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Post by michaelpaciocco on Feb 28, 2009 14:07:10 GMT -8
Going off something Jard said in another thread - it does seem like something has gone seriously wrong in Western civilization. And oddly, it's pretty accurately summed up by CRACKED www.cracked.com/article_17061_5-things-you-think-will-make-you-happy-but-wont.htmlLet's run through some possible causes POP CULTURE OK, I'm going to toss this one straight out for a simple reason: It exists only because it's popular - it's a symptom, not the cause. People who blame things on GTA and Rap Music and Reality TV are just nuts. Yes, these things are bad, but they exist because we let them, and I don't see thousands of people driving like GTA, or mass murders because of Half-Life. Give me a break. TEH INTERNETS Probably doesn't help, but again, it's more of a symptom. I've got some more likely culprits in my next post. Stay tuned. |
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Post by michaelpaciocco on Feb 28, 2009 14:49:55 GMT -8
Alright, now on to some likely culprits, or at least, some unconsidered aspects:
OUR MYTHOLOGY IS KILLING US
Now, I'm talking about religion here (although that certainly does play into it, but not as much as one might choose to believe - I'm looking at you Bill Maher), but rather, the myths of Western Civilization - things like "The United States kicked ass on D-Day and won WWII" (I don't have the exact numbers, but I think the Soviets really did come out on top of WWII: going from a virtually nothing country to seizing a whole bunch of land and becoming the number two power on the planet ain't nothing), or "Technological superiority in Warfare trumps everything!" (And yet, ever since WWII, every war the US has been in, it has has technical superiority but not conclusive "wins") to "There is a scientific technological solution that will fix ALL our problems" (Not even close). Believing in these sorts of wide-ranging myths and not looking for nuances and the real truths creates a sort of massive delusion, which leads to a lot of wrong headed and dangerous choices. Which will lead to my next post....
Michael
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Post by michaelpaciocco on Feb 28, 2009 17:26:22 GMT -8
WE BELIEVE IN AND CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT OUR OWN BULLSHIT
Whether it is inconsequential things like fandoms (See the current Scans_Daily matter for that, and it also exemplifies another little social sickness I'll elaborate on below), to larger fictions and tropes that our society has wed itself to (How much of the last 30-50 years have seen the slow seeping in of bad movie tropes as viable forms of policy in life? And I'm not just talking about "24" and the Bush Administration's attempts to use action-movie tropes as national policy; this shit is spread all through the political spectrum and into daily life. It seems to be a growing problem distinguishing between the hard realities and flowery language we use to try and deny it.
Which leads to...
ENTITLEMENT
Again, the S_D situation shows all sorts of entitlement: Fan Entitlement, Creator Entitlement, Poster Entitlement, the Entitlement of anyone with an internet connection, etc, etc. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has a right to say and think what they want and preach it. However, while this thinking is largely harmless when discussing the various fandoms and wanks and whatnot, it's poisonous to issues where opinions meets fact (i.e. Creationism vs. Evolution, the Intelligent Design scam, Privatization vs. Nationalization). Just one more cloud of unclear thinking we cannot afford.
More to come. But feel free to speak up.
Michael
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Post by michaelpaciocco on Feb 28, 2009 18:00:54 GMT -8
Oh, and here's the grandaddy of them all, what I consider to be the root cause;
SELF-ABSORPTION
Get over yourself. You aren't that important. Neither am I. It's ok. Most generations that have come and gone know that they aren't that important unless they strive for something bigger and more important than themselves. We aren't like that. We are far too focused on the little things that we think give us meaning, and they don't. You want to be considered valuable: Do something that makes an impact - write a book, build a bridge, do research, whatever - improve yourself and strive for something against significant odds. No, you aren't entitled to victory, but you'll be improved for trying.
I'm not a great writer; I was once by the standards of my high-school, and well, that was nice, but I know that if I were to ever sit down and try and write a novel, I'd have shitload of self-education to do and even then, no guarantees. I don't have any illusions about how good I am at anything, and if I ever want to be better, I have a lot of work to do. Your own personal standards are irrelevant and should be treated as such. Take comfort that you are as good as you are, but please, if you care about a feature of yourself, work on improvement. That's the only measure you have of yourself. That, and....
EMPATHY AND COMPASSION
Try and think of someone else sometime, will you?
That's it. That's what I consider to be what's wrong with society. Your turn. Fire away.
Michael
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Post by jarddavis on Mar 3, 2009 11:26:18 GMT -8
Complacency is a big one. I truely believe that. No defining struggle of our generation. Entitlement of course...
The funny thing is, I don't believe we're any different than what we were 100 years ago, or 200 years ago, etc.
The difference is two fold. For one thing, constant media exposure. And the media is not driven by the "liberal left" but by the "need to make money" Which, is not exclusive to the conservatives or republicans. If it bleeds it leads applies to the more liberal media outlets as well.
We're not any more violent today than we were in the middle 1800's. But people seem to think that we are, which is hilarious when we consider the whole, old west guns extravaganza we went through in the 1800's. We just found other ways to commit atrocity. Quieter ways. And in some cases, louder. We have reached the point where we are technologically capable of ridding the planet of all life within a few hours.
But the other issue is population. I know some would say technology, but technology heals as much as harms.
But we are repeatedly running out of space, resources, and trying to deal with an expanding demand. Unfortunately this applies as much to psychic resources as physical ones. People have always dreamed of being bigger, smarter, faster, more beautiful, more popular. etc. But with the increased media exposure, now they can be popular world wide! Why actually try to accomplish something when you can do it through sheer looks alone.
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