[MD] BBC documentary 'the trap'

[John Carl]

Arlo,
I've been resisting "going there" with you and Kahled because of another
thread of thought I'm on, but I can't resist any longer and I'm about
wrapped up over there, so I just have to begin again an old time rant of
mine - death of community in america, where it started, what it means, how
to reverse the awful flow.  My mind will burst!  Pant... Pant...

Ok.  I'm better now.

One of Kurt Vonnegut's books talked about this in an oblique way where his
protagonist was informed that a divorce wasn't really his fault in any way,
he couldn't help the fact that he wasn't 50 people, and the plain fact is
that humans evolved to need about 50 people, minimum, just for sanity.  A
nice healthy mix of old people, babies, attractive cousins, playful uncles,
wise aunts.   I think this is more true for women, but that point is moot
because if a man's wife goes crazy, he ain't gonna be happy ever.  We just
need this minimal shell and the fact that we don't have it anymore makes us
all at least a little insane.

I know what the right way looks like because I grew up with it,  but that is
all gone today and the old people who knew how to maintain community have
died or are dying and their children...  shudder again...  there is no hope
in the children.


[John]
> But I've noticed many decrying this corporate culturalism and I don't think
> there are any easy answers.
>
> [Arlo]
> No, there are not. In fact, the only "real" answer is in a metaphysical
> shift in the way we think, collectively, as a culture. The factories, the
> "stylized junk", the "funeral procession", the "hyped-up ego fuck you"
> attitude of "primary America" are not "fixable" as they are symptoms not
> causes.
>

Well yay metaphysical shifts.  But how does that interact and create change
in a real world?  Where is the interface of modern culture with metaphysical
shifts?  Two places I can think of, Academia and MediaWorld.  I have no hope
in either.

John the frustrated