Is This Humanities Golden age.

BraziliaNZ

The King of Moo wrote: »

No.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS2SzGUwaMI

Those people look happier and to be having more fun than most people from what I can see in that trailer (no pun intended)

Napper Hawkins

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Those people look happier and to be having more fun than most people from what I can see in that trailer (no pun intended)

Interesting point.

The happiest people I know haven't got much going on upstairs, in my experience at least.

Makes you wonder who the real idiots are.

BraziliaNZ

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Interesting point.

The happiest people I know haven't got much going on upstairs, in my experience at least.

Makes you wonder who the real idiots are.

Ignorance is bliss and all that. Then what are they ignorant to? Maybe they just don't worry about stupid 1st world problems.
This is worth a read

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/13/here-comes-honeybooboo-surprising-hometruth

Colmustard

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Ignorance is bliss and all that. Then what are they ignorant to? Maybe they just don't worry about stupid 1st world problems.
This is worth a read

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/13/here-comes-honeybooboo-surprising-hometruth

That was interesting, its not so much that ignorance is bliss, its more acceptance is bliss.

There is an epidemic of rising stupidity in the world today, the fundamentalist religious numbers are growing, physic hot lines, astrology, the "alternative" medical industry is no longer a fringe industry for the vulnerable, its a huge industry selling unproven snake oil remedies by the ship load, TV telephone poll shows, reality TV, Film flam, dystopian fiction been read by adults, online poker, lotteries, UFOs and alien abductions.

A hundred years ago if you were to write a scifi about a society who had access to all world knowledge, entertainment, culture, a machine that would answer any question and such a machine would be in everyone living room or on a hand held phone. You would have wrote about a new Jerusalem, a society steeped in culture and knowledge.

But we have that machine and it seems to be making us dumber.

ScumLord

Colmustard wrote: »

There is an epidemic of rising stupidity in the world today,

I don't really accept that humans are becoming dumber. All humans have incredible levels of intelligence many of us just choose to fill our heads up with useless inane information.

Colmustard

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't really accept that humans are becoming dumber. All humans have incredible levels of intelligence many of us just choose to fill our heads up with useless inane information.

And without question
It is also an age of denial. From climate change to vaccines, evolution to flu, denialists are on the march. Why are so many people refusing to accept what the evidence is telling them?

An interesting special report from the new scientist magazine.

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=age%20of%20denial%20new%20scientist&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Fspecial%2Fliving-in-denial&ei=tDxGUISIEMOy0QXl-IHQDQ&usg=AFQjCNHo-I4UpO3hh8gJp8j7VYbB1LOfMA

Napper Hawkins

Colmustard wrote: »

That was interesting, its not so much that ignorance is bliss, its more acceptance is bliss.

There is an epidemic of rising stupidity in the world today, the fundamentalist religious numbers are growing, physic hot lines, astrology, the "alternative" medical industry is no longer a fringe industry for the vulnerable, its a huge industry selling unproven snake oil remedies by the ship load, TV telephone poll shows, reality TV, Film flam, dystopian fiction been read by adults, online poker, lotteries, UFOs and alien abductions.

A hundred years ago if you were to write a scifi about a society who had access to all world knowledge, entertainment, culture, a machine that would answer any question and such a machine would be in everyone living room or on a hand held phone. You would have wrote about a new Jerusalem, a society steeped in culture and knowledge.

But we have that machine and it seems to be making us dumber.

Or maybe that machine has simply opened our eyes to the reality of just how many idiots there really are in the world?

That said, I reckon society greatly underestimates the intelligence of people in general.

Calibos

The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt
- Betrand Russel

QFT

The King of Moo

Dangerous Man wrote: »

Freaks? They're not freaks - they're just ordinary, everyday Americans from Georgia. They're quite normal but a lot of people seem to have a problem with them because they are comfortable allowing people into their homes to see how they live.

I don't think they're freaks either. They're human beings, whatever their faults.
What I find reminiscent of a freak show is that this programme is meant to be a shocking look at these people, with viewers tuning in in morbid fascination at what are perceived to be freaks.

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Those people look happier and to be having more fun than most people from what I can see in that trailer (no pun intended)

Good for them. I don't see why anyone would want to watch the programme though.

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Interesting point.

The happiest people I know haven't got much going on upstairs, in my experience at least.

Makes you wonder who the real idiots are.

I find it's usually the stupid people.

Dangerous Man

I don't think they're freaks either. They're human beings, whatever their faults.
What I find reminiscent of a freak show is that this programme is meant to be a shocking look at these people, with viewers tuning in in morbid fascination at what are perceived to be freaks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BraziliaNZ
Those people look happier and to be having more fun than most people from what I can see in that trailer (no pun intended)

Good for them. I don't see why anyone would want to watch the programme though.

Which is it? You either know or you don't know. Is it a freak show that people watch out of a sense of 'morbid fascination' or is it not?

The programme is not my cup of tea to be honest. I don't like reality television generally speaking so the everyday trivialities of some family from Georgia aren't exactly riveting to me.

My other half watches the show because she finds it entertaining and she enjoys the contradiction at the centre of the show; that is, the family is at once outrageous (they love playing in the mud etc) and at the same time are very normal with problems and concerns that most everyday people can relate to. It's certainly nothing to do with 'morbid fascination.' If you talk to people who actually watch the show you'll find that their motives are far less sinister than you think.

Frankly, you're seeing something that isn't really there.

The Radiator

If this is the Golden Age then God help us all

Napper Hawkins

The King of Moo wrote: »

I find it's usually the stupid people.

Usually?

The King of Moo

Dangerous Man wrote: »

I don't think they're freaks either. They're human beings, whatever their faults.
What I find reminiscent of a freak show is that this programme is meant to be a shocking look at these people, with viewers tuning in in morbid fascination at what are perceived to be freaks.


Those people look happier and to be having more fun than most people from what I can see in that trailer (no pun intended)

Good for them. I don't see why anyone would want to watch the programme though.

Which is it? You either know or you don't know. Is it a freak show that people watch out of a sense of 'morbid fascination' or is it not?

The programme is not my cup of tea to be honest. I don't like reality television generally speaking so the everyday trivialities of some family from Georgia aren't exactly riveting to me.

My other half watches the show because she finds it entertaining and she enjoys the contradiction at the centre of the show; that is, the family is at once outrageous (they love playing in the mud etc) and at the same time are very normal with problems and concerns that most everyday people can relate to. It's certainly nothing to do with 'morbid fascination.' If you talk to people who actually watch the show you'll find that their motives are far less sinister than you think.

Frankly, you're seeing something that isn't really there.

I don't really see any cognitive dissonance. I believe that the producers of the programme see the show as such a freak show, and I'm sure at least some people watch it in such a way. I don't understand why they'd want to, but I'm sure they do. People do lots of things for reasons I can't fathom.
It's part of a general trend of programmes whose sole attraction seems to be "Look at these stupid and/or poor f**kers! The state of them!" which includes Jersey/Geordie Shore, Tallafornia, The Only Way is Essex, programmes about Hillbillies and so on.

Originally posted by Napper Hawkins
Usually?

By and large, yes.