Conversation

Replying to
The problem with this scenario is that the transition cost might well be “collapse of civilization.” Transitioning a function like ATC to decentralized utopian future might be, to coin a phrase, “collapse complete.” You might have to blow it ALL up to achieve ONE such transition.
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That’s the problem with a lot of libertarian visions. They are quite possibly collapse complete. Achieving any one of them might require “collapse” as a transient state. ATC is just one of dozens of critical “stack realities” (public health, disaster relief, food security...)
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But there may be non-collapse clever pathways to achieve such transitions. We’re navigating one (energy) right now. The small problem is some are impatient and want to try blowing up what we have to redo the whole thing, taking a leap of faith that it’s NOT collapse complete.
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The BIG problem is that many believe such transitions ARE in fact unavoidably collapse complete and *still* want them. Effectively they want to bunker down with civilizational crown jewels/reboot plans, let us other 99% subhumans die off, and emerge from bat caves to rule in 2119
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These are awful people, but they do exist, do hold such views and serious power, and do in fact react with glee to progress in BTFSTTG (burn the fucking shit to the ground) plans. 200 years ago BTFSTTG was a silly dream. In 2019, it could actually be done (reboot not guaranteed)
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Now we technological pragmatists still want to get to nice decentralized future outcomes, but we want to muddle through, in a messy, constant “under construction” slouching-towards-utopia way. We don’t want to blow it all up. We don’t want to BTFSTTG along the way.
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This is why the shutdown concern me. This isn’t like previous shutdowns. This is a shutdown with a lot of BTFSTTG types in power. Their BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is collapse. Maybe not ATC, but they’d like to see a lot of stack realities collapse for good
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Sure the risk of a crash caused by a fatigued unpaid controller moonlighting driving Lyft, leading to a strike, is low. But I bet there’s BTFSTTG people thinking “we could use a gory crash to force privatization of ATC, on the road to automation and eventual elimination. Win!”
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Replying to
Not convinced the same people want privatization v automation and goes away, privatization of public services is a margin flow redirection, decentralized automation is an elimination of margin at its limit
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