• right now

  Adding your comment:
• antsandmoths
  June 1, 2007
  Edit | Reply
  I think i need to make my point a little more pointed out.
  technology isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a tool that can be used by people for numerous activities, free or opressive, vindictive or humane. The internet for example endorses the freedom of speech, and in my idea is a good thing. However, i don't think it changes man's nature. And when people start to take for granted what they have, they become complacent not just in the way they live their personal lives, but in the way they care about the big picture of this world as a whole.
  When you have a large percent of people who have lost their personal motivation, since most of the danger people faced in harder times has been deleted from our everyday existences, then you get a group of people, who overtime lose their sense of surival and motivation, you have people becoming lazier, and complacent, and finally, this leads to being taken over by some opressive force. It is an inevitable process, but technology has speeded it up.
  Its easy to think we have it better than our ancestors, and we do to some extent. But there is something lost when things are made so easy for us. And this, whatever it is i do not know, spirit, courage, self sufficiency, thankfulness, it all seems to have lost its place in mainstream society.
  The other thing that technology does, is that it has, in my opinion isolated people for various reasons. I am speaking mainly in entertainment. I don't think a lot of people talk to each other like they used to. When people are entertained these days, they watch television, get on the computer, or play videogames. It seems like the average person's life in first world countries all revolves around what they see in a cube they place in their houses. People these days feel empty because there is a loss of danger, or excitement. It also makes people dependent rather than independent. I am not speaking for everyone, but i think it is clear that it is true for most. They can drown this out and live it in a fantasy when they watch television. A lot of people fantasize of being famous, or supermodel beautiful, or rich and powerful with a lot of things when in reality, they don't have realistic goals, and even if these where realistic they probably aren't aggressively working towards them since a lot of the human drive has been taken out of them.
  
  So consiquencially, we have a society of people who rely on technology to fill their lives with the things they are missing because of technology. These people are sedated by the technology. And they buy and consume whatever television parades in front of them promising them the things that they fantisize about. Rich and greedy people are making money off of these average people. It would be absolutely naive to think that. If you disagree then think of all the advertisements that are paraded in front of you each day-online, on television, in shallow magazines, ect..ect.. It is all a lot of propaganda. We are becoming a society taken in by propaganda. There no longer is serious danger in our lives. I see the government becoming more and more powerful, and i see the common person doing nothing about this. Infact, many who feel and act like victims benefit from it when they receive welfare because they do not want to work. I'm not talking about the woman with seven children who simply can't seem to get by married to the man with missing legs and hands. I am talking about the people who simply don't feel they need to work, and there are plenty of these types of people. They act as though the world owes them something, as if an animal is born in the wild and is waited on their entire adult lives. Humans are no different. It is our duty to take care of ourselves. Anyways, in their complacency they not only do nothing about the government taking small powers here and there. They want it, because it means they can continue being catered.
  I have made this pretty long, and i have gone off a bit, but this all pertains very much to technology. Technology is an amazing tool to man, as well as an amazing weapon against himself. We are already losing our freedom slowly. Eventually this is going to come back to haunt us. I think it will be a new sort of dark age for mankind. We will have technology, and the empty promises it brings, but their will be complete isolation, ignorance, and a subdued and weak society ruled by mixed messages presented by those who have the power over them. Unfortunately, technology, when used as a weapon against society is not like a gun pointed at your head. First of all, television is a weapon that captivates you slowly, it does not kill you, and it makes you feel better. Plus, many people want to watch it. Unlike a gunman, the person is not repelled by it.
  Anyways, i think i have made my point clear.
• 
  Weydon
  June 1, 2007
  Edit | Reply
  TV is awesome. It's a very social device, can be informative depending on the program, and also a nice distraction when it's late and everyone else is busy.
• antsandmoths
  June 1, 2007
  Edit | Reply
  well, i am not saying that we should do away with television. It is good for getting fast news and information. It needs to be understood that what i am saying about technology is not to do away with it. Hell, television has had its pluses. It boosted the understanding of the civil rights movement considerably. It has had its benefits. I am not saying we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.
  I don't think television is all that good for you though, and i don't think the majority of people in this world are watching information channels. Obviously some are, hence the fact those channels exist, but the rest is completely useless. There is little reason why you couldn't be persuing something else to keep yourself occupied. Who needs to distract themselves anyway? And from what? You lose yourself when you watch television, but there is usually not a lot of thought going through the average television fan. Studies have shown that mental processes go down considerably when people are watching television. It has also been shown that on average a person gets more excersize when they sleep than when they watch television. I think it isolates people. Most of the way people behave on television is not real. Their problems are often times shallow. Very rarely is any concept really cut into deep. Your better off reading, or doing something else with your time. Occasional television won't hurt you, but by all means beyond acquiring the news in quicker time, and watching things that broaden and challenge your thought (very rare) it does nothing but make you weak. But it's not television, and it isn't technology that is bad. What i am waging against is not technology or television. What i am waging against is ignorance and complacency and the misuse of technology in those directions. I don't know if i have emphasized that.
• 
  petethemeat
  June 3, 2007
  Edit | Reply
  'who overtime lose their sense of surival and motivation, you have people becoming lazier, and complacent, and finally, this leads to being taken over by some opressive force. It is an inevitable process, but technology has speeded it up.'
  
