The name of the bias is "rosy retrospection"
Make America Great Again
Many populists glorify the past. Without a doubt the hegemony of the US was more secure in the past. However there was so much progress made in the past. I think I am here in a minority position considering my friends in real life and members of the forum. Of course the climate catastrophe is a very very huge challenge. However humankind solved so many issues. We humans adapted and invented. From what I have read we are in big big trouble concerning the climate crisis. But as the physics noble prize winner last year said in an interview noone can predict the future in a precise way. Noone knows how the world will look like in 30 years.
I am often not the one who is into the newest trends there are a lot of things I consider questionable. NFTs, the metaverse (since chatGPT everyone forgot that), only digital products etc. I am ambivalent on the internet itself. The topic is so complex that I don't have the time to dive into it. I think my life quality is so much better because of the internet. I have a very good impulse control and can circumvent some threats that come along with the online world. I play(ed) some gacha games and spent close to 0 euros on all of them. I think for people like me who don't have much money the internet can entertain them a lot for not that much money. I think for example the archive that Youtube is, completely for free and without ads with an ad blocker is insane. If I compare this with which bullshit I had to consume in the TV era. And I don't have to stay awake all night to see one of the more high quality formats.
The unique thing of the internet is there are so many niches. And due to the fact I can connect to the people from my niche it is easier to develop a sense of communion and membership. On TV the primetime was full of bullshit/hype films. But this is not the thing that makes humans unique. Our desire for action, sex, drama all that was nurtured by TV. But the niches that differentiate us were not adressed.
There are of course also drawbacks. Extremists can connect. They are more vocal than the reasonable people. Fake news spread easier. However fake news are not a new thing of our era. The Nazis used mass publications to indoctrinate the people. Technology can always be used for evil actions.
There are other bad things like neoliberalism, new demands at the workplace, higher expectations on workers, less job security. I think these are obvious issues.
But globally speaking child mortality decreased, world hunger was reduced, more people are vaccinated, poverty was reduced (on a global scale I think the 2 dollar per day criterium), more women get access to education etc.
But this progress is not connected to the time which is passing. There will always be backlashes. Like democracy is in many countries in a huge crisis especially in the US where the leaders of the GOP have turned anti-democratic because one narcissist is too conceited to admit that he lost an election. How many court trials do they have to lose so that the people stop believing that lie. So many of the judges who laughed them out of the court room were even Trump appointed.
People feel like there is an elite that looks down at them. Conspiracies gained a lot of popularity.
However there is less terrorismm, new knowledge is gained every single day in an amazing speed (though it gets more difficult to find major breakthroughs there is a debate why that actually is the case), there is daily progress in science and inventions that make daily life easier.
There are a lot of developments which are a double-egded sword. I think there is a need for maturity and personal enlightment. Also marketing has made a lot of progress. They try to exploit the tendencies of the human brain as good as they can with no shame. The hyperindividualism can feel like we live in in shattered societies. There are solutions for new problems. There is a need for the right narrative. Something that units us again. Maybe a vision that might sound utopian at first. But it only sounds utopian because the lobbiests know how to play this game. We will face huge problems with the climat crisis, mass migration, loss of diversity etc. My personal hope is that there will be a need for change. And that humans have to stick together to find that way. I think the sole solution will be in a decrease of inequality for example due to a financial transaction tax, higher taxes for billionaires globally, the decrease of tax evasion (schemes) etc. So pretty much the opposite of what libertarian billionaires wish for. I think the decision might be between a collapse of our societies or real major changes in the right direction.
As I said technologies also exploit the human nature. We have to educate us in order not to fall for their tricks. Sports bet, gambling, gacha, subscriptions, certain contracts and new artificially produced needs can feel like a trap. The ads always envision new needs for humans to fill the emptiness that most of us feel deep inside.
I think the internet for loneliness is very double-edged. I get easily triggered by real life interactions. There are two theories: 1. without the internet I had barely anyone to talk to. I also text my friends so much. I would feel so lonely. (This is the theory I believe in) However on the other hand side one could imagine without the internet I would be forced to go outside. Maybe I could adapt more to social interactions. Personall I doubt that a lot. For example due to the fact it is extremely difficult to find empathetic people who are willing to talk about suicide. Especially not in the magnitude my mind feels the need for.
I am not sure whether I nailed it. I wanted to add in the past we also felt with our back against the wall. Forest decline was such a huge topic, the cold war with almost a nuclear world war, chernobyl, poisonous medication/products that made little kids severely disabled, 9/11. The product standards got way better at least in Western countries. The safety increased Crime rates, suicide rates, traffic accidents all seem to decrease on average. There are new better treatments for conditions that were lethal and crippling in the past.
Another thing that convinces me personally. Just remind yourself how much did the first smartphone or PC cost. It was insanely expensive. Almost only the elite had access. Internet costs also were very expensive. Nowadays almost everyone in the Western world has a smartphone and access to the internet. Mass production, scaling effects, more efficient ways to produce all of that led to the fact people with less money got access to things which were reserved for only a small rich privileged minority.
