What drives people to be so hostile?

HermitHogan said:
Why shouldn't Uber be allowed? Capitalism is all about competition where the most fit rise to the top. Uber has provided better service or is more cost efficient than taxis, so they're what people choose. And within Uber, the drivers that are most reliable or that have the best vehicles often get the most business.
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I understand your point about competition and the idea that capitalism rewards those who provide better service or are more efficient. However, the situation with Uber and the taxi industry is not as straightforward as it may seem.

The playing field between Uber and traditional taxis has been anything but level or fair. Taxis have long been required to adhere to strict regulations: they pay substantial licensing fees, comply with fare controls, and meet a host of operational mandates designed to ensure passenger safety and reliability. These requirements, while ensuring a standard of service, also impose significant costs that taxi drivers and companies must bear.

In contrast, Uber has operated under a far more lenient framework in many places, often arguing that it is a "technology platform" rather than a transportation provider, allowing it to bypass the very regulations that taxis must follow. This regulatory disparity means that Uber has been able to offer lower prices and operate more flexibly—not necessarily because it is inherently "better" or more "fit," but because it is not subject to the same constraints.

The consequences of this imbalance have been profound. In many cities, the value of taxi medallions—a critical investment for drivers—has plummeted, causing financial devastation for those who relied on them as their livelihood or retirement plan. This isn't competition in the fair-market sense; it's the result of one side being bound by rules while the other operates with fewer restrictions.

To make matters worse, some lawsuits and investigations have revealed that Uber's entry into markets has sometimes involved skirting local laws entirely. For example, in Australia, Uber settled a major lawsuit after being accused of operating illegally and harming thousands of traditional taxi and hire car drivers.

If we’re going to champion competition, it must be fair competition. Ensuring that both sides operate under comparable rules is the only way to let the most efficient or service-oriented provider rise to the top. Without that, we risk undermining entire industries and the livelihoods of those who work within them.
 


Judycat said:
I hear this Goebbles quote thrown around a lot these days as if it's impossible for people to be responsible for what they believe. Are people really that malleable?
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I don't know if Göbbels was actually the first one to say it or not but yes people really are that malleable.
Judycat said:
The guy was a power-hungry psychopath. Why is he quoted like gospel?
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He was a wretched-looking person, a face that resembled the worst caricatures of what the NAZIs painted as a "filthy Jew", and he had a club foot. Funny, isn't it. Göbbles had a club foot, Roosevelt was confined to a wheel chair, and Stalin had a withered arm.
Judycat said:
I think he was full of s**t.
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No, he was not. At least the "repeat a lie often enough" theory was accurate. Look at the MSM reports. Each and every one of them keep repeating the same lies but repeated a hundred times every day, so much that you actually believe it. Well, maybe not you personally but you know what I mean.
 
Gardenlover said:
Pick your topic, but the sad truth is no matter the topic, people with opposite views tend to become combative fairly easily.
I've often wondered why, is it insecurity or a superiority complex? Why do so many demand that others hold the same beliefs?
Why is it easier to hate your neighbor rather than love them?
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Maybe immaturity. By this age people should know how to behave, have learned tact and the importance of being polite. Have our parents failed?

Some of the things I've read here over the years by senior citizens, would cause me to ask them to leave if they were in my home, rather than subject my other guests to their nonsense.
 
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I'm not sure how being a cud chewing ungulate is virtuous.

I guess some prefer to have play tea parties taking turns clutching the old pearls over media-magnified tragedies.
 
Warrigal said:
But why is that?
US, like Australia allows for secret ballot and with some exceptions, everyone has the right to vote
Both are federations with the rights of each component of the federation mandated by laws.

Free speech allows us freedom to express opinions, so why the hostility towards people with opinions contrary to our own. I'm more than happy to hear alternate opinions and say why I may be opposed. I do not resort to name calling.

Me? Well, hardly ever.
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I think the hostility happens (in your scenario) because the view points and subsequent outcomes are so diametrically opposed. There is bound to be 'pain' in those outcomes.
 
dilettante said:
But isn't that exactly what people are trying to push back against? The level of indoctrination exhibited here is truly breathtaking some days.

Just today I saw somebody castigating poor people for the temerity to have children. Not only was it shameless, she doubled down when called on her bullshit.
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Maybe that individual simply hadn't thought it through and realized that poor people often can't even afford to access birth control.
 
RadishRose said:
What does Uber have to do with the topic; people's hostility, or government or capitalism?
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The rise of Uber has sparked significant hostility in multiple areas. Traditional taxi drivers have expressed anger over what they see as unfair competition, given that Uber operates with fewer regulatory burdens. In short, Uber has disrupted the taxi industry and sparked significant hostility among its workers.
 
Why are people so angry. Politics. Prices. Insurance and medical care. Divisive rhetoric about people different from our selves. Fear mongering. Instant confrontations on social media. Isolation from others. Families not as close anymore. Phones. News outlets with a certain slant. Wealth is more important that people or relationships. Valuing things instead of people.
 
oslooskar said:
The rise of Uber has sparked significant hostility in multiple areas. Traditional taxi drivers have expressed anger over what they see as unfair competition, given that Uber operates with fewer regulatory burdens. In short, Uber has disrupted the taxi industry and sparked significant hostility among its workers.
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Same here in Australia but Australians have taken to Uber for the most part. I won't use them because I prefer the taxi drivers myself.

Edit - I see that you are well versed in the Australian situation. Thanks for this post.
 
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oslooskar said:
I understand your point about competition and the idea that capitalism rewards those who provide better service or are more efficient. However, the situation with Uber and the taxi industry is not as straightforward as it may seem.

The playing field between Uber and traditional taxis has been anything but level or fair. Taxis have long been required to adhere to strict regulations: they pay substantial licensing fees, comply with fare controls, and meet a host of operational mandates designed to ensure passenger safety and reliability. These requirements, while ensuring a standard of service, also impose significant costs that taxi drivers and companies must bear.

In contrast, Uber has operated under a far more lenient framework in many places, often arguing that it is a "technology platform" rather than a transportation provider, allowing it to bypass the very regulations that taxis must follow. This regulatory disparity means that Uber has been able to offer lower prices and operate more flexibly—not necessarily because it is inherently "better" or more "fit," but because it is not subject to the same constraints.

The consequences of this imbalance have been profound. In many cities, the value of taxi medallions—a critical investment for drivers—has plummeted, causing financial devastation for those who relied on them as their livelihood or retirement plan. This isn't competition in the fair-market sense; it's the result of one side being bound by rules while the other operates with fewer restrictions.

To make matters worse, some lawsuits and investigations have revealed that Uber's entry into markets has sometimes involved skirting local laws entirely. For example, in Australia, Uber settled a major lawsuit after being accused of operating illegally and harming thousands of traditional taxi and hire car drivers.

If we’re going to champion competition, it must be fair competition. Ensuring that both sides operate under comparable rules is the only way to let the most efficient or service-oriented provider rise to the top. Without that, we risk undermining entire industries and the livelihoods of those who work within them.
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Halleluia and Amen 🤗
 
l think it may be because in general people don't feel heard and when they finally feel that someone is actually listening it's an overwhelming desire just to get it all out and get lost in one's feelings and forgetting the feelings of others.
 
Where do you want someone to reply to your post so that the topic of this thread doesn't get diverted?
 
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