Carl Sagan... more relevant today than in 1979 when he wrote prophetic words of a future America.

[iamwhatiseem]

I am going to edit Sagan's quote, not changing it... but condensing it. Anyone who has ever read Sagan, or heard him speak know that among his talents... succinct.. wasn't one of them. ​

Here it is...

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time ... when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few... when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.
The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the, lowest common denominator programming... a kind of celebration of ignorance”​

Someone writing today couldn't describe more accurately modern America than Carl Sagan did in 1979.
"clutching our crystals... unable to distinguish between what feels good and what is true."
That single statement sums up almost the entirety of political opinion, both sides, of most Americans. Truly unable, or more so... unwilling to give up what we want to to be true, more than what IS true.
I honestly question a time in our country when ignorance reigned more supreme than today. Sadly at a time when information is more available than ever before.
But we choose information that makes us feel good. Not to inform, but to make more ignorant. And, as Sagan states, to celebrate that ignorance.

Truly no better plan could have been devised by those in power, anytime or anywhere in the world, to better weaken the population than those elite powers in the United States have over the past 30 years. They have divided us. Along almost every line. They devise new talking points and new ideas to keep the division going, keep THEM in power.

And it has worked flawlessly.

 

[Votto]

And then Hillary killed him

Sad.

 

[Otis Mayfield]

And then Hillary killed him

Sad.

Damn, how many people did that girl kill?

 

[Donald H]

​

Here it is...

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time ... when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few... when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.​

​

Sagan was describing fascism to the letter. Government in control makes the decisions instead of the people at the ballot boxes.

So you have opened the door to a good debate on whether or not that's happening. Ominous in that Trump has attempted to have himself appointed as the president, regardless of what the people chose at the ballot box.

Or, the other side of the debate in which Trump won the election?

 

[Votto]

Damn, how many people did that girl kill?

One guy had the answer but he was found to have hanged himself

Very sad.

 

[westwall]

Sagan was describing fascism to the letter. Government in control makes the decisions instead of the people at the ballot boxes.

So you have opened the door to a good debate on whether or not that's happening. Ominous in that Trump has attempted to have himself appointed as the president, regardless of what the people chose at the ballot box.

Or, the other side of the debate in which Trump won the election?

Indeed he was. So why are you a fascist?

 

[OKTexas]

I am going to edit Sagan's quote, not changing it... but condensing it. Anyone who has ever read Sagan, or heard him speak know that among his talents... succinct.. wasn't one of them. ​

Here it is...

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time ... when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few... when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.​

The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the, lowest common denominator programming... a kind of celebration of ignorance”​

Someone writing today couldn't describe more accurately modern America than Carl Sagan did in 1979.
"clutching our crystals... unable to distinguish between what feels good and what is true."
That single statement sums up almost the entirety of political opinion, both sides, of most Americans. Truly unable, or more so... unwilling to give up what we want to to be true, more than what IS true.
I honestly question a time in our country when ignorance reigned more supreme than today. Sadly at a time when information is more available than ever before.
But we choose information that makes us feel good. Not to inform, but to make more ignorant. And, as Sagan states, to celebrate that ignorance.

Truly no better plan could have been devised by those in power, anytime or anywhere in the world, to better weaken the population than those elite powers in the United States have over the past 30 years. They have divided us. Along almost every line. They devise new talking points and new ideas to keep the division going, keep THEM in power.

And it has worked flawlessly.

It's been going on for a lot more than 30 years. Regressiveism got it's strongest foothold in the late 60s and early 70s, but it was born in the early 1900s. Wilson was the first truly regressive president elected.

.

 

[Lesh]

Now, it’s important to remember that the “accuracy” of predictions is often a Rorschach test. An interpretation of a particular prediction’s accuracy usually says a lot about the people interpreting them and their own hopes or fears for the future. And honestly, some of Sagan’s concerns sound rather quaint.

If you continue reading, the chapter goes on to talk about how the most popular videocassette rental was Dumb and Dumber, and how Beavis and Butthead was incredibly popular on TV. This, of course, was 1995, but there’s not much new to this way of thinking — each generation thinks that the next generation’s media is toxic and vapid and worthless.