I dunno about that, my Model M from 1989 is still going strong. I've been waiting for it to fail for a decade at this point so I can upgrade to something more modern, but I find I'm not interested in giving it up prematurely.
These original IBM models were much more durable than current Unicomp output. I suspect it comes down to the modern metal composition of the spring [being different than 80's versions].
See somebody else's similar experience, below.
>I've been waiting for it to fail for a decade at this point so I can upgrade
On the contrary, I believe they are. There are thousands of miles of back roads in California built and maintained by Caltrans that are in absolutely incredible condition. Drive up and down any random mountain/hill/pass off a main freeway and enjoy a road the envy of almost anywhere else: well-built, smooth, with painted lines and signage.
880 and 101 suffer because their high traffic volumes cause much higher wear and tear while also making it difficult to make repairs.
I am suggesting that kids at specifically elite universities aspire to be the power, and therefore question the author's contention that this has anything to do with disrespect for authority.
It is still a perfectly valid argument to analyze whether disrespect for authority has increased or decreased over the years; or whether the disrespect has reached the point it threatens their ability to become functioning adults.
You can sure make that argument, but it's still only a rephrasing of the millenia-old meme of old people complaining about the lack of respect in young people. No, young people are not in danger of being unable to become functional adults, no more than any generation before them (of which the same has been said).
Society changes, you're old, young people are doing things differently. The wheel keeps on turning.
Any time people bring this argument up I don't think they realize how much it can have the opposite effect of what they intend. I can see, with my own eyes, how much my generation (millennials) has fallen short compared to our parents. Let alone the zoomers etc, who seem to be on an even worse trajectory. When someone points out "people have made these claims for millennia", I don't take that as evidence I'm wrong - I realize that perhaps people have been right for millennia.
I do agree with your broader point though that it's worth asking if society is getting more illiberal and intolerant of opposing views. It's not just a "young people these days" kind of thing.
Hard times create desperate men who make like hell to everyone else as they lash out. Good times are created by men who care. Good times create nice people.
Fascists seen empathy and niceness as weakness and something bad. They were also something that emerged from hard times and created misery and pain. Lets not promote their ideology.
"Hard times create strong men". At what age do the hard times start for this to be true? Do children who are victims of abuse become strong? Some perhaps, but I suspect not more than a control group. Do the hard times occur when the people are full adults? Anecdotally in my life, I've seen hard times be precursors to people cope by using drink and drugs, and seen hard times to lead other people to step up to the challenge. And what is the definition of strong, here? Seems so vague as to be pointless. This old saying seems like complete bunk to me.
It's a pat saying, but I don't think history bears it out.
The German people after World War I were suffering. Significant reparation burdens had been placed upon them. They were starving and angry. These should have been the "hard times that create strong men," yes?
It created the Nazis and they were defeated militarily. Seems something went off in step 2 there; nobody considers Germany during World War II "Good times."
Agreed. Western society is very much in a pattern of decline right now. Whether it's terminal remains to be seen, but the decay is blindingly obvious imo.
> Seveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.
It's funny that you say that. My impression after reading it is that Stephenson really just wanted to write the last third, but felt that he needed a bit of backstory, and so wrote the first two-thirds.
Even setting aside that it's 95% CO2 and incredibly cold, most people have no appreciation for how thin the Martian atmosphere is. Surface pressure is 0.6% that of Earth, with maximum density 2% that of Earth's. It's not like Martian explorers could get away with just a respirator.
The reason I would expect is that they think the teachers are showing their kids explicit sexual content, encouraging them to be transgender, and telling them about how they should hate America and white people. Is that not accurate?
Just my take: Some parents are having growing concerns about the quality of basic education (reading, math, history) that their kids are receiving. Apparently questioning the effectiveness of how their tax dollars are spent makes them a homophobe and a racist. Oh, and probably "weird" too.
This is one of those posts that just tries to throw in as many rage baiting concepts at once in to maximize angry engagement.
Bait aside, nobody calls you homophobic for asking good faith questions about how the schools budget is spent. But it would be absurd to imply the 12 hours a year kids are taught about sexuality is somehow derailing the entire curriculum. When talking about revamping education, only people that have fully drank Kool aid would think "it's because all of that money is used to turn my kids gay".
