Hyperreality

Manufacturers are joining the era of disposable cars.

Consumers are joining the era of disposing of cars.

Yes.

Old people trip on things.

I worked in real estate.

Properties like this were catnip. It puts off casuals, but is a relatively easy fix. Knew a guy who often bought a property like this, tore everything out, filled a container, aired it all out, would often make a 50k profit. No painting, no renovation, just a general clean, wipe down with bleach, and removal of crap.

I'd happily scoop up a turd with my bare hands, if I was being paid 50k to do it. Let's be honest, most of us would.

Of course, this kind of property also attracts people who think they're good at DIY and underestimate how much stuff costs to fix properly. The Money Pit basically.

People who don't get carpeted bathrooms, underestimate the dangers of slipping on tiles.

It's no coincidence that the elderly love a carpetted bathroom. It's less of an issue than it once was, especially if you can afford a cleaner who shampoos the carpet once a week.

Not this monstrosity obviously.

While I don't disagree, I haven't engaged with eatthecake for a reason.

I don't think you have to be a genius, to understand why someone might be so angry about this topic.

I think we can empathize with them, but that it's better not to engage.

Of course not. Cyberpunk and tech noir usually isn't just about the future, it's arguably about now. More generally, science fiction is often used as a 'safe' way to criticise existing society or say what can't otherwise be said.

Prime example: Tarkovski's science fiction films (Stalker, Solaris, ...), which smuggled very religious themes past the soviet censor, because 'it's only science fiction'.

Make a movie glorifying terrorism? Likely jail sentence and on a list. Make a movie glorifying a terrorist that blows up parliament in a dystopian future? Cult classic.

Make a movie which compares American nationalism to the nazis? You'll never work in Hollywood again. Make it about humans fighting space aliens? Would you like to know more?

Make a movie about how capitalists indoctrinate us all via advertising? You filthy communist! Make a movie about how aliens indoctrinate us all via advertising? They Live, John Carpenter, cult classic.

Make a movie about transitioning? No thanks. Make a movie about freeing yourself from the Matrix with the help of a red pill which looks a lot like the hormone pills the directors used to transition? Become a millionaire.

Make a tv episode where one of the main cast has a sexual relationship with a trans character, who is later forced to undergo gender reaffirming therapy in 1992? Impossible. Make it about Riker having a relationship with an alien who's not androgynous because her race finds gender weird? Prime time tv.

Make a tv programme about the guilt of a Nazi who worked in a camp while the Jews were being exterminated? No way that's happening. Make a tv programme about the guilt of a space alien who worked in a camp while other space aliens were being exterminated? That particular Star Trek episode was broadcast in prime time, to wide acclaim.

For this reason, and on a related note, anyone who complains about a science fiction show or movie being 'too political' is more often than not a moron and/or disingenious.

Do you have an argument other than a tu quoque?

We're arguably all evil, yeah. If you let a kid drown, you're evil. If you let a kid drown 5000 miles away, because you'd rather buy a pc game or something you don't really need, than donate to charity, that's also evil. If you donate 50 bucks at christmas, to prevent one kid from drowning, that doesn't mean you're not evil if you let another 100 drown during the rest of the year.

People have a really hard time accepting that they're not good. Vanity is the Devil's favourite sin.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try to be better. It's not because you and I eat meat, that we should also go kick a puppy to death. That puppy does matter. Stop kicking puppies to death!

Which is why I dislike people who attack those critical of capitalism's excesses for being hypocrites.

In the real world, most of us are hypocrites and part of the problem. That doesn't mean we can't try to be better or be critical of things that are bad about society.