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From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society

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Indicators of economic development, like the GDP, do not always tell us how people are really doing. Or at least how they feel.

When the Pew Research Center asked 43,000 people from 38 countries if the world is better off now than it was 50 years ago, 43 percent said yes while 38 percent said no.

Interested in what things the latter group blames for their discontent, Reddit user Madbonkersbean made a post on the platform, asking everyone "What invention has most negatively impacted society?" Here are some of the most upvoted replies they've received.

Image credits: Madbonkersbean

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society > In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

jzolg , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

207points

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#2

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Social media

I've watched society go from mildly disgruntled over multiple decades, to flat out delusional and insane within 5 years.

Nothing else has touched that many people all at once and undermined how we used to think of ourselves

horse1066 , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

205points

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#3

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Subscription based everything.

iGhast , Darina Belonogova / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

203points

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#4

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society LED headlights. F**k that guy.

ProbablyBigfoot , Erik Mclean / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

171points

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#5

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Religion.

Hands down.

Mushu84 , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

171points

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#6

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Pop up ads... even the inventor hated it

wtiger430 , Anna Tarazevich / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

167points

Paul C. 9 months ago

Looking at you BP!

66points

Nimues Child 9 months ago

It's why I read BP on Brave with ad blockers. It drives me nuts when sites won't let you see the content for the ads.

3points

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Blue Mar 9 months ago

Its getting worst and worst with BP ads

2points

RavenTheCat 9 months ago

*we've got a feeling you'll like these pieces, too:* i wann loose it every time that messes with my webpage when it loads

0points

Hydro Keychain 9 months ago

Looking at AdBlock!

0points

Id row 9 months ago

I haven't seen a pop up in decades thanks to ad blockers.

3points

Luke Branwen 9 months ago

Say hello to my best friends Firefox and uBlock 💜

2points

Maartje 9 months ago

Firefox and uBlock is the best :)

0points

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Xenon 9 months ago

Trying to read content around ads...some sites I just make a disgusted noise and leave, which affects them zero.

2points

Nimues Child 9 months ago

I know the inventor. He is truly sorry for not thinking through the unintended consequences of his actions.

2points

Natty Tempest 9 months ago

Open a Web-page. Deny cookies. Stop the video that just started. Close the banner. Close the subscription popup. Close the video that is still there, just not playing. Get a 'YOU ARE USING AN AD-BLOCKER' popup. Yeah, but it ain't workin!

1point

Fuck Off 4 months ago

wasn't joseph popp (1 or 2 ps) the father of ransomware?

0points

Marnie 9 months ago

Does any site actually have pop-up ads these days? I haven't seen one in 15 years I think.

0points

Cooking Panda 9 months ago

Wait, you guys are getting ads? Seems like my browser is actually doing its job

0points

Chich 9 months ago

AdBlock and ad aware are my little friends.

0points

Rostit.. . 9 months ago

Adbñock adawate allows ads. Unlock origin and pihole.

1point

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Kylie 9 months ago

And those screen blocker ads (looking at you ebay).

0points

Adam Michael 9 months ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Colleen Glim 9 months ago

Why you trying to watch porn on your phone in the first place? Pick a device that doesn’t allow you to be in public. Ain’t nobody wants to see that!

-1point

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#7

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The thing that has the most negative long term impact on society is probably going to be something affecting us right now that we have yet to experience the full ramifications of

My bet is on the widespread presence of plastic in literally everything

badgersprite , Magda Ehlers / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

159points

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#8

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Facebook. Hands down.

Millions of users that are basically technologically illiterate with no critical thinking skills finly connected. They put faith/trust in the articles with attention grabbing headlines that are shared by their peers because they trust their peers and grew up in a time where you relied on the people in your community. But with no critical thinking skills they don't understand that an article about the earth being flat that was produced by an amateur crystal enthusiast has no scientific basis. They don't even know at the bare minimum to verify the source.

"Well aunt Edna shared it and she knows a thing or two."

It allowed misinformation and stupidity to spread incredibly quickly.

TheStankTank , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

148points

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#9

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society I think the way that capitalism is designed to bring psychopaths and sociopaths to the top. those heartless f***s would fire their own parents/siblings for personal gain.

BiluochunLvcha , Kuncheek / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

127points

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#10

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Trying to make money of almost every human need.

tuvoksnightmare , Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

127points

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#11

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Deepfake, the fact this has lead to morphing of many women images to "punish" them or to sexualize them is scary af. Literally feels like revenge p**n

Jarisatis , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

120points

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#12

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society AI, wait and see

GrumpyGoblin94 , ThisIsEngineering / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

116points

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#13

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Warning labels. They impede the progress of natural selection.

