On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 5:20 PM, Grrrruss wrote: >> Denny wrote: >> We're FAR more connected (faster, too) than ever. Somehow that plays >> an important role. >> > > Seems like it used to be that people were grouped locally but not > necessarily philosophically. That is, while you probably hung out > with like minded people, you also had to interact, work with, and work > for all types of local folk. > > Nowadays, due to communications, you don't have to. I know people - > in fact most people I know - spend their entire lives working, > interacting, and working for philosophically like minded people. I > know people who've quit jobs because they found out their boss was "a > liberal".
Maybe if you've got the skills. I don't think that the lowest common denominator has that luxury, ever has, nor ever will. And yet, you've got people who are/vote republican, that are on welfare, so, I mean, it is sorta... maybe we *are* losing critical thinking? Please oh please let that just be a glass is half empty type thought... maybe if I believe hard enough, it won't be so... And then again... it is amazing how many people can look at the same stuff and think totally different things, or whatever. Sorta like we're all living in various realities, without even knowing it. "You see that thing?" "yup (it's green, but no need to say so, that's obvious)... how bout you, see /that/ thing" "yup (it's red, but no need to say so, that's obvious)" But they're both purple! Or something like that. 'Cause we all assume everyone... well, whatever. :-) > And worse, now the like-minded world-view can be piped in 24/7 and > talking points can go from ideation to saturation in hours. Somehow, I'm thinking that even that is sorta old hat. People have (apparently, I wasn't there) been group thinking for ever. Sure, it took months to do it, versus hours-- I don't deny that it's even easier now, but I think that the phenomenon is a function of power, you know? As long as there have been groups of people, probably-- hey, if you believe PBS, you can sorta trace it to something apes do or whatnot-- the pole and the water? : "we don't remember why now, but we do it *this way*, because different gets you eaten(well, it used to, but those predators are gone now, so it just earns a beat-down from the elders these days)"... but anyways. I think the main difference is speed. Before it took months to get back your like-minded correspondence... now it's milliseconds, if that. And what comes with speed? Momentum! Force, perhaps! I think we're traveling fast enough (maybe) that where before a little hill of reason would prevent us from rolling outta the park, now we just hit that sucker and say "wow, did you SEE the AIR on that one!"... things'r sorta unreal, too... more unreal than back-in-the-day, for sure. I'm thinking it's the unreality and the speed more than anything else. Things resist change, or whatever that "law" (ha!) is, right? I mean, it's a *law* fer 'ghetti's-sakes! Well, if things exist, I reckon. But just what *is* this reality dealie...? -- http://www.rialian.com/rnboyd/observe.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;203748912;27390454;j Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:265895 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
