We are, collectively, only marginally more aware of our role in a larger system of observation and cognition/emergent behavior than a rod or cone in our retinas (or, more aptly, an extraocular muscle) is of its roles in our own individual visual system.
We are, increasingly, sensor platforms for leviathan.
The stigma of depression and mental illness in society will never abate in a society with a labor surplus, especially one where employers subsidize health care.
Health conditions of all kinds (depression, pregnancy, obesity, etc.) are just another filter condition like bad credit, arrest records, substandard education, etc. that are used to winnow the labor force.
Only in the tech bubble (in the sense of a world temporarily apart) where skilled labor is, at the moment, relatively scarce, are these factors overlooked when hiring for "career" positions.
This sucks, and I hate it, but I'm not blind to reality. In a world where most people work for a living, and where there are fewer jobs than people, having anything "wrong" with oneself is a huge liability.
Are you familiar with the term "force multiplier?"
How many people has the US military killed over the last 10 years? How many US military personnel have been killed? The ratio is on the order of 100:1. (I'm not making any kind of moral judgement about the US military here, just pointing out it's raw effectiveness at a core competency, which is killing without being killed.)
People are not a great bet in the present technological era.
Why would I ever want my browser to have access to anything outside its running context? In what universe is this a good idea?!
I don't even want it to have access to the clipboard until I affirmatively paste contents!
The browser is a window into an unsafe world of shit you don't trust or control (also known as THE WORLD.) It's SUPPOSED to be at a remove from your local resources. Lack of integration is a FEATURE.
Creating browsers (and add-ons) without this design tenet from the outset is how you end up with MSIE and Flash.
Deflation, not inflation, steals from the poor and gives to the rich. Deflation depresses wages and increases the value of assets (including outstanding debts! rich people use debt, poor people have debt.)
This sort of glib disregard for the legitimate function of government plays into the hand of those who benefit directly from a dysfunctional government.
Put another way, it's YOUR government. When was the last time you engaged with it constructively as a citizen? Especially at the local and state levels where individuals can make a constructive difference without becoming full-time activists, lobbyists or politicians?
We are, collectively, only marginally more aware of our role in a larger system of observation and cognition/emergent behavior than a rod or cone in our retinas (or, more aptly, an extraocular muscle) is of its roles in our own individual visual system.
We are, increasingly, sensor platforms for leviathan.