CoffeeAndBrass , Mat Brown / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

112points

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#14

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Daylight Savings Time, at least where I live. You go forward an hour for spring and summer months, and you go back an hour in fall and winter. If you don't adjust very well to change, it can be a real b***h.

Flat-Investigator-96 , Jimmy Chan / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

112points

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#15

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Tiktok

BrianneLassiter , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

111points

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#16

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Nuclear weapons: devastating impact, global tensions, potential for catastrophic conflict.

EtherealSunseet , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

101points

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#17

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Plastic, right now you have microplastics in every single organ, including your brain.

Carnir , Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

99points

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#18

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Cigarettes killed 100million people in the back 80 years of the 20th century alone.

FausttTheeartist , Fandy Much / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

98points

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#19

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Infinite Scrolling and I daresay algorithms that feed into an echo chamber.

Swimming_Sun_1225 , Kerde Severin / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

97points

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#20

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society High-fructose corn syrup

Moon_Jewel90 , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

94points

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#21

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Kid friendly 'youtube shorts'. I just feel like it ruins the attention span of children, giving them short/one minute attention spans over time. They just get sucked into that s**t. I know it's not super significant compared to other inventions that could've negatively impacted society. I'm trying to think of something that might not have been mentioned here yet lol.

Bojack89 , Jessica Lewis thepaintedsquare / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

91points

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#22

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Asbestos. I feel very bad for the people who were unknowingly affected by it.

beligerentMagpie , Elina Volkova / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

91points

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#23

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The 24-hour news cycle .
They have so much time that they have to make more stories to keep you informed. 24-hour news will be our downfall. Half an hour every night is enough.

VeryFastTony , alleksana / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

87points

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#24

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Junk food.

yic0 , Caleb Oquendo / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

85points

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#25

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Leaded petrol is estimated to have lowered the IQ of everyone born in the 60s and 70s by around 6%.

That's my excuse anyway, what's yours?

night_of_knee , Connor Forsyth / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

73points

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#26

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Everyone here is only drawing from relatively recent examples , but if you go back longer then really alcohol is the winner here as it has had the most long lived and consistent negative impact on all societies around the world.

dettrick , Mahrael Boutros / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

68points

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#27

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Sugar in our food and drinks.

PrizedMaintenance420 , Alexander Grey / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

65points

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#28

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Ive got a few here but if i have to pick one:

Fractional reserve banking and fiat currency. Giving the banks power to manipulate the value of currency has been a blight on society, it has been used to enrich the banks and steal wealth of money, i wish we could go back to money being a unit of value not a fiat currency that can be manipulated.

SneakyLabradoodle , Expect Best / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

65points

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#29

Guns. Literally their only purpose is to take the life of another living thing.

Tictacjo Report

Final score:

61points

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#30

Coffee pods

Final score:

57points

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#31

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Adding lead to gasoline, adding lead to house paint, using lead pipes ... I know that lead is a fundamental element, but exposure to lead in our environment causes cancer and brain damage.

Count2Zero , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

55points

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#32

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society It's often speculated that had the cotton gin not been invented, slavery might have ended sooner

limasxgoesto0 , Teona Swift / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

54points

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#33

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society PFAS

pipocapop:

This should be higher on the list. Almost all waterproof products and stain resistant products contain PFAS. Even fast food wrappers contain them. It is found in majority of water supplies and 90% of people’s blood and we don’t fully understand the health effects. It does not degrade and accumulates in the food chain.

Robertorgan81 , Esra Afşar / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

47points

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#34

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society Shareholder Value

PamelaOfMosman , MayoFi / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

47points

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#35

Nuclear arms race and proliferation...

LuminousLena-Inside Report

Final score:

44points

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#36

Industial production of tobacco products.

FatRascal_ Report

Final score:

43points

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#37

Bitcoin

Final score:

43points

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#38

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The leaf blower: Satan's own instrument.

ED_the_Bad , Vlad Vasnetsov / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

41points

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#39

Lobotomy.

In hindsight very few unlucky people actually underwent lobotomy but still.

Final score:

39points

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#40

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The invention of Fentanyl. Destroyed so many people, families and frankly society in general.

Howry , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

38points

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#41

The stock market. 100% serious

gregarioussparrow Report

Final score:

17points

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#42

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The snooze button

Livid-Ability1653 , Miriam Alonso / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

11points

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#43

The real answer is the misuse of psychological research. People learned how to use words and imagery to manipulate the masses, and it spiraled into modern times: instant gratification at our fingertips, advertisements guiding us by the nose, the dopamine hit of seeing engagement of social media, etc.

