[rbg81]

Though I’m an engineer, I do think technology makes a lot of people stupid. Not everyone mind you, but a very large (and growing) group. In particular, technology insulates people from reality and enables them to believe that things are what they (or their friends in their electronic echo chambers) say—not how they really are. One symptom of this is the transgender movement, but there are many others.

[familyop]

"Though I’m an engineer, I do think technology makes a lot of people stupid. Not everyone mind you, but a very large (and growing) group. In particular, technology insulates people from reality and enables them to believe that things are what they (or their friends in their electronic echo chambers) say—not how they really are. One symptom of this is the transgender movement, but there are many others."

Well said! I'd like to see more open source equipment design projects (especially transportation and small heavy equipment). Too few people have enough desire to work with both their minds and their hands. With more open source equipment design and actual building and development of equipment, we could be freed from some rackets that brought us contemporary slavery (lack of work) and the ongoing decline of the do-nothing debt regime.

Artificial scarcity, planned mechanical failures and trivial obsolescence must go. There's plenty of earth, water and air (materials needed for production) for a much larger population.

We need to see the dumping of many regulations (especially state and local) and much more distributed manufacturing efforts for many new minds to draw from. So far, I'm only seeing a few engineers and flighty interns being too clumsy with their hands. Skilled techs and trades people and too often shunned because of the ever-increasing tendency toward academic over-generalizations (in speech) and acute sensitivities.

Many academics should try watching "Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil." I don't usually advise fiction for education, but that's a movie that many could learn from. Technically inclined rednecks are not often the monsters that the media have made them out to be. Some of them can be mighty useful, indeed, and sometimes even entertaining to work with. I've been one of them, can repair or build almost anything and continue to dress like an unstylish, rural "goon" and drive an old vehicle. Can you tell from my writing? And have another look at the new, common state of literacy in big journalism.

After the end of the defaults currently in motion, those who are more technically inclined toward useful products and maintenance will rise.

[familyop]

Skilled techs and trades people are too often shunned, even. Little typo correction there.