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WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID

alaskanseminole

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Oct 20, 2002
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Another good one from the Atlantic.

WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID
It’s not just a phase.

By Jonathan Haidt
Illustrations by Nicolás Ortega


...but gradually, social-media users became more comfortable sharing intimate details of their lives with strangers and corporations. As I wrote in a 2019 Atlantic article with Tobias Rose-Stockwell, they became more adept at putting on performances and managing their personal brand—activities that might impress others but that do not deepen friendships in the way that a private phone conversation will.

Once social-media platforms had trained users to spend more time performing and less time connecting, the stage was set for the major transformation, which began in 2009: the intensification of viral dynamics...


 
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People have always been effed up, so there goes the author's premise.
Man, you read that fast.

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This certainly supports the author's premise.

Bill Burr criticizes the 'hysteria' around Gina Carano's firing from 'The Mandalorian'​

"I thought it was funny that the liberals proved her point," Burr says, adding that he identifies as liberal himself. "It's disappointing to see the left become how the right used to be when they went after the Dixie Chicks after they criticized George W. Bush. There’s not a lot of people like that — most are just trying not to get in trouble — but there’s this small collection of lunatics either on the right or the left, at any given moment. that cause hysteria. And now there’s so many [media outlets] that want eyeballs, they make money off advertising, that they give attention to these crazy fringe people."

 
Another good one from the Atlantic.

WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID
It’s not just a phase.

By Jonathan Haidt
Illustrations by Nicolás Ortega


...but gradually, social-media users became more comfortable sharing intimate details of their lives with strangers and corporations. As I wrote in a 2019 Atlantic article with Tobias Rose-Stockwell, they became more adept at putting on performances and managing their personal brand—activities that might impress others but that do not deepen friendships in the way that a private phone conversation will.

Once social-media platforms had trained users to spend more time performing and less time connecting, the stage was set for the major transformation, which began in 2009: the intensification of viral dynamics...


Excellent, excellent article. So, so true IMO. Of all the good parts...I think the section below has the most meaning to me.

"One example of such a reform is to end closed party primaries, replacing them with a single, nonpartisan, open primary from which the top several candidates advance to a general election that also uses ranked-choice voting. A version of this voting system has already been implemented in Alaska, and it seems to have given Senator Lisa Murkowski more latitude to oppose former President Trump, whose favored candidate would be a threat to Murkowski in a closed Republican primary but is not in an open one."

Our political primary system is producing freaking weirdos, whether they be R's or D's. We need to change the structures to bring some sense back to this process and begin to nominate candidates for office that aren't in the far extemes.
 
Don't worry, the damage you guys have done is likely irreparable. At least you guys won't be alive to see the carnage fully come to fruition though.
Some Boomers deserve a lot of blame for the ills of today's world. No doubt.

Interestingly, it's almost entirely those Boomers whose values you seem to share.

You come here denying the climate crisis, defending racists, and attacking democracy. Boomers like me are on the right side of those and most other important issues.
 
Some Boomers deserve a lot of blame for the ills of today's world. No doubt.

Interestingly, it's almost entirely those Boomers whose values you seem to share.

You come here denying the climate crisis, defending racists, and attacking democracy. Boomers like me are on the right side of those and most other important issues.
I forgot, you're all raging narcissists as well.
 
This certainly supports the author's premise.

Bill Burr criticizes the 'hysteria' around Gina Carano's firing from 'The Mandalorian'​

"I thought it was funny that the liberals proved her point," Burr says, adding that he identifies as liberal himself. "It's disappointing to see the left become how the right used to be when they went after the Dixie Chicks after they criticized George W. Bush. There’s not a lot of people like that — most are just trying not to get in trouble — but there’s this small collection of lunatics either on the right or the left, at any given moment. that cause hysteria. And now there’s so many [media outlets] that want eyeballs, they make money off advertising, that they give attention to these crazy fringe people."

That's not a hard concept to identify, yet millions of people are still so very caught up debating about which billionaire that doesn't give a sh!t about them is doing things "the right way" with their expensive toys or tune into television news religiously.

They're all ad sales vehicles designed to keep the viewer engaged on the edge of their seat so they can be coerced into panic buying a bunch of sh!t that won't make them happy. Instead of waking up this reality, we seem to crave that it be interwoven throughout every part of our lives.
 
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Another good one from the Atlantic.

WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID
It’s not just a phase.

By Jonathan Haidt
Illustrations by Nicolás Ortega


...but gradually, social-media users became more comfortable sharing intimate details of their lives with strangers and corporations. As I wrote in a 2019 Atlantic article with Tobias Rose-Stockwell, they became more adept at putting on performances and managing their personal brand—activities that might impress others but that do not deepen friendships in the way that a private phone conversation will.

Once social-media platforms had trained users to spend more time performing and less time connecting, the stage was set for the major transformation, which began in 2009: the intensification of viral dynamics...


Haidt’s book The Coddling of the American Mind is great. He’s very good on podcasts etc. Not a partisan grenade thrower like most people these days.
 
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