Amusing Ourselves to Death.

[Mindful]

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information.

Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture. In 1984, Huxley added, "people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us". ~Neil Postman

(Book: Amusing Ourselves to Death https://amzn.to/3OcdK6U)

 

[Mindful]

 

[SweetSue92]

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information.

Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture. In 1984, Huxley added, "people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us". ~Neil Postman

(Book: Amusing Ourselves to Death https://amzn.to/3OcdK6U)

Endless comfort and amusement has led to the "trauma" of things like people "assuming" your gender and then "deadnaming" you, etc, etc, etc.

We have lost all historical perspective. Which, I fear, might in the end plunge us right back into one of the dark periods of history.

 

[Moonglow]

I suggest a life of drudgery and toil.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Endless comfort and amusement has led to the "trauma" of things like people "assuming" your gender and then "deadnaming" you, etc, etc, etc.

We have lost all historical perspective. Which, I fear, might in the end plunge us right back into one of the dark periods of history.

Exactly my view......Democrats are supporters of paganism and pre-history.

 

[SweetSue92]

Exactly my view......Democrats are supporters of paganism and pre-history.

Not to brag, because I'm sure yours are the very same: our two children are standouts in their generation for the simple fact that they work hard, don't expect things to be handed to them and don't whine incessantly about everyone meeting their needs. In short, we raised them like our moms raised us--70s kids. Go out, conquer and survive. You can do it!

Now we tell kids: you probably can't do this, so let me talk paragraphs of crap to you about your "social emotional needs".

Talk about selling them short. Anyway, I guess that was a big rabbit trail. But I think it all ties in.

 

[Oddball]

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information.

Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture. In 1984, Huxley added, "people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us". ~Neil Postman

(Book: Amusing Ourselves to Death https://amzn.to/3OcdK6U)

Was Orwell right, or was Huxley right?

 

[PoliticalChic]

Not to brag, because I'm sure yours are the very same: our two children are standouts in their generation for the simple fact that they work hard, don't expect things to be handed to them and don't whine incessantly about everyone meeting their needs. In short, we raised them like our moms raised us--70s kids. Go out, conquer and survive. You can do it!

Now we tell kids: you probably can't do this, so let me talk paragraphs of crap to you about your "social emotional needs".

Talk about selling them short. Anyway, I guess that was a big rabbit trail. But I think it all ties in.

God Bless!

 

[Mindful]

Was Orwell right, or was Huxley right?

Could be. Why not?

 

[Oddball]

Could be. Why not?

Both were right.....We're being hit from multiple fronts.

Many addicted to that which they love (their phones and antisocial media), which is being manipulated (carefullly culled search results, censorship of contravening information) to turn their attentions toward that which they're directed to fear/hate.

Throw in the smug, self-certain collectivist pretzel logic of the common politician/bureaucrat/technocrat from "Atlas Shrugged", and welcome to 2022.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Not to brag, because I'm sure yours are the very same: our two children are standouts in their generation for the simple fact that they work hard, don't expect things to be handed to them and don't whine incessantly about everyone meeting their needs. In short, we raised them like our moms raised us--70s kids. Go out, conquer and survive. You can do it!

Now we tell kids: you probably can't do this, so let me talk paragraphs of crap to you about your "social emotional needs".

Talk about selling them short. Anyway, I guess that was a big rabbit trail. But I think it all ties in.

How old are your kids? Ours are 27 and 20 and are the same way, as is most everyone they know. They get a bad rap for being lazy or coddled.

 

[evenflow1969]

Was Orwell right, or was Huxley right?

Balance is key. Either extreme can do you in.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Balance is key. Either extreme can do you in.

That's not what the numbers indicate.


"Over the past 100 years the most oppressive ideology in the world has been communism [Marxism]. While the people who lived under it were starved, tortured and murdered, its leaders lived in luxury.
The suppression of ordinary people by their communist rulers far surpasses anything capitalist employers were ever accused of doing. While condemning exploitation, communist dictators turned out to be masters at it.

a. R.J. Rummel estimates that almost 170 million people were killed in the 20th century by their own governments. These are not deaths in war. They are the victims of genocide by the governments in the countries where they lived. Hate on the Left


It's always the Left that "do you in."

 

[Dekster]

Endless comfort and amusement has led to the "trauma" of things like people "assuming" your gender and then "deadnaming" you, etc, etc, etc.

We have lost all historical perspective. Which, I fear, might in the end plunge us right back into one of the dark periods of history.

We may end up back in the darker ages, but I suspect it is because people are in a perpetual state of grief and don't even realize it. 9/11 followed by the Great Recession followed by COVID. Every time we get our second wind, something comes along and smacks us down.

 

[PoliticalChic]

We may end up back in the darker ages, but I suspect it is because people are in a perpetual state of grief and don't even realize it. 9/11 followed by the Great Recession followed by COVID. Every time we get our second wind, something comes along and smacks us down.

Democrats.

 

[Dekster]

Democrats.

Denial and anger are the first two stages of grief.

 

[SweetSue92]

We may end up back in the darker ages, but I suspect it is because people are in a perpetual state of grief and don't even realize it. 9/11 followed by the Great Recession followed by COVID. Every time we get our second wind, something comes along and smacks us down.

I feel like in the "before times" people were resilient for the most part though. Events happened--tragic events--and we mourned, largely came together, healed, and were able to move on.

There's a cultural cancer now untethered to any event. Covid wasn't really an event so much as a terrible reaction to a not horrible plague. And Identity Politics is destroying us. Also not an event. Just cultural rot.

 

[Dekster]

I feel like in the "before times" people were resilient for the most part though. Events happened--tragic events--and we mourned, largely came together, healed, and were able to move on.

There's a cultural cancer now untethered to any event. Covid wasn't really an event so much as a terrible reaction to a not horrible plague. And Identity Politics is destroying us. Also not an event. Just cultural rot.

Maybe identity politics is about people trying to cobble together a sense of community. IDK. I do doubt anyone is being suckered into that game against their will

 

[Resnic]

Maybe identity politics is about people trying to cobble together a sense of community. IDK. I do doubt anyone is being suckered into that game against their will

It hasn't even a politic or a community for thousands and thousands of years, but now all of the sudden it is? I don't think so.

The problem is parents and adults always told kids going through adolescent phases of trying to figure themselves out things like "it's a phase you'll grow out of it" or "stop trying to fit in with a bunch of kids that have no idea what they are doing" or simply "grow up". And the kids would go through their phase and go on to become adults.

Now we have corporations, politicians, social media, online videos and such encouraging these phases, convincing kids this is who they are so the kids grow up thinking that is who they are when they are not.

People with weird perversities and anti social behavior and general teenage awkwardness always just worked through them as they grew. But now with the internet there is nothing too small some sort of online group gathers to encourage which gives more validity to them.

These people never existed anywhere in the world until the last couple years and it isn't just kids, it's adults as well. They are not healthy, productive people or normal people.

 

[whitehall]

What books? You mean the Bible? Democrats have threatened people with prison for carrying a Bible on school grounds.