  What evidence do you offer to suggest this process is inevitable?
  
  Is this complacency unfounded if technology does continue to protect us?
• 
  Weydon
  June 3, 2007
  Edit | Reply
  "information channels. Obviously some are, hence the fact those channels exist, but the rest is completely useless. There is little reason why you couldn't be persuing something else to keep yourself occupied."
  
  What is useless about being entertained? How is watching a fiction show to make you laugh or keep you in suspense or guessing any different than reading a book for the same purpose? It's a leisurely activity that takes little effort (one of the prime aspects of leisure), and is also a huge plus socially. You talk about it with people you know. It can be an ice DEMOLISHER if you find out someone is obsessed with the same show you are. Plus, it's MORE social than a book, as you can watch it WITH people and make observations and be in tune to their style of humor and sense of outrage and whatever else.
  
  "Who needs to distract themselves anyway?"
  
  I do.
  
  "And from what? "
  
  The stresses of the day and the fact I have nothing else to do at the moment. What should I be doing instead? Teaching myself a new language? Working out? Arts and crafts? These are all wonderful things you can do on your free time, and can be relaxing and fulfilling in their own ways. But you can only do so much. How long am I supposed to go running for exactly? I practically bust a lung nowadays if I push passed 10 minutes. I don't enjoy most any form of arts and crafts, so why would I do something that bugs me when I'm free? Learning new "textbook" things is important and exciting, but it's not something I want to do every second of every day. It can be exhausting. When the work day is over and I've done all my "progressive" free time activities, I don't want to push myself further. I want to unwind by just sitting around and watching TV or listening to music or having a drink.
  
  "You lose yourself when you watch television,"
  
  In a good way. I don't want to think about how exhausting work was, and I DO want to be engulfed by the story or the humor just like I would when reading a book. If they don't "capture" me and make forget I'm sitting down staring in the same spot, it's not a very well written show or book.
  
  "Studies have shown that mental processes go down considerably when people are watching television"
  
  No they haven't. Unless you're talking about WHILE they're watching television, and then they immediately go back to normal when they do something that requires more mental facets--which probably happens to an even larger degree with riding the train or going to bed. I'm sure some shows can increase your mental processes when you're trying to figure out what happens next--whether it be a mystery, the way a character typically acts in certain situations, or what would cause Ross and Rachel to get back together.
  
  "It has also been shown that on average a person gets more excersize when they sleep than when they watch television."
  
  Well I would hope so. I typically sleep 4-9 hours. I rarely watch television for that long. What should I be doing for better exercise ALL DAY long? REST is an extremely important part of exercise.
  
  "Most of the way people behave on television is not real. Their problems are often times shallow. Very rarely is any concept really cut into deep."
  
  How do you know this if you don't watch TV? You are stereotyping concepts that rarely exist outside of soap operas. The shows with depth and compelling, relatable issues are the ones that last longer and are critically acclaimed.
  
  "Your better off reading,"
  
  Why? I love reading, but don't see it as automatically better than TV. Some books are better than some shows, and vice versa. I actually find reading to be MORE socially hindering as books take much longer to get through than an episode of TV.
  
  "What i am waging against is ignorance and complacency"
  
  I do not mean to offend, but you are ignorantly describing television. Complacency is every bit as important as it is something to be wary of. No one wants to be outraged and suspicious all the time.

Please register or login to comment! It's totally free