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TulliusCicero a day ago

Yeah, it kinda feels like a banal thing to hate on. "They're only doing this because it's easier to create a prototype invention than to redo all design standards and enforcement in the country!" I mean, yeah? What exactly is the implied alternative for the sort of individuals targeted by the blog post?

collinmcnulty a day ago | parent | next [-]

The video of the prototype invention has the effect of making people think they don't need to be concerned about ramps and doorknobs and ADA enforcement because some teen in a garage has just solved this problem forever. People who need accommodations also require the political support of able-bodied people in order to actually make change happen, and his argument is that these videos dissipate that support.

TulliusCicero a day ago | parent | next [-]

> his argument is that these videos dissipate that support.

That seems like a major stretch. Really feels like letting the perfect be the enemy of the good here, like saying that a video about improved airbags means that nobody will care about safer road design anymore.

striking a day ago | parent [-]

If it weren't for all the supermassive cars rolling around, purchased because they're ostensibly safer in a crash for the person driving them (while markedly decreasing the safety of the other driver) then maybe I could agree with you. But with so many people intentionally electing to value their individual safety at cost of the safety of others, I actually think that it makes for a great reason for them to not think about road safety! Who cares if the road is unsafe if I'm driving a tank?

whywhywhywhy a day ago | parent | prev [-]

> because some teen in a garage has just solved this problem forever

Isn't really teens in garages perpetuating this is it though, its universities and companies milking government funding.

chowells a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The expressed (not implied) alternative in the post is for those people to stop pretending they care, and start actually caring. Stop trying to save the world. The world doesn't need an invention to save it. Just put that energy into caring about others.

TulliusCicero a day ago | parent | next [-]

People do care, but there are so many problems in the world, and only so much caring to go around.

It's extremely cynical to view it as "people pretend to care", rather than looking around and realizing there's a ton of important problems out there that the caring is distributed over. People care about disabilities, but they also care about war, about public schooling, about the environment, about feminism, about animal rights, about transparency in government, about road safety, about child well-being, about unemployment, and so on. All of these are important things, and of course there are dozens more that I haven't listed.

And inventions are sometimes actually useful. Sure, most of those prototypes will go nowhere, but every once in a while something that really helps is invented. And you can't predict in advance only the ones that will actually go on to help.

Jblx2 a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Holy smokes, that comes across as "We just want all people to be impoverished equally".

scottlamb a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Some people actually care, but they can't always win the battle at their own companies when there are other priorities, much less go fix all the other websites, pour concrete at other businesses, etc. Is the solution for everyone to care? If, so how do you accomplish that? ("Americans with Disability Act" v2?)

orangecat a day ago | parent | prev [-]

The world doesn't need an invention to save it. Just put that energy into caring about others.

This is an excellent summary of the sort of anti-tech thinking that I strongly disagree with. Caring about people with Alzheimer's is well and good, but what we actually want are vaccines and cures.

thunderfork a day ago | parent [-]

The dream of a vaccine or cure is all well and good, but when my grandfather has Alzheimer's today and there's no properly functioning social supports, processes, etc to get him into a home and it takes months and months of phone calls and panicked searches when he wanders off to improve the situation at all, I think maybe there really is a dearth of "caring about the problem and not just the solution"

a day ago | parent | prev [-]
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