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0 pointsCuriouslyC3y ago0 comments

I don't think social mobility will be eliminated, I think the variance of individual mobility will just be radically increased. This technology will allow entrepreneurs and solo content creators to accomplish a lot more, but it'll also eliminate a lot of safe career paths. As a result, if you don't want to be stuck in the underclass doing manual labor or customer service, you'll need to either be brilliant, well connected, start a business or create content of some sort that attracts an audience you can monetize. The people who do well will do very well, but a lot of people who would have done decently before are going to fail.

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6 comments · 3 top-level

mattgreenrocks3y ago· 3 in thread

> The people who do well will do very well, but a lot of people who would have done decently before are going to fail.

How is this not a huge problem? The vast majority of people are not exceptional. Cutting out that middle band of ability and resources is a surefire recipe for social unrest.

namaria3y ago

>Cutting out that middle band of ability and resources is a surefire recipe for social unrest.

I don't know, the US has been pushing that envelope for 40+ years and people are still paying taxes...

tablespoon3y ago

> I don't know, the US has been pushing that envelope for 40+ years and people are still paying taxes...

And people can push the "meth consumption" envelope for years before they finally die from it, too.

Getting away with unsustainable practices for X amount of time doesn't prove they're sustainable and won't end in collapse. It just means collapse can take more than X amount of time.

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mattgreenrocks3y ago

We can only LARP as ubermensch alpha males for so long. Eventually something will give; I suspect it will be a generational divide like none other. Arguably you see the seeds of this already with things like incels opting out of conventional aspirations.

tablespoon3y ago

> I don't think social mobility will be eliminated, I think the variance of individual mobility will just be radically increased.

Those round to the same number: 0.

crop_rotation3y ago

Your points all resonate with me. But the end result is same, the opportunities available for social mobility to an average person would reduce. I am not even sure of the 2nd and 3rd order effects. How would an industry like hospitality survive if most of the knowledge work based jobs are gone.

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