Ok, well first off...im back (i guess). And to start off i have been thinking about society lately. Does anyone else agree with me that it seems that society as a whole is becoming more "boring". Think of it, alot of people have wasted their lives sitting watching t.v., playing video games, etc. Where has all of the fun and excitement in going outside and having a fun time playing sports and using imagination gone? With what in my opinion is a failing industry of music, entertainment, etc., some people have just nothing to turn to. I know this may not speak for everybody, but with the increasing use of technology (computers, video game consoles) and the speed of them increasing, people seem to have more free time, but nothing productive to spend it on. I don't know if this topic has already been taken, if so tell me.
Hmm, I've noticed that a little bit. I can't speak for scoeity, and I certainly know some people who don't follow that trend, but as a whole, life has gone from making the world a better place to making yourself happy no matter what the cost is. I don't think this topic has been done before. It's very intersting, but seems too original to have been made already.
I feel intensely and strangely compelled to use all caps.
I can't speak to the generation(s) that is following me, but I don't feel anything of the sort.
I feel there are many excellent artists in the music industry that I continue to follow, as well as introducing myself to new & new artists; I like high quality film and television, along with some of the.. not so high quality =) Computers and video games, consoles & blackberries, cell phones all give us *new* things to do, but I don't think they take away from the old things I used to enjoy when I was a kid before all of these things were in full swing.
It's personal experience, and similarly, the people I associate with on a regular basis & would call friends or family don't feel this way.
This forum as well is rife with discussion, colourful people who don't strike me as.. bored, but passionate. I can't say I currently share your view.
@HiddenDistance, yes the new cell phones and video games give us something new. What i am saying is people use them to the point of that it ALL they do. Also, parts of the music and movie industries are amazing and still growing, parts seem to be just de-generating (for lack of a better word).
Well, maybe that's my fault. My standards are rather high so.. if I was dealing with a person that obsessed over their cell phone or WoW or a particular band, or book, or *anything* I'd drop them like a hot coal. My time is too valuable to waste on people that shallow. In a way, perhaps it skews my world-view to something more positive and interesting because I ignore the rest of it.
It seems like in order to have a society in the first place, the people within that group must first be social in some way. Couldn't we say instead that there are simply new societies forming? Certainly, there are societal rules now for the internet in addition to the societal rules and standards we maintain in the ordinary context. Now that I think about it, maybe this is the first time in human history that we are capable of existing and abiding by two separate societal standards at the same time! People even develop different personalities depending on the the situation: a forum, or a chat room, or an email - just like we have different personalities at work, with friends, and with family. The society of the "real world" still exists, though, and is thriving. People (at least in the U.S.) are certainly less active than they were 30 years ago, but I suppose that's just an artifact of participation in this new society. That, and entertainment that you don't have to move around for... But I wouldn't think that either of these societies in necessarily "bored." I mean, people are doing stuff that's entertaining to them, it just isn't outdoorsy or whatever.
this may go to be a random tangent to what you are saying but, i remember as a kid i would go out and play all day long, now (due to work and other stuff) i play video games a lot more. i play volleyball when i am off and my brothers play but mostly i stay in doors.
most of this happens because of how technology enables us to not be ourselves, much like books did before tech.. games enable us to be the prince of persia or feel like a raiding group of warriors.. it just enables us to get away from the everyday grind.
