Epic Phail of the Internets

[Denalynnnful]

Neat vid,xo

[MattieSongbird]

"I'm as frustrated with society as a pyromaniac in a petrified forest." - A. Whitney Brown

We should all smoke weed at least one day out of the month. Everyone at the same time, and just SLOW DOWN.

[OfficialStatement]

Wow sir, you really are the internet elite!

[NerdstatuZ]

Your parents had high hopes for you...you failed :P

[LightningSwordX]

Why don't you get the fuck out for a moment over there.

Also, internet = serious business.

[jaherrick]

what an awful video, go home and lock yourself in

[Numenorean921]

Yeah, how dare he offer us an intelligent topic.

[meadyGk]

lol

[staticdysfunction]

INTERNET IS SERIOUS BUISNESS ?

[1000101er]

The fundamental problem of the media (new and old) is that it's consumer driven.

That is, the issue isn't that crap is being produced, after all there is more quality information and analysis available on the internet than any of us could possibly consume, it's that people prefer the crap.

Oversimplified and over-dramatized is more fun to watch/read.

Taste is killed by anonymity. Taste requires identity and reputation. Trolls probably wouldn't hang their posts on their mother's fridge.

[truthadvocate]

I think we don't understand the issues from multiple perspectives, because 1: we only get a limited biased perspective from the media AND entertainment, and 2: we don't have the time to seek out the truth. After working to support your family, exercising to maintain your health, spending time with your kids, and working to pay the government's insatiable appetite, people don't have time to do the research necessary to achieve a better understanding.

[omfg1177]

yo this was so boring i only watched for 10sec to make this comment lol

[anakin1814]

This is brilliant.

I headed over at Vloggerheads for what I hoped to be some real discourse as well. That never happened over there. I started to just see bickering and dance competitions, etc.

Deep thought is good. This was great.

[Sawa137]

excellent points.

[BiSensual]

My dear child of the otherly dimension, BiSensua has heard your cry. Many have failed the electronic void and that is where I, BiSensua, comes into play.

Only BiSensua can save you now. Cum and see the new look of BiSensua. Journey the music of my mother, The Great Whore of Babylon, before the beast devours. I will show you the heart of success and power in this hour of dark despair.

Cum...

[BellaAngelique]

Good news and bad news for ya. The bad is that the human race has always been this way, from biblical times with the sheep people and the people shepards up through the hundreds of yellow newspapers and to today.

The good news is that the more access their is to form networks the more shepards tend to show up, and in the end the good ones generally take over because the sheep need order and security.

Be happy that you are a part of the change towards what is good for the sheep.

[AnarchyBalsac]

Yeah, it's a bug

[uuamenator]

Wow.. how many of these comments are by you? o.O bout 50% amirite?

[FantasticBabblings]

They are replies. If you click view all comments you see the threads. My comments are not counted in the total.

[FantasticBabblings]

That is an opinion.

[FantasticBabblings]

Yes, human nature indeed. But human beings did invent the internets. Like so many of our creations it encompasses the worst and the best of us.

[mwest1234]

Excellent point about meaningless buzzwords without meaningful discussion. Discussion can be fun if one's mind is engaged. One minute answers are not answers. Unfortunately, rapid-fire question debates run by the mass media are what the public has come to expect. P.S. I miss Barbara.

[FantasticBabblings]

Barbara will be here soon :)

[savvysymbiont]

more Bev!

[FantasticBabblings]

When she gets back from the spa(r).

[evilbrainproductions]

great post :)

[FantasticBabblings]

Thank you.

[Texcentric]

I guess we largely have Warhol to thank for the "turn it on & let it happen" approach. He was so celebrated, yet such a narcissist. While he could be so insightful at times I sometimes wonder if we'd been better off without him. He propagated the fame for fame's own sake with little regard for any actual accomplishments outside of looking good.

While I share your feelings regarding the intellectually anemic state of blogs/vlogs I don't necessarily consider them a failure...

