Are you the type of person that drives past a car crash and wonders “how can this benefit me?” A lot of people in power are like that.
Did we forcefully move most activities—such as education, medicine, shopping, sex, and recreation—online for now, as we are working on “digitizing” the physical world, for easy tracking and surveillance?
Check.
Yeah, probably. The alternative would be to just shut school down entirely. Yes, that’s happened.
Did we, despite the lockdowns for white collar peasants, continue with construction—including very robust construction of new telecom structures and cellular antennas, necessary to support the IoT?
Check.
A lot of places did shut down construction. Here’s some articles about Australia and the UK:
https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-nsw-updates-case-numbers-construction-work-stopped-outdoor-exercise-policed/43f8dae3-fece-4f3e-9bcc-4ceab7071c18
https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/05/can-construction-and-manufacturing-continue-during-lockdown-13850881/
The United States didn’t, because our “lockdown” was nothing but performative BS. But you’re trying to claim that this is worldwide, so you need to cover the whole world.
Also, “white collar” is by definition not peasantry. Your skewed ideas of what “low class” is are showing.
Did we succeed at near destroying the livelihoods of many independent farmers who were competing with our new “edible” products, and also at disrupting the traditional food supply chains?
Check.
Did we also succeed at destroying a good number of small face-to-face businesses?
Well, of course!
Well, yeah. I won’t defend the loss of a bunch of already-cash-strapped small businesses. That really should’ve been handled better, and I am honestly pissed off at how government lobbying allowed so many megacorps to basically take advantage of a crisis.
Live music venues and theaters?
For sure.
Movie theaters had basically priced themselves to death already. Live music and theater will probably recover, since the commercial venue actually offers something that you can’t get at home.
Are we working on replacing law enforcement with AI?
You bet! Defund! Defund! Defund!
You are completely ignoring the specific reasons for that. BLM supporters hate AI-based law enforcement at least as much as you do.
Are we trying to legitimize complete erosion of privacy and easy access to private health data?
Yes! Because health emergency.
You already have to deal with a credit score. What’s the difference?
Are we on target when it comes to tracking every movement of every person?
Contact tracing, yes! But some countries are still behind.
A cell phone already tracks everywhere you go, and they can retrieve it with a warrant. What’s the difference?
Is a digital health ID now required for international travel?
Yes, Common Pass is live!
You already need a passport to travel internationally. What’s the difference?
Have we been able to disrupt political and legal procedures and create chaos?
Yes, Sir!
Did “we”? If you’re thinking of the 2020 election insurrection, it was a failed attempt. If you’re thinking of the widespread mail-in voting, there was nothing unprecedented except the percentage of people using it. I’d been voting by mail for years before then.
Importantly, have we succeeded at messing up human thinking and relationships to the extent that we, the robot, the abuser, are now everybody’s only friend?
Still working on it but close.
Do you live alone?
If so, I honestly feel sorry for you. It probably does suck to live alone, in a small, cramped apartment, during a pandemic.
Are we well on target with prepping the people for a broad rollout of smart wearables?
Yep. Wear your mask.
Who needs one? A cell phone already tracks everywhere you are. It has to, in order to route the call. And those records are kept around, and can be handed over with a warrant.
Are we legally controlling people’s sex lives?
Yes!
Are you really trying to compare universal* lockdown restrictions with homophobia? Grow up. You can take a few years off of the ride for the sake of your health, along with everyone else.
* It’s supposed to be universal, anyway. Actual enforcement is as lopsided as ever. Some people aren’t getting in trouble for violating lockdown, and they should be. We need actual enforcement. It’s too bad we’re not getting it.
