[windexh8er]

I'd like to think that, if it comes to this scenario, the wealthy will have many things to worry about. Everyone will know, at that point, that *they" are the one who destroyed the global economy for short term wealth. I'm not sure they've actually thought any of this through because they will be in a prison of their own making at that point.

[stevenpetryk]

But in this "Elysium"-like scenario, that same class would have automated protection in place that makes them ~untouchable and capable of keeping the rest of humanity incapable of pushing back.

[iugtmkbdfil834]

This. And unless people were not paying attention, the automated protection part is getting pretty close to reality.

[windexh8er]

I don't believe this to be true. Sure, for a short period of time they may be "untouchable". Long term, nope. Most of them can't do anything for themselves in terms of real world skills at this point. They are, literally, the most vulnerable without the protection and production of others.

[shipman05]

If history is any guide, you're technically correct, but it's no help to the lower classes. Many a divine king, high priest, or emperor has died at the hands of those they depended on. But systemic change is rare. A new despot replaces the old and the cycle continues.

[DangitBobby]

Not sure I agree. Things are looking kinda shit already, yet we can't even get people to agree there is a problem, let alone who is to blame. In a poorer, less informed society where the wealthy have an even larger megaphone I don't see it becoming any more obvious.

[throw310822]

I don't get it, in what sense "the wealthy [will have] destroyed the global economy for short term wealth"? Do you think that if the big corporations stopped developing AI it would, like, disappear?

[hn_throwaway_99]

Any fantasies of that sort went out the window for me when Trump got elected, largely on the base of "left behind" voters who have done very poorly economically over the past 30 or so years.

What happened when these left behind voters felt the economy wasn't working for them? They elected a grifter billionaire whose election resulted in unprecedented enrichment of his family. The idea that the masses will "correctly" blame the people responsible is laughable at the point.

[baby_souffle]

Exactly.

It has never been easier to misinform/mislead people at scale. It has also never been less profitable to do so.

Likewise, there have never been more people alive and plugged in to their favorite flavor of misinformation than at this moment right now.

Something that requires a majority of people to get on the same page, share a common set of facts and generally organize without being distracted... Is exceedingly improbable

[cyberax]

Yup. And the disillusionment in Trump makes them a fertile ground for a _competent_ manipulator.

Trump is comically incompetent, old, and probably suffers from minor dementia at this point. Now imagine somebody like Mamdani or Rubio gaining control of these disillusioned people and telling them that it's all because of "corporations" or "liberal anarchists" (underline the correct answer).

The only way to fix it is to correct the underlying economic problems that are pushing all the wealth into a smaller and smaller number of dense city cores. Promote remote jobs, prohibit new dense housing, tax dense office space.

[echelon_musk]

They have big guns. Good luck.

[dessimus]

They aren't the only ones: on average there are 1.5 guns for each person in the U.S.

[echelon_musk]

Try shooting a tank with a 9mm.

[dessimus]

How are tanks working out in the Ukraine against an almost inexhaustible supply of cheap drones?

[greenavocado]

The real robot terminator is 50 BMG