Microsoft causes learned helplessness

seitanic@lemmy.sdf.org to Linux@lemmy.ml – 475 points –
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I haven't read all the comments yet so forgive me if I'm repeating this.

This is not specific to Windows or Microsoft. There's been a general dumbing down and more hand holding going on for decades now.

People don't need to think for themselves more and more. A huge amount of technology and information dessert is allowing people to become increasingly stupid.

Driving for example, many would assume that technology like lane assist is there to keep people safe from mistakes. Which it is, certainly. But only because people are becoming lazier drivers.

It's not so much a chicken or egg issue as a horrible feedback loop of stupidity or downward spiral into dumbness.

I honestly worry for the human race with how increasingly lazy and idiotic we are collectively becoming.

At this rate, we don't have to worry about robots, aliens or AI obliterating us, we'll be too dense to recognise it and welcome our extinction with open arms and apathy.

A lot of people in Linux subs seem to be ready and willing to unload their "everything is dumbed down" opinion, with all the ferver of a solider heading out to war. I'm a long time computer user, programmer and hacker, so I understand these points of view, but they come across as very gate-keepy around the idea of using a computer at all. Like... I think it's obscene that so many people would think you need to learn how to use the command-line in order to use a computer.

You guys have it wrong, I love smart GUIs that mean I don't have to spend my life writing complex command line statements, why are there so many people trying to hold back the wonder and marvel of computers from people who haven't spent their entire lives dedicated to learning about the computer? I mean seriously, I don't expect any of my friends or family to be as experienced at these things as I am, and that's okay. I want the computer to be an easy thing to use. Hell, I want the computer to be easy to use so that I can apply my skills to building things on the computer and have people pay money for them, I think that's a fairly reasonable trade.

Death rate per 100,000,000 miles has been dropping a lot over time.

In 1923, when it first started being tracked, it was standing at 21.65. 1970, it was 4.88. 1990, 2.21. In 2021, it was 1.5.

It spiked recently, though, a tiny bit around 2015-2016 but then greatly in 2021. In 2014, the rate was 1.17.

I do agree that the self-driving features are kinda pointless, especially right now, though. GM has gotten especially bad with their marketing, showing ads with people intentionally taking their hands off the wheel and not paying attention to the road while the car's moving.

The death rate is dropping yes, because of things like seat belts, air bags and better structural safety features of cars. But if you look at the crash rate and rate of driver error, it's increased and is continuing to increase. Injury and crashes from driver distraction had a massive increase with the advent of smart phones.