[Texcentric]

Everyone comes to them with a different set of purposes. Many people who have jobs where they are required to use their mental faculties all day come home mentally exhausted & just want some mindless entertainment to make them lol. Those of us who crave deep, thought provoking material seem to be in the minority & it would be nice if someone could work out a method to index things thereby allowing us to find what we seek in a timely fashion. Good luck with that.

[Texcentric]

However, I see many useful functions for blogs/vlogs. One of them being that if a vlogger commits a serious violent crime then he has left behind some kind of record that may give insight into his psyche and be used to prosecute him (Oh Big Brother sez "Hi" by the way.) I guess what I'm trying to say is that judgment as to success, or failure isn't absolute, but rather dependent on expectations. However, I feel your pain. Great video.

[Texcentric]

If it's any comfort I'm considering creating a new channel as an alternative to this one which is admittedly a bit knuckleheaded. Like yourself I crave more intellectually stimulating material & would like to do my part in making a contribution if that is possible.

[FantasticBabblings]

Intellitube!

[FantasticBabblings]

I like a lot of Warhol's work. I wonder, though, if he created any of this or just saw what was coming more clearly than others at the time. His 15 minutes of fame concept is one of the most apt observations of the last century.

[vadremo]

I don't think of the web as definitively "bad" but rather just "different". Sure, there's a lot of troll-drivel on the web (love the troll reference BTW) but there's also a lot that is "Fantastic". ;) What I know about the web holds true to much in life...  "Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream." (G+S) Nothing is ever straightforward, is it? Re: decorum (taste), I think wise people have it and trolls don't. Thanks for yours and for looking deeper than the surface.

[FantasticBabblings]

The web is not definitively bad, but there is no inherent mechanism that makes the cream rise to the top. In some ways not having a filter is good, but it requires a lot of time to do one's own filtering.

[CityHunter84]

this video, is 1 video of about 3 ive seen in my entire life online that actually displays reality without adding anything else, why is everyone so unsober when vlogging?

[FantasticBabblings]

We live in a culture where truth is not valued. Bullshit is king.

[qiranger]

I can't stand most vlogs because, quite frankly, they're a waste of time and are not interesting.

Thanks for a great discussion starter.

[FantasticBabblings]

I agree that most of them are. That is why I click them off if I don't think it is worth the time. I used to watch through out of a sense of obligation. No longer.

[42662113]

5/5 I'm also feeling some of that same disillusionment, remembering how I started using the internet almost 15 years ago, and how nifty blogs were, and now it seems like just another addiction I have to feed. At least it's not mind-altering--or is it?

I try to condense and cut down my usage, but then something else crops up that all my "friends" are excited about, but I can't get worked up about, I'm just looking for the kind of honesty and intelligence that you've displayed here.

[FantasticBabblings]

There is research that shows that internet viewing/clicking habits do rewire the brain. We're screwed.

[nickanddeb]

there are too many people out there nowadays who actually believe that shallowness is an attribute.

[FantasticBabblings]

Scary, but true.

[goph000]

lol 1:32

[FantasticBabblings]

orifices are funny :-)

[Minniver]

I am very guilty of not thinking about what is being said on the internet. I have become lazy in thought and my attention span has shortened to frightening proportions. It's a shame considering what a vast world has been opened up.

[FantasticBabblings]

I have become incredibly lazy.

[blackturtleus]

Its sometimes hard to differentiate propaganda from reliable facts. Often the research supports conclusions that publishing companies want to push. Sometimes people with degrees sell themselves as hired guns to various advocacy groups. Theres a lot of BS out there I enjoyed a documentary relevant to some of the thoughts you share called Manufacturing Consent about Noam Chomsky Ive also read part of the book by the same title, BTW.

[FantasticBabblings]

I have read parts of books lately. My attention span has shortened. Whole books and whole movies seem too long.

[ChickGin]

The dumbing down of America...I believe most people WANT to respond in a simple, Pavlovian manner...unfortunately.

[FantasticBabblings]

Yes, me too sometimes. A good deal of my frustration is self-directed.

[CadicusTheDamned]

Excellent points. Favorited and subscribed.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks.