Without a good understanding of human psychology, these things might have still come about, but it would have been slower, less effective, and people could have learned. Instead, we have companies that focus on encouraging the populations addictions and marketing the..

failed_novelty Report

Final score:

11points

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#44

The 9-5

Final score:

11points

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#45

Highly processed food. I can understand the mass production of it at a certain time but now there's no need for it. Eat whole foods people. "But it's expensive" NO IT ISN'T.

firetomherman Report

Final score:

10points

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#46

Protestant work ethic

Karlzbad Report

Final score:

8points

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#47

Smartphones

Maleficent_Acadia_70 Report

Final score:

4points

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#48

Kids with early access to the information highway.

My friends child, a 6 year old built a webpage for homework yesterday. It was very basic, but he was asking the right questions and utilizing them while building the site.

And we, my friend and I were talking about how scary this is, because now this child will be bored out of his mind as an adult, and most likely will be depressed beyond what we can imagine. And since this is being done from school and everywhere, we can't really limit the usage.

brewing_chai Report

Final score:

4points

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#49

From Bad to Worse: 40 Inventions That Have Backfired On Society The private automobile. Gigatons of carbon in the atmosphere, largest source of microplastics in the ocean, smog, millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of injuries, pollution of fresh water through oil run off and salted roads, fragmentation of ecological habitats by bisecting contiguous habitat with death corridors, promotion of sprawl development, promotion of social isolation and disintegration by creating a culture of McMansions in said sprawl in which they have nothing to do but watch Fox News, defunding or outright destruction of public transit networks, underfunding of sidewalks and bike lanes to the point where obesity-related diseases are destroying public finances.

F**k. Cars.

fantasticmrspock , Efrem Efre / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

-1point

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#50

The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in “advanced” countries, but they have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering (in the Third World to physical suffering as well) and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation. It will certainly subject human beings to greater indignities and inflict greater damage on the natural world, it will probably lead to greater social disruption and psychological suffering, and it may lead to increased physical suffering even in “advanced” countries.

_Cheezus Report

Final score:

-6points

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Rokas Laurinavičius

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Gabija Saveiskyte

Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

What do you think ?

Ali H M Salehuddin 9 months ago

I am sort of disagree with quite number of them. There are nuances to everything. Plastics are useful, cheap and multipurpose. We just have to dispose & recycle them properly. Same thing with social media. They connect us. In a way that was not possible before. We just have to use them properly. Limit the usage when appropriate. LED lights. They are bright, high energy efficiency and can last a long time. It saves energy (70 -80%) vs less than 5% on incandesent light. Even paid subscriptions has its place. Especially if you intent to use them only for a short amount of time. Cheaper then buying it outright at the full price. Saying all of them should never existed is doing great disservice to society.

7points

Melody 9 months ago

I mostly agree with you. Except I do think we should reduce our use of single-use plastics. The thing about recycling is that many plastics aren’t actually worth recycling because it would cost more and use more energy than just using new plastic. The quality also degrades when they’re recycled, so you can’t just keep recycling them infinitely. We shouldn’t eliminate them completely, but we really don’t need to use plastic for everything we’re using plastic for. What’s surprising, though, is that plastic grocery bags are actually better for the environment than the other options as long as they’re disposed of properly (incineration). But I’ll keep using my reusable bags because I have to use them at Aldi if I don’t want to buy paper bags every time and I might as well use them everywhere else. And the post about LED lights was specifically about LED headlights on cars, which are too bright and make it hard for other drivers to see.

6points

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Lil_myotis 9 months ago

I'm surprised no ones said this yet...but, the plow. I've heard it said that agriculture is the worst thing human beings invented. It allowed us to discontinue a nomadic hunter/gatherer life, and allowed us to live in environments we aren't physically well adapted to. Becoming sedentary with more food allowed the population to grow, gave more time to create new technologies, and created greater stress on the ecosystem surrounding us. This is an overly simplistic explanation, but without the plow (agriculture) the huge society we have with its guns and smartphones and bitc9un or whatever would t ever have even been possible.

2points

The Darkest Timeline 9 months ago

So you’d rather live in a world without electricity, cars, modern medicine, etc? Because that’s the alternative.

1point

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Kaye 9 months ago

I know it isn't as big of a deal, but pump bottles. They never work for me. I'll buy a different brand rather than be stuck with a f*****g pump bottle.

2points

Auntriarch 9 months ago

I hate them with a passion, disgustingly over engineered

0points

Load More Replies...

Rostit.. . 9 months ago

I suggest everyone read. "the good ol days, they were terrible". Get some freaking perspective.

1point

Justin Tyme 9 months ago

Rap Music

1point

Rostit.. . 9 months ago

This sounds like some young and idealistic posters who have little perspective on life. Some are spot on. Social media, plastics, lack of humanity etc. But some are just flat out dumb.

1point

Aballi 9 months ago

The pharmaceutical companies being for-profit. I recently lost my state funded health insurance, and the thyroid med that I need to STAY ALIVE went from being free to $500/month. Fortunately my work offers insurance and I was able to switch over quickly, but what about people without insurance, or without insurance that covers all their meds? What about the price of insulin? It's disgusting that companies are making a profit off of meds that people literally need in order to live.