What do you think?
Make America Great Again
Many populists glorify the past. Without a doubt the hegemony of the US was more secure in the past. However there was so much progress made in the past. I think I am here in a minority position considering my friends in real life and members of the forum. Of course the climate catastrophe is a very very huge challenge. However humankind solved so many issues. We humans adapted and invented. From what I have read we are in big big trouble concerning the climate crisis. But as the physics noble prize winner last year said in an interview noone can predict the future in a precise way. Noone knows how the world will look like in 30 years.
I am often not the one who is into the newest trends there are a lot of things I consider questionable. NFTs, the metaverse (since chatGPT everyone forgot that), only digital products etc. I am ambivalent on the internet itself. The topic is so complex that I don't have the time to dive into it. I think my life quality is so much better because of the internet. I have a very good impulse control and can circumvent some threats that come along with the online world. I play(ed) some gacha games and spent close to 0 euros on all of them. I think for people like me who don't have much money the internet can entertain them a lot for not that much money. I think for example the archive that Youtube is, completely for free and without ads with an ad blocker is insane. If I compare this with which bullshit I had to consume in the TV era. And I don't have to stay awake all night to see one of the more high quality formats.
The unique thing of the internet is there are so many niches. And due to the fact I can connect to the people from my niche it is easier to develop a sense of communion and membership. On TV the primetime was full of bullshit/hype films. But this is not the thing that makes humans unique. Our desire for action, sex, drama all that was nurtured by TV. But the niches that differentiate us were not adressed.
There are of course also drawbacks. Extremists can connect. They are more vocal than the reasonable people. Fake news spread easier. However fake news are not a new thing of our era. The Nazis used mass publications to indoctrinate the people. Technology can always be used for evil actions.
There are other bad things like neoliberalism, new demands at the workplace, higher expectations on workers, less job security. I think these are obvious issues.
But globally speaking child mortality decreased, world hunger was reduced, more people are vaccinated, poverty was reduced (on a global scale I think the 2 dollar per day criterium), more women get access to education etc.
But this progress is not connected to the time which is passing. There will always be backlashes. Like democracy is in many countries in a huge crisis especially in the US where the leaders of the GOP have turned anti-democratic because one narcissist is too conceited to admit that he lost an election. How many court trials do they have to lose so that the people stop believing that lie. So many of the judges who laughed them out of the court room were even Trump appointed.
People feel like there is an elite that looks down at them. Conspiracies gained a lot of popularity.
However there is less terrorismm, new knowledge is gained every single day in an amazing speed (though it gets more difficult to find major breakthroughs there is a debate why that actually is the case), there is daily progress in science and inventions that make daily life easier.
There are a lot of developments which are a double-egded sword. I think there is a need for maturity and personal enlightment. Also marketing has made a lot of progress. They try to exploit the tendencies of the human brain as good as they can with no shame. The hyperindividualism can feel like we live in in shattered societies. There are solutions for new problems. There is a need for the right narrative. Something that units us again. Maybe a vision that might sound utopian at first. But it only sounds utopian because the lobbiests know how to play this game. We will face huge problems with the climat crisis, mass migration, loss of diversity etc. My personal hope is that there will be a need for change. And that humans have to stick together to find that way. I think the sole solution will be in a decrease of inequality for example due to a financial transaction tax, higher taxes for billionaires globally, the decrease of tax evasion (schemes) etc. So pretty much the opposite of what libertarian billionaires wish for. I think the decision might be between a collapse of our societies or real major changes in the right direction.
As I said technologies also exploit the human nature. We have to educate us in order not to fall for their tricks. Sports bet, gambling, gacha, subscriptions, certain contracts and new artificially produced needs can feel like a trap. The ads always envision new needs for humans to fill the emptiness that most of us feel deep inside.
I think the internet for loneliness is very double-edged. I get easily triggered by real life interactions. There are two theories: 1. without the internet I had barely anyone to talk to. I also text my friends so much. I would feel so lonely. (This is the theory I believe in) However on the other hand side one could imagine without the internet I would be forced to go outside. Maybe I could adapt more to social interactions. Personall I doubt that a lot. For example due to the fact it is extremely difficult to find empathetic people who are willing to talk about suicide. Especially not in the magnitude my mind feels the need for.
I am not sure whether I nailed it. I wanted to add in the past we also felt with our back against the wall. Forest decline was such a huge topic, the cold war with almost a nuclear world war, chernobyl, poisonous medication/products that made little kids severely disabled, 9/11. The product standards got way better at least in Western countries. The safety increased Crime rates, suicide rates, traffic accidents all seem to decrease on average. There are new better treatments for conditions that were lethal and crippling in the past.
Another thing that convinces me personally. Just remind yourself how much did the first smartphone or PC cost. It was insanely expensive. Almost only the elite had access. Internet costs also were very expensive. Nowadays almost everyone in the Western world has a smartphone and access to the internet. Mass production, scaling effects, more efficient ways to produce all of that led to the fact people with less money got access to things which were reserved for only a small rich privileged minority.
What do you think?
