Comment by munificent

21 hours ago

> it feels like everything on the web is more flimsy and low quality nowadays.

Not just the web either. It feels like the whole world is in a race to throw shit together and cash out as quickly as possible: influencers, hustle culture, enshittification, etc.

My pet theory is that all of the global chaos around the climate, politics, pandemic, etc. is leading people to no longer believe in the future. Once you lose that, all that's left to care about is the right now. No one takes the time to scrimshaw the deckrails on a ship they believe is sinking.

7 comments

munificent

throwthrowuknow 7 hours ago

That isn’t it. If you think bad weather and a flu is something to be scared of, try imagining what several thousand hydrogen bombs would do.

probably_wrong 6 hours ago

Leaving aside the reductionism, the difference is that we are already seeing the effects of the "bad weather" and we all lived through [1] (and, to a point, are still feeling the effects of) the "flu". No "ifs" about it.
There's no need to worry about a threat that has been theorized for 70 years (and may very well never happen) when there are actual, real catastrophes happening right now.
[1] Well, except for those who didn't make it through. They are not here by definition, but their memory is still fresh.

bombcar 20 hours ago

   And you, my father, there on the sad height,
   Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
   Do not go gentle into that good night.
   Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

We can't really change the tide lest we be King Cnut - but we can at least take the time and effort in the things we do to fight against entropy - bring more order and durability into our lives.

Or perhaps another adaptation:

   God, grant me the serenity
   to accept the enshittification I cannot change
   the courage to improve the things I can
   and the wisdom to know the difference.

mmooss 19 hours ago
We can; the tide changed to where it is now and can change again - and somebody will change it.
People need to stop bemoaning it, and think and do something. The enshittification is an idiotic, failing, extremely short-sighted strategy.
It's a huge opportunity - your competition has stopped investing in its product, fired its talent, treats its customers with utter contempt, and is managed by imbeciles. Who is a better target for disruption? Hire the talent, market your quality, treat your customers with respect, point out the BS your competition does every time they do it. Stop staring at your navel.
- bombcar 18 hours ago
  
  That's the whole point - it's too easy to sit around on HN and bitch about enshittification - which just is enshittification!
  We each have to work on our areas of quality - and when everyone starts doing that, the world changes.
- gosub100 4 hours ago
  
  One way it's possible is if the US ditches the two party system. We are starting to see some cracks in the partition recently with the Epstein files and the Israeli genocide. People from both sides are starting to realize they share a lot of common ground.
  
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