0points

Jennifer Hartigan 9 months ago

Debit cards

0points

Kevin J. Henning 9 months ago

Bored Panda was never very good at giving an honest and balanced appraisal.

0points

Breadcrumb. 9 months ago

Not caring how other people live there lives is my new goal in life. I'd be much happier. Life is short.

0points

Trisec Tebeakesse 9 months ago

Speaker Phones. The clear influence of Satan and Hitler.

0points

Moosy Girl 9 months ago

Why don’t we just start at fire/the wheel and call it a day. :p

0points

TotallyNOTAFox 9 months ago

Nah, it all started with tools - The first time some ape back then picked up a stick or stone to make a task easier was the moment we eff'd up

3points

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Smart writer 9 months ago

So everything? C**p list

-1point

Ali H M Salehuddin 9 months ago

I am sort of disagree with quite number of them. There are nuances to everything. Plastics are useful, cheap and multipurpose. We just have to dispose & recycle them properly. Same thing with social media. They connect us. In a way that was not possible before. We just have to use them properly. Limit the usage when appropriate. LED lights. They are bright, high energy efficiency and can last a long time. It saves energy (70 -80%) vs less than 5% on incandesent light. Even paid subscriptions has its place. Especially if you intent to use them only for a short amount of time. Cheaper then buying it outright at the full price. Saying all of them should never existed is doing great disservice to society.

7points

Melody 9 months ago

I mostly agree with you. Except I do think we should reduce our use of single-use plastics. The thing about recycling is that many plastics aren’t actually worth recycling because it would cost more and use more energy than just using new plastic. The quality also degrades when they’re recycled, so you can’t just keep recycling them infinitely. We shouldn’t eliminate them completely, but we really don’t need to use plastic for everything we’re using plastic for. What’s surprising, though, is that plastic grocery bags are actually better for the environment than the other options as long as they’re disposed of properly (incineration). But I’ll keep using my reusable bags because I have to use them at Aldi if I don’t want to buy paper bags every time and I might as well use them everywhere else. And the post about LED lights was specifically about LED headlights on cars, which are too bright and make it hard for other drivers to see.

6points

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Lil_myotis 9 months ago

I'm surprised no ones said this yet...but, the plow. I've heard it said that agriculture is the worst thing human beings invented. It allowed us to discontinue a nomadic hunter/gatherer life, and allowed us to live in environments we aren't physically well adapted to. Becoming sedentary with more food allowed the population to grow, gave more time to create new technologies, and created greater stress on the ecosystem surrounding us. This is an overly simplistic explanation, but without the plow (agriculture) the huge society we have with its guns and smartphones and bitc9un or whatever would t ever have even been possible.

2points

The Darkest Timeline 9 months ago

So you’d rather live in a world without electricity, cars, modern medicine, etc? Because that’s the alternative.

1point

Load More Replies...

Kaye 9 months ago

I know it isn't as big of a deal, but pump bottles. They never work for me. I'll buy a different brand rather than be stuck with a f*****g pump bottle.

2points

Auntriarch 9 months ago

I hate them with a passion, disgustingly over engineered

0points

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Rostit.. . 9 months ago

I suggest everyone read. "the good ol days, they were terrible". Get some freaking perspective.

1point

Justin Tyme 9 months ago

Rap Music

1point

Rostit.. . 9 months ago

This sounds like some young and idealistic posters who have little perspective on life. Some are spot on. Social media, plastics, lack of humanity etc. But some are just flat out dumb.

1point

Aballi 9 months ago

The pharmaceutical companies being for-profit. I recently lost my state funded health insurance, and the thyroid med that I need to STAY ALIVE went from being free to $500/month. Fortunately my work offers insurance and I was able to switch over quickly, but what about people without insurance, or without insurance that covers all their meds? What about the price of insulin? It's disgusting that companies are making a profit off of meds that people literally need in order to live.

0points

Jennifer Hartigan 9 months ago

Debit cards

0points

Kevin J. Henning 9 months ago

Bored Panda was never very good at giving an honest and balanced appraisal.

0points

Breadcrumb. 9 months ago

Not caring how other people live there lives is my new goal in life. I'd be much happier. Life is short.

0points

Trisec Tebeakesse 9 months ago

Speaker Phones. The clear influence of Satan and Hitler.

0points

Moosy Girl 9 months ago

Why don’t we just start at fire/the wheel and call it a day. :p

0points

TotallyNOTAFox 9 months ago

Nah, it all started with tools - The first time some ape back then picked up a stick or stone to make a task easier was the moment we eff'd up

3points

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Smart writer 9 months ago

So everything? C**p list

-1point

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