We keep seeing startups who want to replace something valuable (therapy, counseling, tutoring, artistic expression) with some tech bullshit under the banner of democratization. But why do we need to invest so much in bad tech that doesn't work instead of just giving people access to what they need?

This is a sign for how fucking atrophied our mental muscles are. How limited our space for thinking about how things should be.

You want to democratize "going to therapy"? Make it "free" as in paid by socialized healthcare. You want to democratize "making art"? Give people money and free time to express themselves.

None of these things are meaningfully addressed through tech. It's always about the political struggle to give people what they need and deserve.

@tante as a lifetime worker in the tech industry I couldn’t agree more. Far too few techies feel any sense of ethical or moral responsibility. Neither are they interested in politics.
@holdenweb Steve, I guess there are many of us who steered into tech because it's a kind of escape from the meaty ugly "social" political world. Well, that has been my motivation to go full-time nerd in my youth, anyway.
@tante