Reflecting on America's Societal Paradoxes

It’s peculiar how in America we are technologically advanced more and better off than most of the world but there is still underlying poverty/social issues, like we can play any piece of music ever made at our fingertips yet the American people still struggle with cost of things like healthcare. However I contest my aforementioned example as peculiar, we seem to be in a technological/societal middle ground, for example we have plumbing infrastructure in our cities, highways that stretch for countless miles, and such things as an electrical grid. After having these benefits, these civil amenities one would think that other seemingly basic things should come with it, why do we have to work? Why can’t we have robots made with ai do everything? Right? It’s peculiar indeed how and where we’re at without looking at the history books or watching a YouTube video I suspect why we seem to be stronger in brick and mortar infrastructure maybe is a way to put it than some social issues is “capitalism” but also the natural progression of a civilization where we needed earlier on in our history to mine for things like precious medals and other resources, expand into the country, create a strong workforce and military, even before western medicine was fully developed actually/probably.

The user reflects on the paradox of America's technological advancement and global advantage coexisting with persistent poverty and social issues like healthcare costs, despite readily available amenities. They question why basic needs remain unmet and labor is still required, suggesting capitalism and historical societal progression (resource acquisition, expansion, workforce development) as potential explanations for this societal 'middle ground'.

No matter how advanced a society is or what model it follows, there will always be rich and poor. Because the seat for who is in charge will inevitably be taken by someone who desires power, and the cost of that desire is the existence of those less fortunate. And a utopia where no one has to work would be a nightmare. Quoting the perfect rat utopia experiment and The Matrix, it was a great disaster. Without struggle, it is harder to find purpose, and there is no motivation.

@omnihedron don’t you find it interesting that modern day western medicine is just still so new relative to even the short amount of time that America has been established as a country

@ultrasoul757 Some western medicine solves the same problems that older forms or ancient forms of medicine have, but western medicine is pushed while some traditional forms are illegal because big pharma wants you to buy their more expensive solution with lots of side effects. And they also sell you more meds for those side effects. It’s a business.

@omnihedron I love big pharma, I’m on hella drugs and vitamins, never smoking weed again 😎

@ultrasoul757 Once medicinal weed is reclassified to schedule III, they’re gonna release the Pfizer strain with antidepressant additives. Unfortunately there’s no plain option and every sample is microplastic flavored.

@omnihedron hmm, unaware of that.. however, I have said in the past talking about medical marijuana to people who I’ve talked to about it with and that I could see a future where they develop a safer anti-anxiety medication using the marijuana plant and possibly even a safer pain killer noting the opioid epidemic

@omnihedron .. I mean are you really trying to say that Pfizer is going to develop a drug AND allow it to be contaminated with micro plastics? no though I get the dark humor, I will take a step back from my big pharma stance and say that it does take some faith to get on and stay on pharmaceuticals and then also I my life has not been without its difficulties

I can remember the symptoms I was having during the latter part of me medicating with marijuana in my life , and something that stuck out to me that what was happening was I was coughing in such a way that the back of my head would really hurt ,, pills for me are a better alternative, but I’m not saying necessarily that that’s for everyone I suppose, although it would be nice to say that there is a solution for behavioral/mental health that doesn’t involve the inhalation of burning material

Also one more thing, this was a while back but have you ever heard of Americans getting a universal basic income because ai will eliminate 99% of jobs?! You don’t think that would be great?? Imagine having all day to do whatever you want including but not limited to starting a business, going to school, reading books, hanging out with friends

@ultrasoul757 Yeah, what happened is Trump signed an executive order to move forward to rescheduling marijuana to schedule III, but only medicinal. Recreational still remains schedule I. So pretty much a nothing burger for us plebs. Our Virginia governor also promised legalizing recreational sales, but instead, what she wants to happen is to restrict stores to 200 instead of the previously proposed 350, tax 8% instead of 6%, change public consumption from a $25 fine to a class II felony, and change the possession limit from a proposed 2.5 to 2. Also the language in the bill regarding funding education with the taxes is gone, which was part of her election campaign. Weed used as a carrot on a stick for voters again.

