[minikites]

We as a species gave up trying to solve difficult problems and now we're only concerned with inflating asset prices to feel "wealthy". Smart engineers are working for HFT firms instead of NASA. We've equated "wealth" with "progress" and we're now discovering how hollow all these fake numbers are.

[DubiousPusher]

> We as a species gave up trying to solve difficult problems

We live in an era of constant fascinating biological and cosmological discoveries. In the past 3 years we have entered the era of gene therapy healthcare with several genetic treatments recieving approval by he FDA. We are on the cusp of break even if not effective fusion energy.

I cannot deny that the financialization of everything has diminished the moral imperative of some of these efforts but to act as if no one is attacking big problems is silly.

[camwiese]

Absolutely. Everyone wants to talk stagnation, but we don't realize how much incredible work is being done in the background. Then, because we live in filtered versions of reality, we don't see it. The Fair serves as a showcase of all of the incredible work being done to shape the future to 1) give people hope and 2) inspire more people to help build it.

[minikites]

It's not a "filtered" version of reality, the actual reality is getting worse for many people and the work you're talking about is orthogonal to the reality of declining wages, worsening health outcomes, infrastructure decline, etc. A fair isn't going to inspire hope to fix these things because these things require collective action, a concept that the USA thoroughly denigrates in favor of elevating the individual.

[the_only_law]

Now I just need to figure how to get in on all this incredible work.

[minikites]

The fact that every nightly news program includes a report on the stock market (which they invariably conflate with "the economy") but not any of the things you mention is kind of my point. We used to glorify that work. Now the best we can hope for is that it gets ignored lest some senator notice and cut their funding to "eliminate government waste".

[DubiousPusher]

I agree. This work is being done in a spirit of pure profit seeking. Even when the individual contributors have altruistic intentions they cannot help that they are part of a larger system which seeks to extract profit from their work. And I also agree that a world's fair would only succeed in highlighting our willingness to pour money into profitable benefit while turning a eye from the growing need in our society.

I really wish we could recenter our society on collective benefit with the financial aspect considered as one of many values involved.

[camwiese]

One of the largest problems is due to the negative media cycle and focus on things that drive engagement. Hopefully by stepping out of this algorithmically generated world, we can get experiencing the future and imagining their role in it.

[purple-again]

I’m a pretty smart guy, or at least I keep getting told that, and I work near HFTs in the finance world. I am also a huge space nerd thanks to a love for things like Star Trek and Star Wars in the 70’s 80’s. I would take a significant pay cut to work for NASA because that work would feel amazing compared to the grind I’ve been in.

I am 100% confident I would not be hirable by NASA, confident enough in that assertion to shut down without trying. I think you may have some bias from your media bubble coloring your perception if you truly believe what you wrote is true.

[spacethrowaway1]

I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re probably more hirable than you think. The bad news is it’s still just a job.

[minikites]

You don't think we in the USA equate "wealth" with "progress"?