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The fundamental problem with altruism is that almost everything in life is a zero-sum game. It's not possible to improve the conditions of the game for everyone, because the only way to get ahead is if someone else falls behind. If you succeed in life, it's always going to be at someone else's expense.

These good samaritans who try to red-pill the normies, raise awareness of how the game works and teach the normies how to play - all they're doing is making the game harder for smart people. Doesn't matter if it's investing, computer security, avoiding poisons in food, etc. If everyone starts using better security software and better privacy practices, what happens? Governments start pressuring the makers of those software products to install backdoors, and at the same time, technologies that are universally adopted become infinitely juicier targets for black hat hackers. If everyone becomes educated on what's good food and what's poison, food companies will just double down on fudging the numbers and obfuscating their ingredients and nutrition facts, making it increasingly difficult to determine if something is good for you.

Whatever level of competence the vast majority of people are able to reach, that level is going to become the new baseline, the new mediocre. It's simply not possible to equip everyone for success, especially if these people are herd animals and are set on doing things a certain way. I think in a lot of ways it's better if the masses stay ignorant.

Hi, liked the post (an hour ago) qoto.org/@PsychoCod3r/10753823

Is there a name for this, it's always felt like a phenomenon and like you said something is changed for better only for others make it worse (or that kind of thing). Should be a few names more specific than manipulation etc to show balance/imbalance needed / wanted. (similar to your quotes lines below). Any idea on names / phrases? Thanks

" If everyone becomes educated on what's good food and what's poison, food companies will just double down on fudging the numbers and obfuscating their ingredients and nutrition facts, making it increasingly difficult to determine if something is good for you. "
@PsychoCod3r

@PsychoCod3r I wonder if you have a rather narrow definition of what it is to live a successful life? I've seen what happens when a development charity helps people in Ugandan slums get better education and healthcare so they can escape the cycle of poverty and supply their own basic needs. This doesn't feel like a zero-sum game because it unleashes people to start to reach their own potential and there's a net gain in quality of life.

@underlap
I will say my definition of success is rather self-serving. Not that I don't see the value in helping those who are really suffering, but I see living well and being successful as two separate things.

@PsychoCod3r Self-serving is indeed pretty much a zero sum game.

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