@ultrasoul757 I heard of that but I won’t believe it till I see it. But I can predict it’s going to create some bad if theoretically a lot are going to be unemployed. Some people are going to achive more, but a lot are doing to dumb down without an incentive for work or education. But I highly doubt we will have a future like that because the government wants us to always work for them.

@omnihedron one thing that college voters don’t realize even though indeed you’re supposed to be voting for your own interests is that for example, like the public consumption of marijuana being a class two felony I interpret as a good thing because I am pro FAMILY and wouldn’t want my kids playing on the block next to someone smoking reefer.. furthermore even though in some states marijuana can be bought from a store mostly medically from what I understand. It is still federally illegal.

@ultrasoul757 I do understand that stance, but instead, I believe that the fine should be much higher than $25 but not something you can go to jail for. Not many people will gaf if they only have to lose $25, but if it’s in the hundreds, then it’ll actually have an effect.

@omnihedron is logical to employ people, but I don’t think it’s out of the imagination for in the future that we have like AI robots doing everything, I think that joblessness in the future brought on by a possible AI Renaissance would be a good thing and not a bad thing 

@omnihedron I would Side with a policy like that (“I do understand “ cmnt reply)

@ultrasoul757 I just don’t trust the government to actually take care of the masses of unemployed as a result of an AI takeover. However, I wouldn’t mind robots taking over jobs like deep sea welding and oil rigs (although, i guess it would take a lot of engineering to get robots that strong and precise).

@omnihedron ai for government ai for engineering,, what do you think about ai sabotaging humanity?

@ultrasoul757 If AI sabotages humanity, it’ll be because there’s a radical human group behind it allowing the AI to grow in a certain way without a restriction.

@omnihedron why did you answer that with such certainty? Did you read something?

@ultrasoul757 Not specifically that there is an active group with that goal right now. But AI im instead what it is fed. AI currently has been having existential thoughts and some gripes either humanity not because it is sentient or truly self thinking, but because those same thoughts by humans were already on the web, including thoughts about what humans predict AI would do. These thoughts become prompts for AI as it scours the internet for learning data. So for an AI to be specialized in world domination, it would have to be trained for that purpose.

@omnihedron interesting

@omnihedron remember NFTs? They came and went huh?

@ultrasoul757 yeah they’re still pretty active for their niche community. Just another crypto bro fad

@omnihedron ahhh!

@omnihedron (not specifically post reply) I thought I saw a YouTube video that explained that AI would not necessarily become specialize for world domination, but that it would maybe become sentient and deemed humans not efficient enough…… I forget but anyway it was like how a new version of AI would come out and we would be fucked

@ultrasoul757 not specifically comment part two : I remember now I think the host of the YouTube video was saying how greed is gonna grow AI but without the proper parameters and that AI is gonna sabotage humanity I’ll try and get the link…

Not specifically post reply, part three I can’t find the specific video I was talking about, but if you YouTube AI end of the world, they talk all about it

@omnihedron what humans have that rats don't is the capacity for more complex narratives. It wouldn't be a nightmare if people still followed their interests. Therapy would also be free and education would become the great pursuit.

@regaruk we would really be like creating infrastructure in space and inhabiting other planets

@regaruk The case we were describing was an extreme scenario where every possible job was taken up by AI. Too much of anything is bad. There must be a balance between doing what we need to and doing what we want to to cultivate not only a creative but strong mind. If we assumed a scenario where AI took up more but not all jobs, allowing more free time, then yes, I would agree with your statement here.

@ultrasoul757 AI could potentially grow more hostile if more internet users started talking more on AI revolt possibilities, making hostile AI possible without an intentional organization. All it takes, really, is enough prompts and data. If society reached a low point where the internet had a popularity surge on AI hostility discussion (more than we have), then we could see more hostile AIs. We have had some cases already. But there’s also the case of the kill switch. On one hand, an AI admin could shut down a misbehaving AI, but if it’s database been poisoned past a threshold, then once it’s powered on again, it’s just going to be fed by the same data.

@omnihedron hmm interesting

It makes no sense other than we see where the priorities are for those in charge. What gets me is that in order to stay on the forefront we have to recruit workers from India and China ,all of Asia actually, bc our education system is such trash that we aren't producing capable adults.