Washing Machines emacipating women...

I stumbled across this article after hearing this recently and thought I'd comment.

The washing machine liberated women

Interesting that the Catholic church would be trumpeting ideas changing the world over some sort of authority but interesting nonetheless. What's also interesting is the dismissive response of the article and the author's own assumptions.

It is thought provoking how technology effects people's lives. I'm not so sure all advances can be so cleanly associated with a step forward because as people adopt new things inevitably other problems come to light. Electricity demand, the chemicals in the detergents, the dyes in the clothes, the manufacturing process all could be examined to find more problems to society associated with washing machines.

I do believe that within ideas are the solution to every problem. That as problems become greater, more minds are put to work on them and eventually a tangible solution is found.  No need to worry about problems, there are solutions.

However, in a closed society, where people are encouraged to be propagandized into believing which problems are important and which aren't, the biggest problems could go unrecognized. Even if the technology exists to solve it, it could remain on a shelve collecting dust. This is why freedom of speech and thought is so important and really a necessity for everyone. Large problems being pushed by media, government or industry might be easily solvable. Endless wars, police brutality, diseases, poverty, etc... all have solutions, it's just a marketing problem.

I think the biggest problem, when it comes to problems, is the obscuring of the real root of most problems as well as an honest assessment of solutions.

Lemonade Stand... USA 2015

If one googles 'how to start a lemonade stand' one might find all sorts of simple business advice on opening a lemonade stand. Some articles will suggest it's a great way to teach the children about small business or an entrepreneur. However, in the police state USA (similar to the defunct USSR) it could also teach another lesson about how the government and the parasite class has established a significant barrier to the marketplace and how difficult it has become to do business in the "land of the free" (sarcasm). It might also reveal the true nature of how government really operates and how similar it is to the mafia.

This isn't just speculation, a recent article in Forbes even took notice of government's war on lemonade stands in an article entitled "The Inexplicable War on Lemonade Stands".