this post was submitted on 28 May 2026
54 points (96.6% liked)

Ask Lemmy

39730 readers
1378 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, toxicity and dog-whistling are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

As someone who is currently still in education for their degree looking at the current (and likely future) economic and societal outlook, it seems like employment in fields that cause/perpetuate negative issues in the world (Big Tech/Military-Industrial Complex, industries contributing to climate change, predatory sales/financial firms) continue to maintain strong employment availability and salaries as time goes on.

However, fields that have a neutral or beneficial impact on society and the world (Medical care, Food service, public infrastructure, humanitarian aid work, environmental research), either don't have enough available positions that people are able to transition into, have worsening working conditions due to poor management or limited resources, or just don't pay a living wage to most who work there.

I've read about the broken window fallacy, and I understand how focusing on personal gain without considering the impacts on the wider picture doesn't make for a better world. But can someone feel justified contributing to the "broken windows" of the world knowing that they weren't presented functional alternative pathways, and try to contribute towards the solution in other ways?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] aburrito@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Except when it’s yourself I presume

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social -1 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

No. My intentions don't matter to other people. Nor should they.

What I find hilarious though, is other people's bitterness towards me for my happiness and success in my life, that I achieved after decades of hard work and sacrifice and deprivation of my immediate wants so I could build myself a better future. People who are poorer than me, tell me I'm a rich undeserving asshole, and people richer than me, tell me I'm a loser for not having as much as they do, even though I have more than I ever wanted. People I meet who are able the same, just don't care either way....

anyway, you are not kind. what you are is patronizing and negative, because i articulated a life experience you do not find emotionally palatable, because it contrasts with your world view that people are inherently good and just make mistakes.

some people do make mistakes, those people are not 55 and living paycheck to paycheck. those people simple refused to save their money for the future.

[–] aburrito@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Why do you feel that the bitterness stems from your success or happiness? For me, I’m generally happy when I hear of successes of others. It sounds like you’re on your feet and in a much better position than before, and honestly every success deserves some praise or we get nowhere don’t we. But why do you feel others aren’t sharing in some joy in your development? Is it just some unpleasant individuals or is this like, everyone you meet

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social 0 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

because people hate people who are different than them. because it hurts their feelings. hence why they overwhelmingly tend to want to only socialized and live with people who are very very similar to themselves, and see people who are different as threats. and similarly, many people's lives are consumed by petty jealousies and social comparisons and judgements of what others deserve and don't deserve, including themselves.

I'm glad you are like that. Some people are, a but a lot of folks, are not. They see the world though a very bitter lens of what they feel they are owed by other people, in a very one-sided way. And personally, I do not identify or understand that viewpoint on the world myself. I have never felt anyone owed me anything and I generally feel grateful for the things I was able to achieve, so I really can't emotionally relate to folks who think I, or anyone else, owes them things.

increasingly we seem to live in a world where nobody admits fault or takes personal responsibility, sadly. And it's having dire consequences for our society, at least in the western world. people rarely go 'what can i offer to others' anymore. they go 'what can others give to me, and why aren't they giving it to me, and why isn't it more'.

it's not everyone I meet at all, but it's very much a cultural shift that has been happening the past 10 years, to the point where these attitudes and beliefs were rare, and now they are increasingly common.

[–] aburrito@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago

Is it true that 30 years ago people took more responsibility than today? Or were the times you recall of humility just as unique then as they are now

And also in what ways? Is taking responsibility a single act or does it require constant effort? Is it a destination? Can someone take responsibility and still fail after? And if that happens do you remember the times it worked or do you only regard the time it failed?