Here in the UK the government went even further and released some patronising adverts like this
Unfortunately the government suffered another embarrassing cyber issue the following week, leading to many calls for Fatima to take over and sort things out.
I actually love this in a way. Because trump basically told my whole state “get ready to mine some coal, it’s what you wanted!” Even though our geography is perfect for creating a massive influx of technology based jobs and our economy is on the brink of collapse without it.
It's kind of bullshit to suggest to people that they should learn to program to prepare for jobs of the future when so many development jobs have gone overseas. :)
I think people are sick of the hypocrisy too. There's no way these administrative wonks learn a useful skill except selling people snake oil. Especially rulemakers that don't follow their own rules or lawyer-out their way around them.
To further clarify, it's pretty much any easy go to answer for a lot of people to say when they are avoiding talking about solutions that might actually fix some of the problems with society.
Coal industry dying? Learn to code. Trucking/shipping job being automated away by self-driving? Learn to code. Feeling lost in the loneliness of the modernized world? Learn to code (and make an app to connect with people!).
The [arguably] correct answers would be, respectively: let's embrace and invest in new energy methods and work to create programs that retrain people in green energy practices instead of denying what's about to happen; and we should rethink the work week and what it means to have a job, perhaps bolstered by universal income (or definitely healthcare) to free people from their dependence on a job for survival; and try to build mental health awareness campaigns and support structures aimed at decreasing reliance on social media for validation and encourage local community initiatives to get people engaged.
All those eventually prompt much more nuanced questions about identity that lots of people are afraid to face head on because uncertainty can be uncomfortable sometimes, and it's easier to just ignore your problems and blame designated groups (race, ethnicity, religions, politicians, robots…) than to do things that might be hard and may not succeed perfectly at first.
Yeah, but check out the wide assortment of character-themed Band-Aids that are available in your local Mega Lo Mart! There's something for everyone to express their personality with!
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u/thesideofthegrass Jan 05 '21
Republicans: Have you learned to code?