It seems almost certain to me that AI is going to increase the surface area of what it’s possible for programs to do and therefore massively induce demand for more programs

I think the part that remains to be seen is whether a sufficient percent of that new work will be done by humans such that overall demand for the humans doesn’t collapse

Personally I think us humans will be ok for at least a few more years

Denser, less car-centric areas are more economically productive than less dense areas. Car infrastructure prevents density. So I would argue that, at least in some cases, cars decrease economic efficiency

I mean sure, they both have engines and wheels, but they're already distinguishable in the eyes of the law. Commercial and personal vehicles are registered separately

Anyway, I don't think anyone is proposing banning cars. Just would be good to provide alternatives

Bigotry has been a big part of the Moral Majority's platform for decades for a reason - it works on that demographic

I have an armchair theory about one possible contributing factor

These are two of the most fundamental beliefs of evangelicals and they don't make much sense when you put them side-by-side:

1. God is the ultimate progenitor and prototype of love

2. God wants to torture a LOT of people forever, some of whom you may know personally and may be all appearances be decent people

This creates a certain amount of cognitive dissonance

Rather than reconsider those beliefs (which may result in your own everlasting torment), it's far easier to resolve that discomfort by dehumanizing non-Christians. Maybe they're actually really rotten people that deserve to be tortured

Every Reddit thread I see on politics these days is just... rabid seething. At this point they remind me of how my elderly far-right relatives posted on Facebook circa 2010. I broadly agree with them (orange man bad) but there's so much misinformation and sloppy thinking that it's useless. There are probably some smaller and more thoughtful political subreddits out there, but if so I haven't found them

EDIT: Now that I think about it some more, I disagree with your sentiment that we should leave the politicking to the politicians. Democracy requires a population that has some idea of what's going on. I think discussion and disagreement is a great way to sharpen one's thinking

It all makes sense now! So that's why all fast food chains are closed from 9-3 on school days