I wrote this almost two years ago, intending to post it - but obviously didn't.
Thought I'd post it now - it's dated - Late November to Christmas Time) but only at the beginning and it has some relevance.
Sunday.
It's 2:10pm. I'm at work (yes it's a sweet job) and I'm watching the Colts vs the Panthers.
Now I probably ought to qualify this and state in the interests of full disclosure:
I am an unapologetic New England Patriots fan. I may bleed Red Sox Red, but my heart belongs to Belichick.
So anyway...This has nothing to do with football, aside from the fact that I saw this ad while watching today and it got me thinking (because that's what I do)just how far removed we are from each other.
Okay, broad statement, so let me narrow it down.
Our world has become so convenient, so "easy" and "One Click" that we no longer have to bother interacting with others at all.
The commercial I'm referring to is for a GPS device, I don't recall the brand. It shows this man, stereotypically geeky looking, driving aimlessly in a snowstorm, with a gift beside him. Frightening people seem to menace him at every turn, and The Carol Of The Bells plays in the background, although the words and music are different and dark.
The idea I assume they're trying to convey is "This poor schmuck wouldn't be lost and scared if he only had been smart enough to buy this miracle GPS system."
OK.
I have several issues with this.
First - The music
The Carol of The Bells is my personal favorite Christmas Carol- especially the Transiberian Orchestra version.
Primarily because it's one of only a very few non-secular carols. There aren't any overt references to Christ, aside from the word "Christmas" and it's the perfect song for those of us who love the sentiment of Christmas or Yule - the peaceful wishes, the glad tidings, etc., but reject "Christmas" as a Christian holiday.
Secondly: What's with the stereotypical actor?
They chose someone whose appearance screams "LOSER!" and worse, they have him driving a crap car.
The implication is: "This guy isn't very rich, or good looking or...(pick your adjective) therefore he can't be very smart...BE SMARTER THAN THIS LOSER - (and by extension Better looking and Richer) - Buy our product!"
Lastly: When did we stop talking to others?
Why couldn't this guy just pull over and ask for directions?
Oh yeah! The scary denizens of Lostville.
You just know if this guy pulls over and asks for directions, something "REALLY BAD" will happen.
It reinforces the sterotype that if someone looks different or acts differently, then they are not to be trusted.
Plain and simple, this ad panders to fear.
So fear (in what is rapidly becoming a lengthy diatribe) is one reason that Americans don't communicate with each other.
1. Fear of the unknown.
2. Fear of being misunderstood
3. Fear of being judged somewhat inferior to others or seen as an outsider.
4. Fear of not "keeping up with the Joneses."
Now I know there are those who cry, "Whaddayamean we don't communicate? There are more ways to talk to others now than ever before."
My answer is, Yes. There are more ways than ever...but effective use of them is optional, and I'm sorry, but there is no substitute for face to face interaction.
This opinion has prevailed in some circles since the early days of the telephone and telegraph.
Before anyone screams "Luddite" I feel it's necessary to mention, I love my gadgets.
I love my cellphone with it's ability to call anyone anywhere anytime, and text whenever I choose. No camera though - I mean, it IS a phone for crying out loud.
I'm VERY fond of my PDA, which makes writing and jotting notes and story ideas so simple. I no longer have fifty pieces of scrap paper in my pockets.
It has a voice recorder so I can talk into it and not lose a story idea that comes to me while I'm hurtling down the turnpike at 70mph.
It also has a calendar which keeps my days organized.
But by far I have a mad, all consuming, passionate love affair with my laptop.
So much so that it makes my husband jealous (seriously). So no, I'm not a technophobe.
It just seems that things are now designed to be so simple that social interaction is optional and unnecessary.
I know there are those who embrace that...but I mourn it.
The ability to communicate, effectively or not, is what makes us human - what elevates us above the lesser creatures.
When communication becomes optional, most people will choose not to.
It's (at least in my opinion) a startling laziness on the part of society as a whole, and it's not a peculiarly American trait either.
Don't like Christmas Shopping? - Shop online!
Don't want to deal with traffic or annoying co-workers? - Telecommute!
Don't want to endure going to your car, driving to a restaurant and being served? - No problem, we Deliver!
If you can't bear actually looking at others once you've gone out? - No problem, We have WIFI!
Our incredible technology makes it simple to invert and the most frightening aspect of that inversion is that people seem content to let it happen.
