• 0 Posts
  • 27 Comments
Joined 8 months ago
Cake day: January 25th, 2024
  • GhostFence@lemmy.worldtoMildly Infuriating@lemmy.world•SPD officer that hit and killed Jaahnavi Kandula in crosswalk will not face chargesEnglish
    22·
    7 months ago

    I remember when people used to say “lock your doors!” to residents and “don’t use ATMs at night”. Now people are kicking down doors and robbing people in broad daylight. “Use 2 factor authentication” they say. Hackers laughed at that and smashed stacks to break in from the floorboards. “Look both ways” they say. Then you get hit by a super quiet electric car with no lights on.

    You can look both ways and lock your doors and use ATMs in daytime all the live long day and someone will find a negligent or intentional way to end you. What always makes it WORSE is when they don’t get punished. Especially cops.

  • GhostFence@lemmy.worldtoNews@lemmy.world•Austin experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. They spent the no-strings-attached cash mostly on housing, a study found
    0·
    8 months ago

    Its merely an alternative to the existing US model of financial credit. The “nightmare” is only real for people who enjoy high levels of disposable income/high credit but low levels of social status. And, given how social status is already a critical component of one’s economic standing, this just isn’t a large number of people.

    Are you sure it’s only real for high-income/low social status people? Even if so it won’t stay that way. The main goal of dystopian politics in America is to cull the herd of demand when supply is low or when supply is artificially suppressed (like with housing). Got too many people with money and great credit pursuing homes with houses going up to a godzillion per square foot in the outback of Montana? Pinch the pipeline before or after they show good credit and money: add more barriers to entry with Facebook scanning. Let the algorithms look for things like “labor union” or “climate change is real” to weed them out, and disqualify anyone with no Facebook, and make sure no one knows this algorithm exists, just say “Sorry, you got outbid,” Hell, don’t even CALL it a social credit system. Let the conspiracy theorists battle each other over what’s going on.

    (Yes, I am a Supervillain University Professor. See my course on how to laugh maniacally and be taken seriously.)

    I’d further calibrate what you said to this: the solution in the US is to organize with your fellow Americans at large and vote for politicians who will stop the commodification of empty homes before the powers that be start downgrading your standing as a prospective home buyer based on your Facebook profile.

  • GhostFence@lemmy.worldtoNews@lemmy.world•Austin experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. They spent the no-strings-attached cash mostly on housing, a study found
    0·
    8 months ago

    I think this is presuming a heavily overengineered model that fixates on things other than “How high can I raise your rent right now?” So long as eviction laws are loose enough, there are plenty of landlords who will find ways to make money by simply withholding your deposits and evicting you on short notice. What’s more, there’s been a growing trend of predator application processes, wherein landlords charge a vig to even consider you for their residence and make money keeping spots open indefinitely as bait.

    Oh yeah there is definitely that, too.

    If we want to get really sci-fi horror, I more see a future in which landlords find a way of sticking tenants with fees and collections long after that person has left the unit. Also, the increased slum-ification of existing housing, as big corporate landlords cut further and further back on maintenance.

    Not sure I see a path to fees and collections after a person has left their rental, but I 150% believe that they can and will do their best to find a way.

    “Living in the pods” is the real sci-fi nightmare. Paying thousands a month to effectively lease a bunk in a contract that affords a landlord direct access to all your incomes and assets indefinitely. That’s the horror story I’m more worried about than anything.

    I do absolutely agree with the right-now horror stories that you’re bringing up. Those are already in our face. Particularly the 200 sq ft apartment. In Hong Kong they have workers living/renting in literal rabbit hutches.

    Still, I believe the Dark Mirror-style social credit score will come into existence. They’ve already tried it in America, it was called “Peeple” and it failed. For now. Meanwhile, across the Pacific:

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/01/21/chinese-social-credit-score-utopian-big-data-bliss-or-black-mirror-on-steroids/#:~:text=If an individual has a,tickets or renting an apartment.

    If an individual has a lower social credit score, they might find their ability to purchase what they want such as high-quality goods or a new home to be restricted. They might also be prohibited from buying airline and train tickets or renting an apartment. Some people with low social credit scores can expect to be blocked from dating sites and not be able to enroll their children in a school of their choice.

    A social credit score affecting your ability to rent an apartment. This is the nightmare I described. It’s happening right now at this moment in China.

    We can’t ever say “that can’t happen here” when it’s already happening elsewhere. We have to be vigilant. What’s going on in China is a Beta rollout. When it gets here it’ll be smoothed out and optimized for maximum suffering.