Has the world improved overall, or got worse in your lifetime?

djchameleon · 04-11-2014, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

In some ways yes, in other ways no. It's also made people almost dumb by design, like that point you made about remembering people's telephone numbers in the "Things that make you feel old" thread. Some things we have forgotten how to do and technology can be blamed for a lot of that.

Using your memory banks to remember other things as opposed to using it to remember things that don't matter much when you can have so many more numbers stored all in one device isn't making people dumb.

It is called innovation!

**Goofle** · 04-11-2014, 05:10 PM

I don't know my mothers mobile number but I could tell you the exact number on the barcode of the banana flavoured lip gloss we sell at Bodycare.

Astronomer · 04-11-2014, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanilla

I agree. I think life is more stressful here in NZ. People take work home with them and feel a lot of pressure to perform (and compared to their peers).

I agree with this one. I remember reading this article a few years back and being shocked:

Give us a break: Australia is hard at work - National - theage.com.au

Quote:

Australians are already the hardest-worked citizens in the Western world. We bear an average workload of 1855 hours a year - more than workers in the United States, Japan or anywhere in Europe.

I've always gone by the philosophy that you work to live, not live to work, but seeing statistics like that make me think - what on earth kind of life is this if we are just constantly working ourselves to the bone and not fulfilling any other of our goals, ambitions, desires or pleasures? I think part of the reason is that we have become a very commodified society and so people feel that they need to work hard to keep up with all of the "things" that they need.

When I visited my relatives in Italy, I couldn't believe how little they worked, how little money they had, but how relaxed and happy they all were. On average, they all worked around 10-20 hours a week (for multiple employers, fairly irregular hours and employment) and spent the rest of their time socialising and spending time with loved ones/pursuing hobbies. They didn't have flat screen TVs or designer clothes or designer furniture or gadgets or whatnot. But they were so damn happy. I would kill to be part of that lifestyle!

Trollheart · 04-11-2014, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djchameleon

Using your memory banks to remember other things as opposed to using it to remember things that don't matter much when you can have so many more numbers stored all in one device isn't making people dumb.

It is called innovation!

So you can only remember a finite number of things? What do you think people did before mobile phones, computers and so on? Remember books? The feel of a new novel in your hands? Its smell? Folding back the page to mark where you stopped? Now everything is kindle this and kindle that. Not the same. Tech has been great in some areas but in others it's made us really lazy and taken the strain of using our brains away.

Did you ever read "The time machine"? We could be heading that way. People are forgetting how to talk, don't want to read and everytihng has to be instant these days. Heading down a dark path we may not be able to return from.

djchameleon · 04-11-2014, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

So you can only remember a finite number of things? What do you think people did before mobile phones, computers and so on? Remember books? The feel of a new novel in your hands? Its smell? Folding back the page to mark where you stopped? Now everything is kindle this and kindle that. Not the same. Tech has been great in some areas but in others it's made us really lazy and taken the strain of using our brains away.

I disagree with the notion that it has taken the strain away. Our brains absorb so much more information in this great technological age. How cruel you are to your books making dog ears of the pages lol. Bookmarks are made for a reason!
Books haven't completely just up and disappeared. People still feel the need to have the physical thing over digital even though it isn't that portable when you can hold so many more books on a tiny device instead of lugging them around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Did you ever read "The time machine"? We could be heading that way. People are forgetting how to talk, don't want to read and everytihng has to be instant these days. Heading down a dark path we may not be able to return from.

That's a bit dramatic. There will always be people that push back against technology even though they should conform. One of us. One of us. I have "The Time Machine" on my Nexus but haven't read it yet. Will soon though.

**Janszoon** · 04-11-2014, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

So you can only remember a finite number of things? What do you think people did before mobile phones, computers and so on? Remember books? The feel of a new novel in your hands? Its smell? Folding back the page to mark where you stopped? Now everything is kindle this and kindle that. Not the same. Tech has been great in some areas but in others it's made us really lazy and taken the strain of using our brains away.

When I was young we didn't need any of this "written language" business, we kept our information in our heads where it belongs. These days, it's cuneiform this and clay tablets that. Not the same. Written language has been great in some areas but in others it's made us really lazy and taken the strain of using our brains away.

stevie · 04-15-2014, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sansa Stark

The world becomes progressively worse and progressively less self aware

just like this forum

forever isn't for
everyone
is forever
for you?

maybe you can answer your question? Is this going to be too much fun?

The Batlord · 04-15-2014, 09:42 AM

Pros

Most of the first world doesn't have to deal with polio, smallpox, yellow fever, malaria, etc, etc, etc.

I am not forced by an arbitrary douche living in a castle to work a piece of land that my father was likewise forced to work and my son will also almost certainly be forced to work.

Women can vote.

Atheists, heretics, witches, werewolves, homosexuals, etc are not burned at the stake.

Viking attacks are at an all-time low.

I get to live beyond the age of twenty five.

I've never had fleas.

I don't have to walk around human feces or dead bodies in the streets.

Minorities can vote.

I don't have to pay tribute to Rome.

I don't have to pay tribute to Alexander the Great.

I don't have to pay tribute to Persia.

I don't have to pay tribute to Babylon.

I have a reasonable expectation of not being waylaid by bandits while driving to my grandparents' house.

The infant mortality rate is pretty solid.

Stalin is dead.

Mao is dead.

Hitler is dead.

Cons

Our politicians are kind of douchey and corrupt.

The economy is in kind of a slump.

Religious fundies want to teach intelligent design in schools.

Yeah, this world definitely sucks more now than it did back then.

Plankton · 04-15-2014, 09:50 AM

Some solid points BL.

Another con: Wearing only a leaf over your junk is kinda frowned upon.

The Batlord · 04-15-2014, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plankton

Some solid points BL.

Another con: Wearing only a leaf over your junk is kinda frowned upon.

Thanks for reminding me.

Pro

We now have porn.

04-15-2014, 09:50 AM	#39 (permalink)
Plankton Just Keep Swimming... Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: See signature... Posts: 7,766	Some solid points BL. Another con: Wearing only a leaf over your junk is kinda frowned upon. __________________ See location...