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BrenBarn ◴[] No.44410806[source]
> I heard one answer more than any other: the government should introduce universal basic income. This would indeed afford artists the security to create art, but it’s also extremely fanciful.

Until we start viewing "fanciful" ideas as realistic, our problems will persist. This article is another in the long series of observations of seemingly distinct problems which are actually facets of a larger problem, namely that overall economic inequality is way too high. It's not just that musicians, or actors, or grocery store baggers, or taxi drivers, or whatever, can't make a living, it's that the set of things you can do to make a living is narrowing more and more. Broad-based solutions like basic income, wealth taxes, breaking up large market players, etc., will do far more for us than attempting piecemeal tweaks to this or that industry.

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1. pstuart ◴[] No.44414713[source]
UBI seems inevitable with the progress of AI and automation -- but transitioning to it will need a catalyst to break through the wall of resistance to make that happen. Covid was such a catalyst, and at least in the US it was so poorly managed on the distribution of funds it did not help shift the mindset to support UBI.

That's a pity, because it could have done so brilliantly. The catch is that we need a government that is not corrupt and incompetent to administer that process and that's exactly what was in charge at the time.

So while it can't happen now it would be worth exploring what that tipping point might be and how to make sure it serves the people its supposed to.