Karl Marx said "Religion is the opiate of the masses."
With apologies to the old Socialist, my corollary to that is "Technology is the opiate of the Twenty-first Century."
So... here I am, presenting a problem, is there a solution?
Well, that's difficult. We are a society in decline. A society so dumbed down and numbed by "info-tainment" that we have very little knowledge of what goes on in our world.
So long as we have our weekly dose of "Brittney, Paris, Lindsey" (pick your brainless celebrity), we're happy.
And don't for a minute think I'm an ivory tower observer.
I'm a junkie for celebrity news. I surf the internet and read "news" stories about people I don't know, or otherwise care about, simply because I want to know.
It's not that I really care about them... it's that there is such a paucity of actual news, I'm pacified with the opiate of entertainment.
The cynical - tinfoily voice in me whispers "That's how "they" want it."
The ever present "they".
"They" want the American public to be dumb sheep, drugged to complacency by the ease and abundance of technology...Satellite television, game consoles, flat screen tv, iPods, Cellphones, cable, internet...keep the people happy and content and they'll be good worker drones, ever increasing the supply of honey to the richer section of the hive.
I'm not what I'd consider a fan of television. I watch sports. I watch Law and Order and Discovery Channel - aside from that I couldn't care less if the television is on or off.
I prefer the internet (with it's own issues) and it's multitude of information - good and bad.
I've only watched one episode of American Idol, I've never seen Lost or Survivor. The idea of people being trashed verbally and humiliated for entertainment is abhorrent to me (too close to the Roman Gladiatorial contests). Admittedly, I'm out of the loop when it comes to pop culture icons, and I sometimes (but only briefly) regret that.
Increasingly, I inhabit a cerebral world of my own creation, and I like it that way.
But I also know that it does me absolutely no good to withdraw. It would be the ideal situation to me to be able to do nothing but write and think all day. Unfortunately I'm not able to do that, nor should I.
I have 3 kids and a wonderful husband and that was my choice...but the beautiful siren of solitude is very enticing.
So I guess my suggestion is try to talk with others, but listen even more. Open that channel of communication with those around you.
Oh yeah, two more things:
Shut down the computer & Turn off the TV.
Peace.
Thought I'd post it now - it's dated - Late November to Christmas Time) but only at the beginning and it has some relevance.
Sunday.
It's 2:10pm. I'm at work (yes it's a sweet job) and I'm watching the Colts vs the Panthers.
Now I probably ought to qualify this and state in the interests of full disclosure:
I am an unapologetic New England Patriots fan. I may bleed Red Sox Red, but my heart belongs to Belichick.
So anyway...This has nothing to do with football, aside from the fact that I saw this ad while watching today and it got me thinking (because that's what I do)just how far removed we are from each other.
Okay, broad statement, so let me narrow it down.
Our world has become so convenient, so "easy" and "One Click" that we no longer have to bother interacting with others at all.
The commercial I'm referring to is for a GPS device, I don't recall the brand. It shows this man, stereotypically geeky looking, driving aimlessly in a snowstorm, with a gift beside him. Frightening people seem to menace him at every turn, and The Carol Of The Bells plays in the background, although the words and music are different and dark.
The idea I assume they're trying to convey is "This poor schmuck wouldn't be lost and scared if he only had been smart enough to buy this miracle GPS system."
OK.
I have several issues with this.
First - The music
The Carol of The Bells is my personal favorite Christmas Carol- especially the Transiberian Orchestra version.
Primarily because it's one of only a very few non-secular carols. There aren't any overt references to Christ, aside from the word "Christmas" and it's the perfect song for those of us who love the sentiment of Christmas or Yule - the peaceful wishes, the glad tidings, etc., but reject "Christmas" as a Christian holiday.
Secondly: What's with the stereotypical actor?
They chose someone whose appearance screams "LOSER!" and worse, they have him driving a crap car.
The implication is: "This guy isn't very rich, or good looking or...(pick your adjective) therefore he can't be very smart...BE SMARTER THAN THIS LOSER - (and by extension Better looking and Richer) - Buy our product!"
Lastly: When did we stop talking to others?
Why couldn't this guy just pull over and ask for directions?
Oh yeah! The scary denizens of Lostville.
You just know if this guy pulls over and asks for directions, something "REALLY BAD" will happen.
