CW: troubling thoughts about global crisis

Figured I would add a content warning bc would not want to read this on a bad day lol

I actually feel crazy sometimes. How am I supposed to accept what marxism tells me the ruling class is willing to do to maintain power and reconcile it with the technology they have without denialism and not feel like a conspiracy theorist. I will see new tech like ai and, especially when the tech is hyped up, wonder what the bourgeois want it for. What might they be developing it to do? They aren't blind, they know what is to come when the earth gets too hot and they aren't doing anything to prevent it. Which leads me to believe they are more focused on insuring their survival which of course implies the automation of our labor, likely through ai which would explain their interest in it.

I think I have a strong pattern seeking brain and I want to connect all the dots yk? Tie everything in to one grand understanding. I know that this is likely impossible, many of the things that are done and invested in are likely just solely for the sake of profit. Not everything is a calculated malice. But some of it definitely is, some, likely many, of the ruling class are very conscious of their class position and intend to maintain it through whatever means necessary. I find this internal struggle difficult to manage. I know that my desire for a grand theory is rooted in terror because my response for fear has always been an attempt at understanding and so I am distrustful of this want. Yet, my fear is not unfounded, it is certain that I and all people of all oppressed classes are in danger and it is certain who is responsible. So I am at an impasse. It seems I have three options.

I can

  • feed my fear by giving into conspiracy, let myself find temporary comfort in a constructed reality that validates my inaction
  • give into denialism and pretend someone will do something and everything will be ok
  • live the rest of my life in a constant state of dread for the famine and slaughter that is already inevitable

I hate y'all for what you did to me (affectionate)

I am actively choosing option 3 daily and will continue to do so because it is the only choice that empowers action but I constantly worry about falling into either of the 2 other thought patterns accidentally or without my notice. Do y'all stress about this as well?

  • UlyssesT [he/him]
    ·
    3 days ago

    What does the ruling class want with AI? They want profits. The AI vendors want profits for their designs. The venture capitalists want a return on their investments. The managerial class want to cut labor costs and prove to their executive bosses they can "innovate" while making the company "lean". Those executives want to see the profits of their companies go up, by what ever means they can.

    They also want less workers present, or at least want those workers even further removed from their labor by making them into Mechanical Turk operators.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        ·
        2 days ago

        The "information age" has been a very misleading label considering how misinformed and uninformed westerners are becoming.

          • redtea@lemmygrad.ml
            ·
            2 days ago

            There's also the problem of not knowing how to engage with information-information. E.g. people think they know everything because Google will spit out an answer to all their questions. They don't necessarily know what's missing or what to do with the data even if the search result is 'correct'. This includes people who can find academic research to prove their point without understanding the limits of any given study. Then there are those who don't know how to determine what's even worth reading.