I don’t believe there is any kind of conspiracy or design in a system this complex. It’s all emergent behavior.
If there was anyone powerful and omniscient enough to design all of these second- and third-order effects, I don’t think there enough competence in the world to see the design implemented across hundreds of millions of people in a way that produces the desired effects.
IMO much more likely it’s a mindless vicious circle of human nature.
Sure, agreed. Ant colonies do the same emergent behavior over and over again. Why should we be that different?
My point was that there is no Star Chamber where people do PowerPoints about the importance of making people work so much they don’t have energy to protest.
Best said in Cube: there is no conspiracy. Big brother is not watching you. It’s a headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan.
Not saying I agree with him 100% but Varoufakis makes similar claims after being in the room with IMF’s leadership.
I’ve had meetings with rich heirs wanting to compete with Facebook because “there are more than enough idiots to make us richer too. Zuckerberg can’t have them all! room laughs.”
There are conversations that take place all the time you’re not invited to.
It’s so subtle and hyper normalized we don’t see it.
Eh, the thing is, for every rich group of assholes like that, there is some other rich group of assholes also scheming. To different ends. With different motives.
But you’re right, I should not have said there’s no Star Chamber. I should have said, there are a multitude of Star Chambers and their little conspiracies have no bearing on the actual world. They do believe it themselves.
If there was anyone powerful and omniscient enough to design all of these second- and third-order effects, I don’t think there enough competence in the world to see the design implemented across hundreds of millions of people in a way that produces the desired effects.
IMO much more likely it’s a mindless vicious circle of human nature.