[flagged]
After that, tell me how someone who became disabled after an accident which they themselves did not cause, made the wrong decision?
Thirdly, tell me how someone who lived perfectly healthy just happend to have some blood clot shot into their brain suddenly, made the wrong decision?
For someone who has been born disabled, the conversation should be moved to the people who brought them to life and are responsible for their survival.
My family until my parents generation were dirt poor in one of those countries you would also call piss poor.
A common thinking pattern. To prove it's luck, though, your great-grandchildren will be poor again - that always happens - they say rags to rags in three generations.
"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel."
Which wrong decision did the parents of a disabled person make? Not getting prenatal genetic testing and an illegal abortion?
Sadly (arguably this is the greatest possible sadness) biology doesn't work that way. I think at our current rate of advancement we'll have practical immortality within the next 500 years, which is far too late for any of us alive right now, but it's not like a 90-year lifespan is an irreducible fact of reality. We've already found several genes that control certain aspects of aging and death. Interestingly, it seems to have evolved on purpose, and there are other animal species with indefinite lifespans.
Please explain exactly what you are suggesting or advocating for here.
e.g my grandmother had a brother who their brain stopped developing at a very young age (afaik 5), the parents ensured and my grandmother ensured that my uncle lived a full (but sadly difficult) life living and been taken care of by them and then my grandma after they passed.
My best friend married the love of his life. Had amazing kids and a nice job. Then he got cancer.
He had amazing insurance, a very supporting family, a job at a company who totally understood his situation. Everything was taken care of. The only thing left was hopefully getting better.
Which he did not. All that was left was pain. I literally watched him die. I heard his last breath. I saw the life leave his eyes.
That was it. His book of life will never have any more pages. It's done. The only thing left is to remember him.
The irony of you using this in a negative sense when capitalism has profited mightily from exactly this dynamic is not lost on me, in that insurance companies are insanely profitable things. And that's without getting into what b3lvedere notes in the other comment about disability and the absolute, fundamental dependency capitalism has on socialized risk, e.g., limited liability as a corporate model, bankruptcy protection, even the dependence on national military and economic strength to create the conditions for private profit. Note that I'm not even dinging capitalism here. Not at all. It's just that capitalism wouldn't work without whole social risk networks to create the conditions for private profit.
Somebody will have to endure cruelty when someone makes bad decisions. The question is whether the cruelty will be received by the person making the bad decision or somebody else.
> It's rarely "you are making a bad decision right now so you should stop that before you deserve cruelty in the future".
So it's the economic system's fault that you weren't stopped before making a bad decision? It's the economic system's fault that schools teach gender theory instead of personal finance, economics and rational decision making?
People are born with disabilities, which doesn't always show it's face until it is too late.
There are people who are completely incapable of saving and investing, because for them the "future" does not have any meaning in it self.
What is the point of investing if money by it self does not have any value?
There are also people who are born who will never be able to work a "normal" 9-5 job.
To put everything on their shoulders is what is wrong with the system.
Capitalism bears a heavy burden for causing a lot of angst.
I don't agree with railing against capitalism either-- it's not clear to me that there's any other system I would do better in, given my disability-- but the idea of, "if you do everything right, nothing bad will happen to you" is basically a comforting lie people tell themselves to feel safe. I believe in the value of hard work, and I am trying my best to better my situation-- switching my entire career from humanities to IT-- but I still am not fully sure how I am going to be able to support myself, and I don't think that's my fault.
I say we should all give it a shot. Capitalism has had its time to prove its value and its report card has left too many wanting. I think now is a good as time as any to re-evaluate alternatives to capitalism and its overwhelming role within our societies.
When a machine breaks, the best engineers find out what's wrong and fix it, no matter how many political feelings it hurts and what theories are shattered along the way. Chernobyl is a great show, btw.
What's the point of society if not being a buffer for bad individual decisions? If I can't count on y'all when I'm down, why should I help y'all when I'm up?
But if not that, then what's the point of society?
And if society is not meant to help people when they're down, what's it for? You still haven't given your take despite calling everyone else out on theirs.
Who said that? To pre-emptively respond before you misrepresent my position again, nobody said that the solution to people making bad decisions is condemnation. But when you go out all guns blazing and blaming everyone else (the system) - like the author of this blog post is doing - at least be prepared to receive some pushback.
> You've had the opportunity to actually take accountability and correct your bad decisions no?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
> What gave you that opportunity?
Sometimes luck, sometimes good risk mitigation, other times a mix of both.
Mind you, I'm not claiming all misfortune can be overcome, you might be struck by lighting tomorrow and there was nothing you could have done about it. But there are cases that some sacrifices (either financial or lifestyle) can lead to statistically better chances of overcoming hardship. If you haven't made any and hardship hits you then its unfair to make demands of the people that have made those sacrifices, that's all.
> And if society is not meant to help people when they're down, what's it for?
Identity & meaning, voluntary co-operation, exchange of goods and services. Protection against misfortune could be one of the components of a useful society, while you said "What's the point of society if not being a buffer for bad individual decisions?" which directly implies that someone cannot find any other point to society if it's lacking this property.
> You still haven't given your take despite calling everyone else out on theirs.
Why do you believe that everyone else has the same position as you do?
Moreover, why do you think that what I said has anything to do with your position? I only called out as a psychopath anyone who believes they are entitled to somebody else's labour - do you actually believe that yourself or do you consider that particular belief as a logical extension of your position? If the latter, please logically demonstrate and if convinced by your reasoning I'll apologize.
Then I called your view of society selfish (not you a selfish person as a whole), why do you tink everyone else believes the sole point of society is a buffer for bad decisions? I haven't seen anyone on this topic claiming this except you.
People don't choose to be born blind, or with a deformed limb, or with a genetic blood disease.
What fucking choice were they ever given?
It's always somebody that got lucky that wasn't born with a disability that makes these statements.
Are you having trouble with reading comprehension? Jesus.
You're treating it as if it goes on forever, but in reality, the end of your life is going to suck no matter what you do, and the beginning is set by your parents, but you get to control the middle, from about 20 to 60 years old if you're doing averagely well. Don't make the mistake of saving up everything until you are 50, and then realizing it's too late to enjoy it!
Recently I was at Fusion Festival, which was cool. Do you think I should have saved the $500 and then gone to the festival (if it's still around) in 40 years at the age of 75?