It reinforces the sterotype that if someone looks different or acts differently, then they are not to be trusted.
Plain and simple, this ad panders to fear.
So fear (in what is rapidly becoming a lengthy diatribe) is one reason that Americans don't communicate with each other.
1. Fear of the unknown.
2. Fear of being misunderstood
3. Fear of being judged somewhat inferior to others or seen as an outsider.
4. Fear of not "keeping up with the Joneses."
Now I know there are those who cry, "Whaddayamean we don't communicate? There are more ways to talk to others now than ever before."
My answer is, Yes. There are more ways than ever...but effective use of them is optional, and I'm sorry, but there is no substitute for face to face interaction.
This opinion has prevailed in some circles since the early days of the telephone and telegraph.
Before anyone screams "Luddite" I feel it's necessary to mention, I love my gadgets.
I love my cellphone with it's ability to call anyone anywhere anytime, and text whenever I choose. No camera though - I mean, it IS a phone for crying out loud.
I'm VERY fond of my PDA, which makes writing and jotting notes and story ideas so simple. I no longer have fifty pieces of scrap paper in my pockets.
It has a voice recorder so I can talk into it and not lose a story idea that comes to me while I'm hurtling down the turnpike at 70mph.
It also has a calendar which keeps my days organized.
But by far I have a mad, all consuming, passionate love affair with my laptop.
So much so that it makes my husband jealous (seriously). So no, I'm not a technophobe.
It just seems that things are now designed to be so simple that social interaction is optional and unnecessary.
I know there are those who embrace that...but I mourn it.
The ability to communicate, effectively or not, is what makes us human - what elevates us above the lesser creatures.
When communication becomes optional, most people will choose not to.
It's (at least in my opinion) a startling laziness on the part of society as a whole, and it's not a peculiarly American trait either.
Don't like Christmas Shopping? - Shop online!
Don't want to deal with traffic or annoying co-workers? - Telecommute!
Don't want to endure going to your car, driving to a restaurant and being served? - No problem, we Deliver!
If you can't bear actually looking at others once you've gone out? - No problem, We have WIFI!
Our incredible technology makes it simple to invert and the most frightening aspect of that inversion is that people seem content to let it happen.
Karl Marx said "Religion is the opiate of the masses."
With apologies to the old Socialist, my corollary to that is "Technology is the opiate of the Twenty-first Century."
So... here I am, presenting a problem, is there a solution?
Well, that's difficult. We are a society in decline. A society so dumbed down and numbed by "info-tainment" that we have very little knowledge of what goes on in our world.
So long as we have our weekly dose of "Brittney, Paris, Lindsey" (pick your brainless celebrity), we're happy.
And don't for a minute think I'm an ivory tower observer.
I'm a junkie for celebrity news. I surf the internet and read "news" stories about people I don't know, or otherwise care about, simply because I want to know.
It's not that I really care about them... it's that there is such a paucity of actual news, I'm pacified with the opiate of entertainment.
The cynical - tinfoily voice in me whispers "That's how "they" want it."
The ever present "they".
"They" want the American public to be dumb sheep, drugged to complacency by the ease and abundance of technology...Satellite television, game consoles, flat screen tv, iPods, Cellphones, cable, internet...keep the people happy and content and they'll be good worker drones, ever increasing the supply of honey to the richer section of the hive.
I'm not what I'd consider a fan of television. I watch sports. I watch Law and Order and Discovery Channel - aside from that I couldn't care less if the television is on or off.
I prefer the internet (with it's own issues) and it's multitude of information - good and bad.
I've only watched one episode of American Idol, I've never seen Lost or Survivor. The idea of people being trashed verbally and humiliated for entertainment is abhorrent to me (too close to the Roman Gladiatorial contests). Admittedly, I'm out of the loop when it comes to pop culture icons, and I sometimes (but only briefly) regret that.
Increasingly, I inhabit a cerebral world of my own creation, and I like it that way.
But I also know that it does me absolutely no good to withdraw. It would be the ideal situation to me to be able to do nothing but write and think all day. Unfortunately I'm not able to do that, nor should I.
I have 3 kids and a wonderful husband and that was my choice...but the beautiful siren of solitude is very enticing.
So I guess my suggestion is try to talk with others, but listen even more. Open that channel of communication with those around you.
Oh yeah, two more things:
Shut down the computer & Turn off the TV.
Peace.
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