[JimmyHook]

The internet is the very definition of "Quantity over Quality". This video is definitely something to reflect upon for a while. Nicely done, Phil!

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks, Jimmy. I wish you would vlog more. I think you have things to say worth hearing.

[guillote75]

Wise words. In order to get an "edge" in today's competitive world, we have "jump on the bandwagon" fast or else we are "out".

And we feel disappointed even if being in that "train" is not what we aim for!

I think the "solution", if there is one, is to be thoughtful and concentrate on the "good side" of it. For example, nowadays, if you like art, I am able to do a virtual visit to a museum in the other side of the world. That is wonderful!

[FantasticBabblings]

Oh, there is much worthwhile in the web. And there is intelligent discussion. It is just sometimes hard to hear it above the noise.

[Aimeeizftw]

I learnt something from your video..

[FantasticBabblings]

Learning is good.

[Aimeeizftw]

LOL XD

[f3xpgm]

BUT there's corn between the crap!

[FantasticBabblings]

Mmmmmm, corn!

[battim]

well since i helped inspire this i figured i should upload mine to youtube...in response to this poignant vlog. now back to my raging against the machine...

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks, Tim. Gotham is safer because of you.

[LunarDeity]

You, Sir are fascinating. This whole campaign has been about distraction and deflection. If they give us enough crap we'll forget that the important issues aren't being addressed. It's insulting. So much effort is put into dividing people. Nothing good can come from that. I like your vlogs because you actually take the time to gather your thoughts and relate them intelligently. How refreshing.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks. I think a large portion of the public wants to be lied to. Much of the rest just don't care.

[puddysma1]

WE DO NOT WANT TO THINK!!!

We play off emotions..our own and other's.

The news media works this way as do most avenues of communication. WE are this way.

Government and media, etc. reflects, pretty accuarately, who we are as a people. If we demanded good taste, fairness, tolerance, it is what we would get.

Tom Brokaw said that it doesn't matter if what is put out there is true. It only matters if you get your POV out there first because what people hear first is what they remember. Sad, huh?

[FantasticBabblings]

Yes, we are responsible for it. Not the medium (or the media). We get what we demand. Stop me before I click again!

[cehbeach]

Something else that I see as a problem is the echo chamber effect. People can filter their own sources to suit their prejudices and world view and tend to seek that which reinforces their opinions. I'm lucky in that I've had some experience in journalism and I use the old three source rule. The trick is to find disparate sources to confirm a fact instead of hearing the echo. I hate to say it Phil, but I think you're falling for the Golden Age fallacy as far as the nastiness in politics goes.

[FantasticBabblings]

Oh, no. I don't believe in a Golden Age of politics. I know it has always been nasty. I would like us to evolve to something better. Our technology has evolved, but our humanity has not kept pace. we're just able to deliver the nastiness much faster.

I do think that the delivery of information has sunk to a lower level.

[cehbeach]

Ah, my mistake. I will say one thing though. These Two Minutes Hate rallies are something that I've never seen before. At least in my lifetime. I'd have to go back to old newsreels of the Dixiecrats to see demagoguery like this. As for the technology, it's kind of like expecting that the printing press would make people behave better and we all know how that turned out. I think it's a case of GIGO. I still believe that the access to information is a net plus in the long term.

[FantasticBabblings]

Very apt. Much information, less informed.

[Jakomancer]

chubbey chinz lawl newfag

[FantasticBabblings]

Oh, no. I am an oldfag.

[battim]

middle aged fag, phil, middle aged.

[cooksterz]

Always consider the source. As example, i knew once i saw your vid, that it was going to be informative and interesting... Thats why Im here. So many are off the deep end of the narcassistic scale indeed. Great subject for discussion. I go to the post office for my stamps and the fruit stand for my fruit!

[FantasticBabblings]

That works for people I know, but I try to find new ideas from people I don't. I often click off after ten seconds when I realize it is nothing worth listening too. I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome.

