Why so dead? serious thread

[Not A Communist Shill]

Has no one written any major treatises on philosophy or staged any major revolutions yet? You all fail at life. Your age is over....the human race has run its course, and it's all your fault.

[Banana Pancakes]

hey, this is a merry quadra.

[electric sheep]

You are the middle dog.

[Khola aka Bee]

Has no one written any major treatises on philosophy or staged any major revolutions yet? You all fail at life. Your age is over....the human race has run its course, and it's all your fault.

My age isn't over until it's my birthday and by then, you sure as hell better have bought me a present.

[Creepy-Cyclops]

Has no one written any major treatises on philosophy or staged any major revolutions yet? You all fail at life. Your age is over....the human race has run its course, and it's all your fault.

You place value in these things after all then!!

[Rubicon]

That is ridiculously cute!

[leftylib]

instead of creating the bridge between man and superman -- technology created a bunch of fat loner consumers who dont know how to talk to people face to face and who sit around in pajammas jerking off and downloading itunes and developing orwellian newspeak in twitter - that doesn't even account for the people suffering for our indulgences. As a beta i implore you to conceptualize the revolution so we can carry it out. Or just give us something to rebel against so we know we're alive. come on bitches, unplug your george orwell grill and get cookin', before it's too late.





lefty
enfj
4w5

[electric sheep]

I'm tired of being herded like cattle into cubicle farms.
I'm tired of eating chemically and genetically engineered food.
I'm tired of being told what to wear, where to go, what to like, who to like, who to hate, who to fear, who to fuck, what to buy, what to watch
I'm tired of reading stories about industries destroying mountains, dumping chemicals, burning forests
I'm tired of being isolated from my neighbors, separated from family, even my roommate, who is staring at some form of LCD screen for 90% of his waking hours.

This isn't 1984, it's The Matrix. We don't need machines to enslave us--we're doing it to ourselves.

(how was that?)

[Krig the Viking]

I'm tired of being herded like cattle into cubicle farms.
I'm tired of eating chemically and genetically engineered food.
I'm tired of being told what to wear, where to go, what to like, who to like, who to hate, who to fear, who to fuck, what to buy, what to watch
I'm tired of reading stories about industries destroying mountains, dumping chemicals, burning forests
I'm tired of being isolated from my neighbors, separated from family, even my roommate, who is staring at some form of LCD screen for 90% of his waking hours.

This isn't 1984, it's The Matrix. We don't need machines to enslave us--we're doing it to ourselves.

(how was that?)

I'm glad I don't have to go out into the wilderness and kill deer with spears in order to eat.
I'm glad that I won't starve to death because this year's crops failed and there isn't enough food.
I'm glad that I live in a free land where even if people tell me what to do, I don't have to listen to them.
I'm glad I live in a society where industry's effect on the environment is regulated and minimized more than it ever has been in history.
I'm glad I have the Internet, so despite my social isolation, I can remain connected with my friends and family.

Seriously guys, we live in paradise. Does anyone seriously wish they could go back in time and live before the invention of all this terrible, horrible technology? We have the softest, most comfortable lives in history. We should appreciate it while we have it, because nothing lasts forever.

[Banana Pancakes]

Seriously guys, we live in paradise. Does anyone seriously wish they could go back in time and live before the invention of all this terrible, horrible technology? We have the softest, most comfortable lives in history. We should appreciate it while we have it, because nothing lasts forever.

It's just that we forgot people amidst all that.

[Krig the Viking]

It's just that we forgot people amidst all that.

I seriously doubt that pre-industrial people cared about each other any more than we do. Technology changes, societies change, ways of life change, but people don't.

[Edit: I just realized that sounded kind of condescending, so... hmm. How do Fe types do that "not sound condescending" thing? I really need to get the hang of that.]

[Banana Pancakes]

I seriously doubt that pre-industrial people cared about each other any more than we do. Technology changes, societies change, ways of life change, but people don't.

[Edit: I just realized that sounded kind of condescending, so... hmm. How do Fe types do that "not sound condescending" thing? I really need to get the hang of that.]

also I was being sarcastic.

[Brilliand]

Also, despite its great usefulness, sometimes technology is used beyond what we really know how to do correctly... granted, every generations makes mistakes, but with our new technology, we can mass-produce bigger and better mistakes than ever before!

I'll agree with Krig that we're better off than our ancestors... but we have a lot of problems stemming from the fact that we don't really understand humans. There is progress to be made.

[Krig the Viking]

also I was being sarcastic.

...and this is why the Internet needs a sarcasm font. Or a sarcasm punctuation mark. Or some standardized method of communicating these things.

Also, despite its great usefulness, sometimes technology is used beyond what we really know how to do correctly... granted, every generations makes mistakes, but with our new technology, we can mass-produce bigger and better mistakes than ever before!

I'll agree with Krig that we're better off than our ancestors... but we have a lot of problems stemming from the fact that we don't really understand humans. There is progress to be made.

