This (and a lot of other reasons) is why I carry a handkerchief.

I wouldn’t hate this system, TBH.

Ted misses a lot in Jacques Ellul’s The Technological Society, which is where I’d start off f your looking for philosophers critical of modern technology.

If you’re curious on that particular subject, I’d also recommend Lewis Mumford’s Myth of the Machine or The City in History.

Or, for something that’s less of a tome (both Ellul and Mumford can be overly wordy), Ivan Illich’s Tools for Conviviality is incredibly critical of the modern world, but also offers hope that isn’t based on mailing bombs to universities.

It’s probably better to read the philosophers Uncle Ted was pulling from (and ultimately failed to understand).

Ellul especially.

Somewhere around the majority of people employed in academia are absolutely useless.

I say this as an academic.

I’m an ex evangelical.

To put it in a sentence, they love Trump because the false image they have of him fits the heretical version of Christianity they follow.

The chatbots tell you what you want to hear.

Don’t forget that.

Hard work feels great when it benefits you, your community, folks you care about, or even just real people.

It feels fucking awful to work hard when the only people who will benefit are some rich assholes who exploit you.

We are deeply honored to have received your application (which we did not bother to read).

We’re sorry we didn’t hire you, but also never contact us again.

Signed,

Someone in HR who has nothing to do with this process.

For those who don’t know, the guy on the left is a professional wrestler called MJF.

His whole persona is dedicated to being a tool, and he’s pretty good at it. Highlights include telling the world that he’s “better than Moses.”

What I’m saying is that he’s doing a bit in this image. It’s kayfabe.