overcomingbias.com/2018/04/two-ty…
So here we go...
Here is the quotey-quote:
And that's a good and legitimate reaction.
Yes, Hanson does seem to think of women as objects, so I guess it makes sense that he'd want to redistribute them.
That's bad.
And Hanson's question, though seemingly motivated by evil, is an interesting one. Why *don't* we care about equality of sex?
It's the neoliberal, complete-markets sort of answer. And OK, sure, sure.
Most of the things we associate with the word "sex" aren't actually things that could be bought from a prostitute. Or in any market.
1. Sexual arousal, stimulation, and orgasm. This is actually not scarce at all! With free internet porn you can masturbate to your bliss point. Done.
2. The happiness of knowing someone is attracted to you
3. The happiness of giving someone else pleasure
4. The bond of love and intimacy that many people get from having sex
5. The social respect some people get from relationships
etc. etc. etc.
No matter how much money you pay someone, they can't be more attracted to you, they can't enjoy sex with you more, they can't love you, etc.
And THESE things are scarce.
Some want love, others want a feeling of being attractive, others want social respect.
BUT, the important point here is, most NORMAL human beings want all those positive intangible, non-market goods that come with "sex".
As the communist dude says in Enemy at the Gates, "There will always be rich and poor...rich in love...poor in love..."
Then he kills himself. Dammit incels!
Anyway.
HELL YES IT SHOULD MAKE US SAD!!!
Even if we wanted to, we can't actually redistribute these things by government fiat (thank fucking God). No policeman or judge can force one person to love another, to be attracted to another, to respect another.
We can give people gyms so they can work out and get more attractive.
We can give people Coffee Meets Bagel so they can meet people more easily.
We can give people internet forums so they can learn how to have relationships.
We can give people bars and clubs and Reddit and comic book stores etc. so they can join subcultures and meet people and form social bonds.
And we can give people MONEY to buy all this stuff!!
So people can afford to buy things that will help them create better human connections!
This bridge can only take you halfway there, as Shel Silverstein wrote.
YOU have to go figure out how to love people and be loved, pleasure and be pleasured, respect and be respected.
It's really hard, and it's not something you can buy with money, and it takes most people most of their lives.
Redistribution is great, but people *have* to do some part of life for themselves.
So we do the best we can.
We can prevent rape and child abuse. We can reduce violence. We can try to help families stay together. We can give people money so they can have stable lives free from want and fear.
(end)