I agree, we do have lots of problems. I just have a bit of a pet peeve about the suburban "Rage Against The Machine" types who wouldn't last ten minutes in a world without all this oppressive technology and civilization they seem to hate so much.

I have a bit of a sensitive rant trigger on these things.

[leftylib]

[QUOTE=Krig the Viking;562973
I agree, we do have lots of problems. I just have a bit of a pet peeve about the suburban "Rage Against The Machine" types who wouldn't last ten minutes in a world without all this oppressive technology and civilization they seem to hate so much.

I have a bit of a sensitive rant trigger on these things. [/QUOTE]

it's all i could come with - im brainstorming


lefty
enfj
4w5

[munenori2]

...and this is why the Internet needs a sarcasm font. Or a sarcasm punctuation mark. Or some standardized method of communicating these things.

The internet? Sarcasm?

[electric sheep]

I'm glad I don't have to go out into the wilderness and kill deer with spears in order to eat.some people relish the opportunity (not me)
I'm glad that I won't starve to death because this year's crops failed and there isn't enough food.there are viable alternatives to the chemical cocktails we consume
I'm glad that I live in a free land where even if people tell me what to do, I don't have to listen to them.it must get tiring ignoring all those "people", and the people who talk about what the "people" are telling us
I'm glad I live in a society where industry's effect on the environment is regulated and minimized more than it ever has been in history.w00t!
I'm glad I have the Internet, so despite my social isolation, I can remain connected with my friends and family.but if everyone else is trying to stay connected with people they are separated from, aren't we missing the point of having connections in the first place? I could not tell you the number of times I have wanted to talk to a girl after class, but as soon as it ends, she picks up her cell phone and starts blabbing away.

Seriously guys, we live in paradise. Does anyone seriously wish they could go back in time and live before the invention of all this terrible, horrible technology? We have the softest, most comfortable lives in history. We should appreciate it while we have it, because nothing lasts forever.
I seriously doubt that pre-industrial people cared about each other any more than we do. Technology changes, societies change, ways of life change, but people don't.

[Edit: I just realized that sounded kind of condescending, so... hmm. How do Fe types do that "not sound condescending" thing? I really need to get the hang of that.]

Whoa slow down there, copper top. I wasn't arguing for the abandonment of technology, nor was I suggesting that preindustrial society had things better. We are social creatures with social needs. There are studies out there that show that the strength of our social network is inextricably linked to our health and well being. Technology doesn't make up for that. Despite the numerous means of communication we have developed, personal communication isn't getting any easier. I thought you were Gandalf's identical! He hated industrialization!

@mune
I love that part

[Krig the Viking]

Whoa slow down there, copper top. I wasn't arguing for the abandonment of technology, nor was I suggesting that preindustrial society had things better. We are social creatures with social needs. There are studies out there that show that the strength of our social network is inextricably linked to our health and well being. Technology doesn't make up for that. Despite the numerous means of communication we have developed, personal communication isn't getting any easier. I thought you were Gandalf's identical! He hated industrialization!

I don't hate industrializations as much as Gandalf, but I do loathe cities. Technology is fine, so long as I can go outside and see rolling plains stretching out to the horizon, golden fields of wheat ready to harvest, green trees with singing birds, and a wide open blue sky above.

I can see how modern technology, by making us more independent, might weaken our social bonds. Certainly strong social networks are important. But I think things deleterious to social networks like videogames and T.V. are offset by things like the telephone and Facebook, which strengthen and expand social networks. Certainly I have a lot more interaction with my friends than I would without modern communications technology.

Technology is power. People now have the power to either isolate themselves, or more greatly interconnect themselves. This is a choice which never existed before; in pre-industrial societies, if you weren't part of a community, you didn't have good odds of surviving. I'm not saying everything about our society is awesome; I'm just saying it's better than all of the alternatives so far devised.

[force my hand]

Krig, I like the way you think.

[electric sheep]

Small confession: I've always wanted to call someone a "coppertop"

here's something for you Krig (I don't know if you've ever seen any TED conference talks):

http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pink..._violence.html

[force my hand]

Small confession: I've always wanted to call someone a "coppertop"

here's something for you Krig (I don't know if you've ever seen any TED conference talks):

Steven Pinker on the myth of violence | Video on TED.com

I know that's directed at Krig, but that's an excellent clip. Thanks for posting!

[Krig the Viking]

Krig, I like the way you think.

Small confession: I've always wanted to call someone a "coppertop"

here's something for you Krig (I don't know if you've ever seen any TED conference talks):

Steven Pinker on the myth of violence | Video on TED.com

I agree, "coppertop" is an excellent insult.

I don't think I've ever seen a TED conference talk that wasn't enlightening and/or thought provoking; I have to wonder how they maintain such high levels of consistency!

What Mr. Pinker talked about there is exactly what I was talking about only more, y'know, sciencey. As Marilyn Manson once said, "Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."

Technology is a neutral force. By itself, it doesn't make anyone's life better or worse. All it does is increase our power, make it easier for us to accomplish our desires and change the world according to our wills. Greater technology allows for greater good as well as greater evil.