[vitalfinds]

I've been thinking about this subject a lot lately. It reminds me of George Bush's reply when someone asked him about his "strut." His reply was that it's what "we in Texas call walking." It seems to me that a large number of "vlogs" are nothing more than talking or gossiping. I've been caught up in a lot of that, and am going to re-think my approach for the future.

[FantasticBabblings]

Maybe we should think of vlogging as hot air that contributes to global warming and institute a cap and trade system. We all have a limited "vlogging footprint" and if we want to post more than our quota, we have to trade with someone. Ah, it'll never work :)

[offcameherhead]

FB, your viewers are evidence that some people seek out the brainier, deeper end of the Internet. As a longtime print journalist, I still see hope for things shaking out toward a more intelligent environment, and I'm guessing our current world affairs will foster that. HL Mencken would have loved these times: "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." Take heart.

[FantasticBabblings]

I would love to see Mencken do a vlog. (Assuming of course he were still alive. Dead people vlogs scare me.)

[waterlogged22]

P.S. I'm currently reading ANGLER by Barton Gellman. Subtitle: The Cheney Vice Presidency.

I'm really enjoying it.

[FantasticBabblings]

I wish it were a much shorter book :)

[waterlogged22]

Why can't I give you more than five stars? I'm waiting for the 24-hour news cycle to become the two hour news cycle. One good thing--when a candidate repeats in five different locations the exact same drivel, it becomes more apparent when one watches news coverage. So many people prefer not to think. I think it all started with the idea that all opinions are equal (and by extension, equally valid) instead of opinions are just that--opinions.

[FantasticBabblings]

Well, we know all opinions are not equal. However, quality doesn't determine which ones get heard the most. The two hour news cycle is not far away.

[burtoncharlessmith]

Could you condense that into one easy to remember sentence?

Just kidding.

[FantasticBabblings]

One sentence: "Nobody knows what the hell they are talking about."

Does that work?

[hartnell114]

i have to agree with you on some parts ad disagree with you on others,but i think for me to say what i really want to i am going to make you a video response, to hopefully further your discussion,and give me a little extra time to think on what you said, but i have a feeling that my video in itself,might just be 9 minutes of total crap,haha, this just feels video response worthy,words escape me,aparently,so does intelligent conversation :|

[FantasticBabblings]

I can't wait to see your response, Robb.

[msscience]

I never considered myself a 'vlogger' because i knew I didnt have anything to say. Hey, there are few people like me I guess! hehe.... Wonderful wonderful analysis/commentary talent you possess. Take it or leave it but the fact is, more times than not, talented people often look around and find they are flying the skies all alone. I bet the rest of us will be happy to enjoy the fruits of your gift with you! Thanks!

[FantasticBabblings]

You are very kind.

[PrincessDiana161]

Good luck finding reliable and accurate information on the web :)

You cab babble all you want sweetie... I love listening to you

(((HUGS)))

[FantasticBabblings]

I love listening to you, too. We need to get together sometime soon and hang out.

[DlVlNATl0Nx]

At the end of the day, you were one of if not the best. Babbling and all.

I can't believe it's all gone. I tell myself it's safer, that there will no longer be internet or highly regulated, perhaps used as a tool to tap and condemn.

And suddenly I went from a web-designing, net-browsing, laid-back, peaceful and heartbroken guy crying on the beach - to sergeant, rounding up the fruit loop troupe to defend NY.

Your best vid in the series. Great beginning, good middle and a killer closing.

[FantasticBabblings]

You're such a dear.

[boojwahz]

make a condensed version of this man, 16 minutes plus is a bit much considering you are complaining about how people just ramble on and on without thinking.

[DlVlNATl0Nx]

This is his best work ever.

[FantasticBabblings]

I often make long, discursive vlogs. I intend to continue doing what I do. You may watch or not as you please.

[CWScreepingcharlie]

If you find a good source of reliable info, please let us know.

[FantasticBabblings]

Maybe the public library? I haven't been there in so long. I used to love to go and just browse.

