Mfw splitting the atom, entering space, stepping in the moon, etc. wasn’t radical or revolutionary:
Pretty sure this means radical and revolutionary in the political sense. Though most scientists and astronauts weren’t billionaires - they were government employees.
It still rings hollow, unless revolutions to overthrow monarchy weren’t radical or revolutionary.
Which revolutions were inaccessible to the poor?
And honestly, yeah, revolutions like the American one where a bunch of rich people used propaganda, money, and threats to secede so they and an oligarchic “democracy” of white male land owners could pay lower taxes and privatize public land weren’t as radical or revolutionary as subsequent propaganda made them out to be.
Yep. The race to the Moon was just a dick measuring contest between the US and USSR. Manned space travel is a meaningless ego trip for governments. Unmanned space travel is equally useless in practical terms - learning about other planets does nothing to help the proletariat on our own - but at least wastes less money.
Global internet connection via satellite, and GPS, on the other hand, have helped the proletariat in actual practical terms. It’s a shame it took all that billionaire ego dick waving to get there.
I think honestly this is a valid critique even as a fan of space exploration and a “luxury space communism” wisher.
I think visiting other planets has given us some scientific knowledge that is valuable in and of itself in a quest for self-improvement and exploration - seeking of answers to our questions and new questions. I would hope, that this one day can become a worthwhile pursuit for the collective humanity as a voluntary quest, but obviously it’s a misallocation of resources when there are capitalists to be eaten first and it’s only done as a way to one up the rival empire.
Something something environmentalism without class struggle is just gardening
*scientists figure out faster-than-light travel*
Me, an intellectual: Clearly not revolutionary because I can’t use my mass transit (heh) ticket on it
I sense sarcasm, but you are literally, unironically, correct.
If faster than light travel does not change the material conditions of the ordinary person, then it’s not radical or revolutionary - it’s just another toy for the rich and/or dick measuring tool for governments to boast about.
There is a but of truth in that. But FTL travel may reduce costs due to formerly inefficient due to distance sources becoming plausible. Even if it is not available to the average Joe. A lot of advances in tech reduced the distance of objects e.g. ships and carts.
Yes… and what good it did everyone to reduce the distance of objects… Sometimes distance is good. Gives me time to think about why I’m really going there in the first place.
Yeah I like driving, but manufacturers need to bring prices down who has $100k to spend on a car
China invented a few electric cars that are just as good as a Tesla for 1/3rd the price. Our benevolent plutocrats responded by putting a 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars.
i dunno i think the nuclear bomb was pretty revolutionary
