The Problem with Trolley Car Problems
I started out saying this as a joke, but gradually, over time, I've come to realize it's actually accurate.
The true solution to almost all "trolley car" problems is to find who keeps tying people to the tracks.
In trolley car problems, the people tied to the tracks always represent some disadvantaged sector of society — poor people, homeless people, no healthcare, minorites, etc — or even just (pardon the expression) "regular" lower class people.
And the "problem" is always "do you let those people be run over in order to save a billionaire, or a corporation, or the banking industry, or some sector of the economy, etc.
And again ... why are those people tied to the tracks in the first place? What is wrong with our economy/society/legal system, that we have those people stuck in those disadvantaged positions?
So the next time you see a trolley car problem — even the comedy/shitpost/joke problems — ask yourself, "who are those people tied to the track, and how did they get there in the first place?
Eric the Cerise /
npub17a…y06g6
2024-01-09 20:08:41
Author Public Key
npub17azv0qt0crmghsm2d09xpe9yvn97ge7x3f6jpu79e0nfa50m3rfq4y06g6Published at
2024-01-09 20:08:41Event JSON
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"content": "The Problem with Trolley Car Problems\n\nI started out saying this as a joke, but gradually, over time, I've come to realize it's actually accurate.\n\nThe true solution to almost all \"trolley car\" problems is to find who keeps tying people to the tracks.\n\nIn trolley car problems, the people tied to the tracks always represent some disadvantaged sector of society — poor people, homeless people, no healthcare, minorites, etc — or even just (pardon the expression) \"regular\" lower class people.\n\nAnd the \"problem\" is always \"do you let those people be run over in order to save a billionaire, or a corporation, or the banking industry, or some sector of the economy, etc.\n\nAnd again ... why are those people tied to the tracks in the first place? What is wrong with our economy/society/legal system, that we have those people stuck in those disadvantaged positions?\n\nSo the next time you see a trolley car problem — even the comedy/shitpost/joke problems — ask yourself, \"who are those people tied to the track, and how did they get there in the first place?",
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