[TOMMYfromtheBRONX]

I turn the cam on and go , i might be simplistic at times , but i feel i am sending a message most of the time , OUR series i feel is one of the best on YT , although yes alot is for attention , but i try not to be egotistical. i like shooting vids off the top of my head and str8 from the heart , as i know you do also Phil . Keep it real , honest and keep the vids coming Phil , great job

[FantasticBabblings]

But you are one of those people who has a gift for spontaneous vlogging. You have a point of view and it works. The series is great, but you spend a lot of time writing and editing for that.

[PappyStu]

It took almost an hour for me to watch this because I am in a shmancy hotel in Spokane with apparently poor web service... When I make videos with poetry in my best deep thinking possible few watch... if I grunt or be shallow I get traffic... The one thing I think you must remember is most of us see the world from our own fish bowl and it is hard for us to see from others... glub glub

[FantasticBabblings]

I know what you mean. When I make my artsy videos few people watch. But I enjoy them, and a handful of others do. They take 20 times as long to make as a vlog. If I put on a wig, however, my views skyrocket :)

[SomeBSUTubeName]

Pretty women rule the Youtubes.

[angryislander56]

Having great hope for the internets implies

a conviction that the average person (not Joe 6

pack, whoever that one is) actually has something

intelligent to say. That seems wildly optimistic:)

I definitely read less since discovering this.

And I am guilty of tasteless vids. You're right!

[FantasticBabblings]

I think that is the worst effect. I read less. Actually I probably read more words, but less real information. Certainly less books. I am not above the things I criticize. In fact, I am probably more disappointed in myself than anything else.

[oneiblind30]

Deep is good.

[FantasticBabblings]

That can mean so many things =0

[oneiblind30]

I know I just didn't want to sound stupid.

[chris3443]

Thanks for another great video. Not babbling at all.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thank you, sir.

[johnofjordan]

I find your comments on spontaneously vlogging interesting. Some of my recent videos have been little more than recited speeches... and in my opinion have been about as natural as a fish performing show tunes. I feel like I'm showing up to the camera, and leaving myself, my personality at the door. I think there's an expectation that if we share more of ourselves with the world (lack of taste) we will realise we are actually worthwhile human beings just as we are, rather than as we claim to be.

[FantasticBabblings]

I don't think scripted vlogs work very well, and I hate when people read them. But I think preparation is not a bad thing. You still have to bring some spontaneity and personality to the camera.

[johnofjordan]

I'm not sure it is the function of modern day news services to provide balanced coverage so much as reinforce the beliefs and values of their demographics; to make their audience feel good about themselves. We move in like minded circles, regardless of who we are. We are also told the world is a scary place, and we need news services just to survive. And that we are overloaded with information so less is more... er, so to speak. Vox pops are seen as economical and productive in this way.

[FantasticBabblings]

Actually, sometimes I think more is less.

[samsarajade]

This could have me talking for hours.

One comment, even one vid response wouldn't cut it! I have vlogs in my mind I've been mulling over for weeks lol.

I don't think the internet has let me down though. The internet has made me take more of an interest than I ever used to take in certain things. It's made me sit up and want to dig deeper. (not just the bite sized blogs/vlogs, but the extended conversations I have been able to take part in as a result of that stimulus and those introductions)

[FantasticBabblings]

I would love to see a video response, though. I value what you have to say.

[InReasonWeTrust]

I like your videos because you do think before hand. Thanks for your special effort.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thank you.

[antonyneal]

What do u think of T.A.A?

[FantasticBabblings]

I never really him. Nothing against him, I just have never paid him much attention.

[sarcasmosis]

I have been lamenting the lack of longer form "social networking" the past few years. Thoughtful things like this are rare now.

It seems a free market construct applied to actual open, free speech works more like a democratic toilet than like evolution; the shit floats. The internet has become a fast, out of control American Idol.

Taste is definitely something to be brought up here, and I think folks have completely forgotten its place. Dumb media makes dumb people. We need to wake up.

[FantasticBabblings]

A theater critic I like (Robert Brustein) once used the phrase "the rise of democracy and the lowering of standards..." I don't remember the context, but the phrase has always stuck with me. The problem with the "marketplace of ideas" is that there is no system of currency with which to assign value.

