fault. To name a few: mahayana, chivalry, the renaissance, romanticism, the enlightment etc

Why exactly romanticism? All that does is focus on the distant past, a picture and example of better times, that have vanished from today.

 

[Namarupa]

Why exactly romanticism? All that does is focus on the distant past, a picture and example of better times, that have vanished from today.

Romantic art is of very little aesthetic value besides some formal (as in a form-content dichotomy) briliantism from the obvious great geniuses (Wagner, Blake, Goethe, Byron etc). I feel it has imbued the western population with a naive, childish understanding of both metaphysics and social dynamics.

 

[sadman710]

It's funny, because the same people who kiss the asses of shitty politicians, who are loyal to the police, who love capitalism, who are fine with the wealth-gap, and who promote fear and hatred of marginalized goups are the same people who act as though they are ones rebelling against the system. The amount of times I've seen these dumbasses call themselves shit like "punk", despite literally advocating for all the things that are against that philosphy is headache inducing. I'm not even punk and even I know they are the exact opposite of punk.

Things are going downhill, yet somehow people still advocate for the things harming all of us. It's just heartless at this point.

This can go both ways if you think about it. Right and left wingers are both rebelling to enhance the system very often. Just a select minority aren't.

Romantic art is of very little aesthetic value besides some formal (as in a form-content dichotomy) briliantism from the obvious great geniuses (Wagner, Blake, Goethe, Byron etc). I feel it has imbued the western population with a naive, childish understanding of both metaphysics and social dynamics.

I get what you're saying in the main sense but I guess I'm imagining something else. What you're describing is a form people today have a poor understanding of and relate the past to today's world with a naive or cartoonish explanation. I get it.

----------------

I'm reaching a point where walking a significant distance feels hard and unpleasant. I'm just gonna relax in bed until I hit the zone.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

This can go both ways if you think about it. Right and left wingers are both rebelling to enhance the system very often. Just a select minority aren't.

Yeah, it doesn't go both ways...

 

[sadman710]

Yeah, it doesn't go both ways...

If you think leftism is some universal pure rebellion i have to strongly disagree. Many old school punk rockers know what I'm talking about and often refuse to associate with them lol.

 

[BardBarrie]

Life has always sucked: whether today; living like sardines in the smoggy industrial era; slaving away for a lord in some feudal time or dying by 30 with no medicine in earlier time.

The truth is that the universe and Earth weren't made for us: we're just along for the ride because at some point during our evolutionary history, we became sentient.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

If you think leftism is some universal pure rebellion i have to strongly disagree. Many old school punk rockers know what I'm talking about and often refuse to associate with them lol.

I don't think you understand the general political ideology of being punk. From my knowledge it always has been, and still is, deeply rooted in leftist beliefs.

 

[sadman710]

I don't think you understand the general political ideology of being punk. From my knowledge it always has been, and still is, deeply rooted in leftist beliefs.

It is anarcho in the real deal, which often doesn't apply to typical leftist, or sometimes not at all

 

[Little_Suzy]

Late-stage capitalism has only been causing the world to go to trash, but a lot of people, especially Americans, have been brainwashed into thinking that it's the best thing since sliced bread. People have this out-dated gloriflied view of this faulty system, not realizing that the 1950s/60s is a poor representation of it. The people back then benefited from economic boom that happened post WWII, but prior to it things were basically going in a similar direction to how they are now. People seem to love to forget about things, like the Great Depression, and only focus on the 50s and 60s. Along with that, the benefits of the good economy at the time weren't even experienced by everyone. A lot of people, especially people of colour, were still poor and had to survive off two-incomes.

It's funny, because the same people who kiss the asses of shitty politicians, who are loyal to the police, who love capitalism, who are fine with the wealth-gap, and who promote fear and hatred of marginalized goups are the same people who act as though they are ones rebelling against the system. The amount of times I've seen these dumbasses call themselves shit like "punk", despite literally advocating for all the things that are against that philosphy is headache inducing. I'm not even punk and even I know they are the exact opposite of punk.

Things are going downhill, yet somehow people still advocate for the things harming all of us. It's just heartless at this point.

The United States has the largest military budget and purchases the most goods and services in the world. Americans benefit from both capitalism and war. The War on Terror was a period of tremendous prosperity. The United States does not even have mandatory military service. While it offers Pell Grants for free community college, many high school graduates do not take advantage of these programs!

You just named all of the people on pensions and benefits, and the wealth gap folks (the billionaires) are funded by the US government, and private corporations are not required to provide pensions to their employees. Of course, we support the government!

Women back then benefited from sht! During the 1960s, they took the Pill, stopped having ten children under an unpaid domestic work system, and left home to make their own money.

The system isn't perfect or one-size-fits-all, but there are options for everyone to support themselves. Since the beginning of time, every person on the planet has survived through a system of work, trade, or barter.

How does it help to support poor people who do not work as entrepreneurs or the US government? We offer benefits such as welfare, education, vocational training, bus passes, and home ownership programs to those who are poor or disabled, which are not available in other countries.

If you only choose food stamps and Section 8, you will not benefit yourself in the long run!

I've heard that Canada doesn't have a food stamp program. You go to a food bank instead.