Comment by esotericn | Hacker News Reader

Comment by esotericn | Hacker News Reader

Thinking back to my university experience - if you told me that I was going to be doing it in front of a screen, I'd have taken a gap year.

If I'd already paid and you refused to refund me, I'd use that gap year to travel to campus, administrators' homes, the lot, and let everyone know that you've stolen enormous amounts of money from hundreds of thousands.

Teenage me has a hell of a lot of energy, health, and time on their hands.

It's so ridiculous an idea as to be absurd. Do you want social breakdown? This is how you get mass riots.

Reading what's facing the US at the moment (I'm British) I honestly worry about whether there will be some sort of military standoff if the government doesn't step up _now_ and put together a coherent plan for the nation.

There are tens of millions unemployed, graduates are entering an economy that's essentially been deleted, and new students are having the knife twisted in them before they've even started.

People need _hope_. I'm angry on behalf of you guys.

What would students do with a gap year right now? Travel? Work full time (presumably in a face-to-face service job)? I would think the only real options would be to self study or play World of Warcraft.

Generally, in an economic downturn people turn to education as a way to better themselves and wait out an economic recovery.

I can only speak for past/present me.

Probably all three - travel, self study, read, etc. That's what I'd do. Then again, I'm thinking UK.

The lockdowns here aren't such that you literally can't go outside, and the minimum cost of living (due to our safety nets) really isn't that high for a youngster willing to live on beans.

Education is great. I'll be learning until my brain gives out on me.

But if you want to tell me that my first year of university just became sitting in front of a screen and I'll be paying for it - yeah, sod that, I'll take the tent and the backpack and see you all when people have regained sanity.

In the outside world (including University) people do things like obtaining life long friendships, meeting partners, generally just sniffing the flowers of life.

If I had the pressure of my course and I was stuck in a box I'd go mental before week 3. No comraderie, no friends, nothing, it's all pixels mate. лол.

Teenage me was checked out of reality and playing WoW on 20-hour shifts.

one of many, but not all or most.

War has been highly likely imminent since Crimea, but only overwhelmingly so (imo) since Hong Kong. I strongly feel there will be war. China and Russia both are invading other countries already. The US is splitting at the seams (likely with some bot help from the two former groups).

Ever since Hong Kong, I've been extra attentive and appreciative of the fact that this may be as close to peace as we will ever see the world again.

This. Right now. This may be as close to peace as we will ever see again.

Never-the-less, I have the utmost hope for project Earth, with or without humans.

Nazi Germany taught everyone that you can’t win a war alone and I’m not sure world alliances are strong enough that we’re in a WW1 situation. Countries continue to get upsetti spaghetti over events like Crimea, killing Soleimani, and SA starting/stopping oil production but the alliances just aren't there to back up the anger.

I don't think a major war is imminent, but the other side of your argument is that the alliances aren't very strong at the moment to oppose aggression either.

In the war that you foresee, who is fighting who?

Eh I doubt it - I think people are just anxious cause we’re all cooped up but give it a year or two and people will settle back down. Coronavirus seems to have brought out the worst of the media and the internet but the real world isn’t so different than it was.

Here's the thing... it really doesn't take much to set off a tinder box. Tensions are high, people are anxious, and there is a lot of pent up unrest. We are definitely at a potential flash point.

So yea, I sort of agree, but I definitely also think the danger is higher than it seems.

I want you to be wrong. Your vision of present circumstances isn't what I want to come of age in. But I'm not sure I can definitively refute your claims. One thing that gives me hope is that the recent assassination of Soleimani didn't actually lead to war despite expectations that it could. I see all the problems you're talking about, and I don't think there are solutions, but I can hope that there will be and that things might change.

I don't see China and India's current problems escalating. The leadership on both sides is mature enough.

I would, however, pay very close attention to Taiwan. That just might be the trigger.

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