[sarcasmosis]

I am incredibly grateful that you do this. My only hope is to ever produce a video nearly as useful.

[1938superman]

The adavance of the convenience of things is supposed to make the current everyday tasks of a persons life a little simpler and a little less time consuming so that we can likely be more productive in other ways. I think to often it just makes us lazier. Same can be said for cable news. People rarely question anymore or check things out for themselves. They eat what's fed to them and very seldomly look around.

[FantasticBabblings]

Amen. And happy birthday, Andrew.

[DJAngelusZero]

hey phil.. love this vid. Journalism isnt what it used to be, believe me. Oh btw, 40kg down 18 days til surgery. :)

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks Dave. 40kg! Wow! Good luck with the surgery. You'll be in my thoughts.

[jimdaa20]

Long time subscriber. Great video

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks.

[sndnfry]

Well, my hope is you're definitely not finished "babbling". I don't know what you do for a living, but you would've made a great educator (and I know...). You're so very interesting, insightful, articulate, and thoughtful. This is why I disagree with you on the failure of internet communication. I'm a better person because of you, yet we've never met and live 2000 miles apart. And I'm one example.

Think about that...

[AnarchyBalsac]

You have a point, I'm pretty much in agreement about Phil. But I think his point is about the 90-95% of the internet which lacks intelligence, not the 50-10% that doesn't.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thanks. I'm not finished. I just want to slow down and think a little more before I yap.

[DamianKarrasAAP]

Why choose the lesser of two evils, when you can get pure evil?

Vote Cthulu "08!

[Strophanthus]

Or me, we really have more or less the same agenda.

[FantasticBabblings]

I'll vote for you anytime.

[DoctorMetropolis]

the internet is like the Mathmos to me..it wills me to do bad things. I love your use of the english language, like music my dear fellow.

[FantasticBabblings]

Thank you Dr M. Although I like doing bad things :)

[drschnaggels]

We are sick Phil. We are sick.

[FantasticBabblings]

Is there a doctor in the house?

[viddareff]

at last, you nailed it. for the most part, its brain fartage. with few exceptions.

[FantasticBabblings]

Sometimes my brain i pretty gassy.

[viddareff]

heh, but hey, just 'cause it feels good does NOT mean it should NOT be done

[Jaxcast]

Brain fart to mental masturbation and all points in between is a curse more than entertainment. Straw man arguments have left me wondering where the practical discussions have fled from Vloggerheads.

I am using VH as an example because of its recent history.

Old debates over quality vs quantity arise. I always enjoyed quality. Quantity has a range but seldom hitting the target.

Agree that preparation offers a greater impact. Reiterating the same point over an over has left me numb.

[Jaxcast]

rated video 5 stars

* rational points

* consolidating ideas

* no trolling maybe some phishing (lol)

[FantasticBabblings]

VH has become cliquy and frivolous. Most videos I see there hold my attention for about ten seconds before I click off. There are some exceptions, though. Maybe it will get better. It is new and has to go through its phases.

[DamianKarrasAAP]

I could not agree more. Though in truth, narcissistic drivel is all any of this is. It's essentially just self expression in different forms.

Occasionally, there are some very good discussions, with intelligence, candor and patience. More often than not, these things are absent.

I don't think getting noticed is always the point. Sometimes, getting noticed is the worst that can happen. Attention isn't what everyone is looking for.

[FantasticBabblings]

I think it is dangerous when getting noticed becomes the goal. There is certainly an element of narcissism in everything I post. It's good to see you. Been a long time.

[ashboxtoo]

I think since we live in an era that allows us to send and receive information instantly, it reduces the amount of time to respond to manipulation, or create attention that would be satisfactory to meet the goals of those who want it.

The problem IMO is people aren't patient enough to learn about things that don't immediately benefit them. So in order to capture any attention, fewer ideas are used to gain interest quickly in topics that require much more depth.

[FantasticBabblings]

Patience and time are key factors. I think there is also an element of addiction, like video poker or other repetitive patterns. Clicking to the next item becomes a conditioned response that overrides thoughtfulness.

