Author |
|
Steven Myers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5619
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | 1
|
|
|
I encounter memes and videos about how the past was more risky, yet people still survived that era. Some is just fun, like climbing trees and Jarts. However, some seems to go to far to me. "I survived lead paint"?? Really? You think kids today are wimpy for not being exposed to lead? "I survived no seat belts"? Well... you were lucky, others weren't. Safer cars are a reason we have considerably fewer road deaths than back then.
I know most of this nostalgia stuff is fun, but shouldn't we be proud of the advances in safety we've developed over the years?
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 132129
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 3:08pm | IP Logged | 2
|
|
|
I am a sufficiently gloomy gus that "see how many more people are alive" invariably prompts me to think of exponential population growth and the problem of feeding them.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Steven Myers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5619
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 7:01pm | IP Logged | 3
|
|
|
Yes, but it has also led to most people having fewer children. As I tell youngsters--my parents' generation didn't have car seats for their kids. But they had bigger families back then, and if they lost one or two kids they would just have more.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 132129
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 7:57pm | IP Logged | 4
|
|
|
Yes, but it has also led to most people having fewer children. As I tell youngsters--my parents' generation didn't have car seats for their kids. But they had bigger families back then, and if they lost one or two kids they would just have more.•• That sounds like a false equivalency.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Steven Myers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5619
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 5
|
|
|
That sounds like a false equivalency.
-------
It's just supposed to be a joke. Hence the false equivalency.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
|
|
Ron Grant Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 18 December 2016 Location: Canada Posts: 238
|
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 9:20pm | IP Logged | 6
|
|
|
Steven those memes irk me too and being the youngest of 8 makes me wonder if 3 or 4 of us were just in case.
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Eric Sofer Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 January 2014 Location: United States Posts: 4789
|
Posted: 29 May 2017 at 6:55am | IP Logged | 7
|
|
|
My mom followed a similar process. She tells people that she had three kids... one of each. Love my mom!
I think that every generation has always worked to make things safer for their offspring, and hoped that would continue - with the possible exception of the current generation, who seem a bit blind to the future.
No change occurs without some effect, and increased population is no different. But changes will come, either manufactured or natural, to address this. Although I'm no expert, I believe there is the "yeast knee curve" that shows that - among yeast at least - when population rises above a certain point, something will occur to bring it back down to sustainable levels. (Although I don't think yeast smoke too much, or get killed in wars...)
Of course, as humans, we are far more developed than yeast; we can eventually determine a way to support larger, safer, populations. Or something will occur - an "act of God" if you will - that will change things.
I'm a glass half full kind of guy. I'm hoping we can renew and reinvigorate Earth for our needs*, and yes, start spreading to other worlds - EVENTUALLY. So if we can survive until society is a little more mature, a little smarter, we might make it.
*George Carlin was right. Earth is fine. Earth isn't in any danger. It's them little bitty things running around its skin that might screw things up. In which case, another couple eras will pass, and Earth will try again.
Edited by Eric Sofer on 29 May 2017 at 6:57am
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
|
Marc Foxx Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5570
|
Posted: 29 May 2017 at 11:21pm | IP Logged | 8
|
|
|
There was an article I saw recently that proposed that the advent of self-driving cars will reduce or eliminate traffic accidents or fatalities, which is great, however traffic accidents are one of the major sources of organs for transplantation, so there will be fewer organs available...
|
Back to Top |
profile
| search
| www
e-mail
|
|