Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by AequitasOmnibus 949 days ago
People are scared of change. Particularly where those changes require mass acceptance of uncomfortable truths.

Intellectually it’s obvious that society has to come to a reckoning over our current way of life if we’re going to get a handle on existential threats like climate change and endemic disease.

Emotionally it’s appealing to hear someone say that those hard truths don’t actually exist, and even if they do exist they don’t matter.

Societies are reactionary by nature. Until avoidance hurts more than denial we’ll opt for the latter every time. Argentina is by no means the first place where voters picked the guy peddling emotional comfort over the other candidates. The US may very well head in the same navel-gazing direction soon.
3 comments
Izikiel43 949 days ago
> Argentina is by no means the first place where voters picked the guy peddling emotional comfort over the other candidates.

Have you seen the other candidate? Milei was the objective better of the 2, the other guy had been the de facto president over the past 18 months, inflation rose to 140%, poverty is over 40%, child poverty is over 60%. It’s not emotional comfort, it’s a rational decision.

link
AequitasOmnibus 949 days ago
So… which part of an anti-vax, anti-abortion access, climate denier is the rational part?
link
Izikiel43 949 days ago
That he has an actual plan for the economy based on proven measures taken by other countries. The things you are complaining about are a luxury to complain in Argentina.

For abortion he proposed a referendum, so that people decide, like Britain did with brexit.

Antivax, he was against the Russian vaccines that the government got through shady deals.

Climate denier I won’t deny it, but Argentina doesn’t really contribute to climate change like USA, China and India do, and honestly, it has more accruing issues right now to worry about.

You think 10% inflation a year increase is bad? Think about it being 10% a month. The country in en route for hyperinflation within months if drastic measures aren’t taken.

link
SeanAnderson 949 days ago
Oh yeah, I agree completely with everything you're saying. There but for the grace of God go I and all that.

I really hope this works out well for Argentina. Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and thriving society. I'd just have more confidence if the candidate's scientific views aligned with mine, but that's implicit. :)

link
blacksqr 949 days ago
> The US may very well head in the same navel-gazing direction soon.

The US train pulled into that station right around 2016.

link