[eswyatt]

I don't think it's McCain's strategy to paint Obama as a terrorist. I think he's trying to paint him as antiAmerican; a la John Kerry throwing away his medal. It's a dangerous strategy because it's whipping up the radical base of the Republican party, and THEY are calling him a terrorist explicitly. It makes McCain look like the leader of a mob when people yell out that Obama is a terrorist. McCain has lost control and is letting the extreme elements of his party run his campaign.

[FantasticBabblings]

I don't think McCain set out to do that, but he is letting it happen because he has run out of options. I used to have some respect for him. I hope he comes to his senses before he is completely debased. I am not confident, however.

[AnarchyBalsac]

Long overdue, I wondered why you hadn't posted one like this sooner. I figured you had to notice.

While I don't know all the answers myself, I know that in addition to what you said, a big chunk of it is due to socially inept people, many with serious mental problems, who can't function in real society.

Seriously, I mean where else would people like that go besides institutions, and the internet?

[FantasticBabblings]

I have had a hard time weighing in politically this season. I feel contaminated every time I approach the subject.

[geroldkid]

Extremists of all sides have taken over the spectrum of rational debate.

[DamianKarrasAAP]

Good call.

[FantasticBabblings]

I agree... but I would call it irrational debate.

[D4Shawn]

Bullshit is definitely popular (far more popular than legitimate knowledge/information/thought)­.

For a long time, I've been fascinated by people who manage to be hugely popular and really good at the same time (whether it's the Beatles, Duran Duran, or Nirvana [to use musical examples]). Because totally sucking is one of the keys to success, those who succeed (in terms of popularity) and yet don't totally suck are all the more fascinating.

[FantasticBabblings]

Yes, those who don't suck and manage to be popular are fascinating and worth some study. What is the quality that makes something so effective?

[cambridgee]

Wow. You nailed it. I have had the same thoughts as I have obsessed over the election.

I have so much to say about this but mainly I agree with the entire gist of your vid.

Except your conclusion.

More when I have time.

Dont give up yet.

Peace.

[FantasticBabblings]

I haven't given up. Just a little despair. But, I am a fan of Beckett. I'll go on.

[OhCurt]

SO true about the Pavlovian response! Too much rhetoric continues to drown out critical thinking.

In one of my history courses today we were discussing the 1964 presidential election, and how LBJ used Goldwater's remark about how any extreme action in the name of liberty was justified against him. A pivotal campaign ad showed a little girl blown up by an atomic bomb, claimed only LBJ could save us from such a fate, and suggested Goldwater would do us in.

Politics of fear.

1964.

[FantasticBabblings]

I remember that ad (I am so old). It ran only once on TV, but it made a huge impact.

[Strophanthus]

Well, in order to have enlightened discussion about ideas you need enlightened people with ideas.

ahahahahha I <3 the corn reference.

I definitely agree that people should be thinking more. The inundation with snippets of information would not be so dreadful if people examined the bias behind the information and really questioned it. But unfortunately it seems that when people hear something from a 'credible source' and gobble it up without considering it's value.

[FantasticBabblings]

It's hard determining what is a credible source. Some things are obviously not, but often the deeper I try to dig, the more conflicting information I find. And the rapidity of the feed of information has a mesmeric effect so that things tend to slip on through without much analysis. Nevertheless, there is enlightened discussion (corn) to be found :)

[p717]

I've resolved that the human race is 99% emotionally immature...probably more accurate to suggest that humans are psychologically malnourished...resulting in mild emotional retardation. The West, in particular..has been reared on an academic version of fast food (which isn't food).

[FantasticBabblings]

I agree with the fast food analogy. As for emotional maturity, it is evaporating.

[overmind25]

I have to agree but I think so far the positives have outweighed the negatives. I may be biased from my own experience because I feel I have learned a great deal more than I knew 2 years ago.

[Strophanthus]

I would second this sentiment, I think it is more an issue with the kinds of people using the medium than an irretrievable flaw in the medium itself.

[FantasticBabblings]

I have lots of information, but I'm not sure I am better informed.