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[SalmonGod]

Hadn't heard of Burgerpunk.  That is mostly the reality we are living, but with plenty of cyberpunk elements laced in also, imo.

[Naturegirl1999]

Less of a likely future and more of a present reality, really.

Fair assessment. I’m gonna correct my post, I found spelling errors that autocorrect t apparently didn’t find

Burgerpunk sounds like a more likely future, pekople could write Burgerpunks that guess -posdsible outcomes of current conflicts/COVID/climate change

When I took economics, my teacher taught me that efficiency is inversely proportional to equality, that more equality means less efficiency.

[SalmonGod]

When I took economics, my teacher taught me that efficiency is inversely proportional to equality, that more equality means less efficiency.

As usual, there is an underlying implication here that needs to be question, which most people won't.  This is how propaganda works.

Efficient at what?

[Imic]

More efficiency means less room for error, less room for error means less room to make mistakes and worse consequences for making mistakes.

[scriver]

How do you guys feel about literature regarding Late Stage Capitalism? I've been trying to spread the burgerpunk aesthetic with a righteous passion. Burgerpunk is like cyberpunk only with late stage capitalism, no neon signs (just advertisements), no conspiracies or cool cyber advancement. Just crushing mundanity as corporations consolidate their power to sell every aspect of your life for the cheapest they can get away with. Burgerpunk is a town built on McDonalds. Burgerpunk is turning brands into religions and consumers into fanatics. Burgerpunk is 5 years of work experience, programming skills, language skills and anticipation of future market demands for an entry level job.

Did you read that book by the person where people have their companys as last names and it's about the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

[Naturegirl1999]

When I took economics, my teacher taught me that efficiency is inversely proportional to equality, that more equality means less efficiency.

As usual, there is an underlying implication here that needs to be question, which most people won't.  This is how propaganda works.

Efficient at what?

I think he meant transferring money? I should have asked. I still have his college email, so I should still be able to talk with him

[SalmonGod]

I know what efficiency means.  But it's a measure, not a goal or an end unto itself.  By "efficient at what" I am asking efficient at pursuing what end?  When someone makes an argument like Naturegirl's economics teacher, they're relying on most to immediately assume positive association with the word efficiency and not think about it much further.  But you can be efficient at work which is harmful or meaningless.  You need to know what is being measured in terms of efficiency and whether that is something you value in comparison to equality.

If pressed, I'm sure the economist would respond that it's in reference to "productivity" or "creating economic growth".  And once again, that would be stated in hopes that the audience would not question the underlying assumptions.  What do productivity and economic growth mean?  Do they mean providing for human need?  Because the very fact that it's being stated inversely proportional to equality suggests that's not the case, and the last 12 years look like pretty good hard evidence to me that's not the case.

Edit:  And of course, the point is to weaken your emotional investment in the concept of equality.  Because now equality means sacrificing something else which is assumed to also be desirable, without having to even make an argument to you as to what other thing equality is being compared to.  This is how propaganda works.

[Cthulhu]

Efficiency is the great filter.  All civilizations thin their margin of safety to maximize return until cascading failures result.

[nenjin]

Efficiency is profitability. A system when they can pay as little as possible and make as much as possible while sustaining their operations is considered efficiency.

[Naturegirl1999]

I think I might have been the only one in class to think equality would be better than efficiency, then again, I never really talked with the other students about this, so maybe there were others, too. There really wasn’t much chance to discuss that kind of thing

[Loud Whispers]

Less of a likely future and more of a present reality, really.

Yes! I use present reality to make burgerpunk. There's not even a need to satirise or exaggerate, real life provides enough inspiration

Spoiler: kids meals are just ways to addict children to early consumerism so they no longer associate food with pleasure, but food flavoured products with pleasure (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: once the pattern of childhood toy rewards for consumption is established, adults - once children, associate the consumption with a rosy childhood and pass on the consumption tradition to their own offspring (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: we live in a time of unexampled prosperity, which begs the question of why are people increasingly less happy? This question was once asked of me from an economist with a masters in philosophy. At first I thought they were being sarcastic or facetious, but then realised they were serious. (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: the more I thought about this question, the more I realised it was a useful question to ask (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: even if more people are lifted from absolute poverty into relative poverty, I think people are not protesting the improvement in material living conditions (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: we possess more things, more items, more conveniences than our ancestors ever did. My grandparents would never have dreamed of an education or a refrigerator (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: but I think it's more primal than statistics (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: once basic material needs have been met, people search for higher purpose. It becomes self-evident the system is structured to make menial purpose of mankind (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: am I here to make and consume until I gracelessly expire (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: will I always be at the mercy of someone who rules me because they were born with more capital (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: shall I live a longer life than my grandparents only to live a lifestyle they fought to destroy (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: shall my morals be used only by wise politicians to undo the people they pretend to serve (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: is everything I do futile (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: can the world not give me a fucking break. Once my manager told me I couldn't call in sick without a doctor's note. He was the one who translated the doctor's notes for me, and had my note. He did not give me my note back, so I could not give it back to him to call in sick. (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: this is sick. (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I hate money (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I hate brands (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I hate careers (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: All I ever wanted was to grow tea in a quiet place where no one would follow me (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: but I can't afford to live there. This dream doesn't exist for me (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I don't care about anything anyone ever talks about. I want to care, but I can't change myself. I just don't care, no matter how much I try (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: my life is up to the highest bidders on best buy (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: everything was decided before I was born (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: when my parents decided not to abort me (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: now I exist to work, and I can't even fucking work because I'm qualified to do everything and nothing (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: I understand what Veblen meant when he said this pattern of pointless consumption forces people to work to death. You work hard to make money. You spend your money to sustain your health. Your hard work kills your health. You end up with no more time, no health and no money. I've had to pretend to my family that these months of unemployment have been hell but honestly I feel like myself for the first time in decades (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: How can you explain to the people who believe in you that your greatest successes have been the most miserable points in your life? (click to show/hide)

That is the essence of burgerpunk. I love this shit

[nenjin]

It's blyatiful.

[Imic]

...
Fuck it, I’m moving to Iceland.

[scriver]

That was very nice LW

I think you would really enjoy that book I mentioned. I know it sounds ridiculous but it exists, I swear. I just can't remember the name and I don't know how to find it

[Loud Whispers]

That was very nice LW

I think you would really enjoy that book I mentioned. I know it sounds ridiculous but it exists, I swear. I just can't remember the name and I don't know how to find it

Shouldn't be too hard to find. I think once (if?) I am ever done with my burgerpunk books I'll post them somewhere in the creative forum