Paradox

There are a lot of people besides me who have trouble coming to terms with life in the modern ... or post-modern ... or post-capitalist ... or post-something-or-other ... world we live in. It's hard to keep up with the labeling, that's for sure, but one things the world isn't, and that's post-paradox.

I don't know about you, but obvious contradictions in thought ... and that's what a paradox is, isn't it ... tend to confuse me. OK, I'm easily confused. It's a talent almost, but there are just a lot of things that don't make sense to me and I haven't found anyone to really explain them. Here are a few that I encountered last week:

Lowering taxes will raise revenues ...
Working harder will save time ...
Spending is saving in the long run ...
Helping the rich get richer is the best way to help the poor ...
Restricting access to healthcare makes for a healthier society ...
Waging war is the most effective means of achieving peace ...
Bailing out banks was necessary to preserve a free market ...
Printing money is a move against inflation ...
Lowering requirements will raise academic access ...

OK, I could go on, but I think you get the point. Who thinks this stuff up? But more importantly, why do so many folks take this nonsense seriously?

Well, since I've been into old-fashioned, slowly (or quickly) becoming archaic, words as of late, all I can say to all of this is, I'm flabbergasted.

Labor-saving

When I was growing up, I was continually fascinated by all the labor-saving devices and gadgets coming out: new vacuum cleaners, electric can-openers, snazzy mops ... you know, that kind of thing. It was only later that I realized that all of these were being made for my mom and housework, and I never really got it, because she never had a moment to herself. How did that work?

We've never really gotten out of that mode ... at least as far as the propagation of the idea is concerned. It used to be household gadgets, now its robots and automated production, and the like. Somebody decided bigger is better and we've upped the ante considerably. Let's face it, robots are more efficient, they don't complain, they don't get sick, they are willing, compliant ... well, slaves, actually, but they do cost a bit to get, but they're apparently worth the effort and investment. There's money to be made with labor-saving devices.

The money saved isn't because the things we then get to buy are cheaper. I don't know many people just socking away their paychecks because of how low the prices are on everything. In fact, there are a lot of people ... too many, in my book ... not socking anything away at all because they spend most of their time looking for a new sock. Theirs is getting a bit threadbare, if you get my drift. It turns out that the labor that was saved, was theirs.