D
Don Y
Guest
On 4/24/2022 8:54 PM, bitrex wrote:
I think *anyone* who allows themselves to be molly-coddled into an echo chamber
where they hear what they want to hear (gladly provided by sycophants) is in
danger of losing all capacity for independent reason -- you have to EXERCISE
that ability in order to retain it.
[The same is true of media consumers. If you\'re swallowing the pablum offered
without exercising any critical thought, you will quickly lose the ability to
distinguish reality from fantasy. And, those around you will see it (in you)
while you remain oblivious. Remember, YOU are the \"product\" that they are
marketing to their advertisers!]
[[I am naturally cynical. So, when I hear something that seems too convenient,
I immediately want to know, \"What\'s the catch? What AREN\'T you telling me??\"
Sometimes, this cynicism backfires. Some time ago, I noticed a sale for
\"30% off 6 bottles or more\" at a local grocery store (I am rarely in the liquor
department). \"What\'s the catch?\" Liquor has a LONG shelf life. I use liquers
by the *boatload* in my baking so 6 bottles is a SMALL purchase... \"No catch.
Most people aren\'t keen on dropping a few hundred dollars on spirits, that\'s
all.\" More recently, they have become \"25% off 6 bottles\" so the savings
aren\'t as great. But, I manage to stock up almost as often as they have the
sales!]]
The Good Ole Days in the US were largely a result of it being the sole standing
major economy coming out of WWII. You could make *crap* and there\'d be a
market for it! (cuz there were no other realistic suppliers, at scale, in a
world that was trying to rebuild).
This lead many \"old timers\" to think they were intrinsically valuable. And,
as a result, that they could rest on their laurels (instead of trying to
improve themselves). So, when the rest of the world moved forward, they
were able to benefit from those OTHER improvements -- before realizing that
THEY were no longer relevant.
[You\'ve been listening to your own opinion of yourself for so long that you
no longer are able to evaluate your own REAL \"worth\". You no more want
to hear that your skills are obsolete than Putin wants to hear that the
USSR is *gone* (and Russia likely following)]
But those reforms made it possible for OPEN societies to provide those
opportunities to their residents. YOU could own a McDonald\'s franchise!
Societies that want to keep you under their thumb aren\'t keen on letting
you succeed on your own merits (you may start \"getting ideas\"!)
It\'s been an \"interesting\" time to live: landing on the moon, watching The
Wall come down, the breakup of the USSR, technological advances, etc.
But, I suspect that can be said of many periods in history. (\"Hey,
did you hear about that guy, Attila? ...\")
I think *anyone* who allows themselves to be molly-coddled into an echo chamber
where they hear what they want to hear (gladly provided by sycophants) is in
danger of losing all capacity for independent reason -- you have to EXERCISE
that ability in order to retain it.
[The same is true of media consumers. If you\'re swallowing the pablum offered
without exercising any critical thought, you will quickly lose the ability to
distinguish reality from fantasy. And, those around you will see it (in you)
while you remain oblivious. Remember, YOU are the \"product\" that they are
marketing to their advertisers!]
[[I am naturally cynical. So, when I hear something that seems too convenient,
I immediately want to know, \"What\'s the catch? What AREN\'T you telling me??\"
Sometimes, this cynicism backfires. Some time ago, I noticed a sale for
\"30% off 6 bottles or more\" at a local grocery store (I am rarely in the liquor
department). \"What\'s the catch?\" Liquor has a LONG shelf life. I use liquers
by the *boatload* in my baking so 6 bottles is a SMALL purchase... \"No catch.
Most people aren\'t keen on dropping a few hundred dollars on spirits, that\'s
all.\" More recently, they have become \"25% off 6 bottles\" so the savings
aren\'t as great. But, I manage to stock up almost as often as they have the
sales!]]
The Good Ole Days in the US were largely a result of it being the sole standing
major economy coming out of WWII. You could make *crap* and there\'d be a
market for it! (cuz there were no other realistic suppliers, at scale, in a
world that was trying to rebuild).
This lead many \"old timers\" to think they were intrinsically valuable. And,
as a result, that they could rest on their laurels (instead of trying to
improve themselves). So, when the rest of the world moved forward, they
were able to benefit from those OTHER improvements -- before realizing that
THEY were no longer relevant.
[You\'ve been listening to your own opinion of yourself for so long that you
no longer are able to evaluate your own REAL \"worth\". You no more want
to hear that your skills are obsolete than Putin wants to hear that the
USSR is *gone* (and Russia likely following)]
But those reforms made it possible for OPEN societies to provide those
opportunities to their residents. YOU could own a McDonald\'s franchise!
Societies that want to keep you under their thumb aren\'t keen on letting
you succeed on your own merits (you may start \"getting ideas\"!)
It\'s been an \"interesting\" time to live: landing on the moon, watching The
Wall come down, the breakup of the USSR, technological advances, etc.
But, I suspect that can be said of many periods in history. (\"Hey,
did you hear about that guy, Attila? ...\")