Breaking Point: Society's Game of Chicken with Our Limits
(Now that my first book is out, I'm testing out ideas to include in my next book on AI.) Exploring the "Adaptive Expectation Threshold," where societal norms stretch our limits until we push back.
Today's life often feels like a whirlwind of endless tasks. We're grinding through 40-60 hour workweeks, squeezing in gym sessions, struggling to find childcare, and spending weekends tackling home projects. Amidst all this, we're trying to catch a breath, going to social events, and somehow still finding time for ourselves. Time always seems just a bit too short.
Logically, life now should be more manageable given lower food costs (from automated agriculture), the establishment of weekends for rest, and the convenience of microwaves and Roombas. These are all new niceties available only in the last decades. But, somehow, life doesn’t seem to feel more manageable.
Historically, society’s norms tend to push citizenry to the brink. Norms must shift when people can no longer bear it.
As examples, American norms used to feature:
Ironed bed sheets. Once a standard, thanks to an abundance of traditional housewives and domestic servants up until the 1940 and 1950s.
Child labor. Children comprised 18% of the workforce by 1900, often due to their ability to maneuver in tight spaces and handle small machinery.
Elaborate dinner tables, i.e. starched fine linens, polished silverware. Few people have a home manager to devote to these details.
Our grandchildren will probably be surprised we allowed our current norms to be:
Students paying $15,000—$60,000 a year for university to start careers: What used to be an optional luxury turned into a near-mandatory expense for many career paths. The fact that these costs became the norm, largely fueled by the accessibility of student loans, might baffle them.
Daily commutes over an hour long: As zoning laws constrict the supply of housing in cities, longer commutes have become more common, with an expectation to tolerate extensive travel times to work.
Women managing all home management. This norm is forced to shift as women are finding this untenable due to entering the workforce.
Productivity-centered culture: In Korea, 'spacing out' competitions have emerged, critiquing a culture obsessed with productivity.
Societal standards evolve once we hit a limit, either due to changing resources or values. I call this phenomenon "Adaptive Expectation Threshold.” Ironing bed sheets and having servants, once upper-middle-class norms, fell out of favor as they became impractical.
Societal standards have always been in flux, adjusting to the capacity of its members.
Today, this Adaptive Expectation Threshold still dictates what we think we should aspire to, and that’s constantly reshaped by our collective endurance.