Re:"Americans sense that something is wrong with the places ...
by ams6110 on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @08:28PM
(#2010729)
It's my experience that its the young who think they know it all and what's best for everyone. Certainly as I've gotten older my philosophy on what's appropriate for government/society to regulate and what should be individual choice has changed a lot (I am quite a bit more on the individual choice end of the spectrum now).
Re:"Americans sense that something is wrong with the places ...
by Retric on Thursday December 16, 2010 @08:31AM
(#2011925)
I have been shifting the other way. The better I understand how large company's operate the less I trust them to act without regulation. Also, I find people are far more mailable than I once thought, for a recent example look at how public opinion of wiki-leaks changed over a few weeks.
In one of the pg essays, he reflects (I'm paraphrasing from memory) how it might be lamentable how everyone prefers fast food and reality TV to Mozart and Fresh produce, but you can't call it wrong. I think pg calls this 'trying to say that up is circular or down is blue' Because if that's what people prefer, it's what they prefer. The job of people contributing to society is to provide what people want, not to try and herd people into your own vision.
In a democracy, there's going to be large amounts of people who live life in a different style to your own. One of the hardest things for people as they get older is to learn to accept this and let them be. You don't have to make fun of them, or try to change them, just let them be, and ask that they leave you be as well. There are far too many people trying to boil the ocean these days and institute social changes where it isn't wanted or needed. People will adapt and change as their circumstances and tastes change. The market will follow them.