AccuTron Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 I live in a Highly Groovy City, where critical thinking skills are, how should I say, at a minimum. I just talked to a neighbor defiantly try to explain that the rule of significant digits in math doesn't really exist or matter. It has left me shaken. Alas, I'm not surprised, but ya' just keep hoping for a sound mind.... Recently I stumbled upon an interview with George Carlin in his older years. (Don't have link.) He was asked how he mentally managed, being aware of endless corruption and stupidity. Carlin's reply was that he chose to just be a spectator (his word), more or less in awe (my words) of the total circus. I'm thinking there's something to this. What do you think?
dsayers Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Here is a scan of the preface from one of his books. I believe it was called Brain Droppings. I scanned it and shared it because I found a lot of meaning in it about a decade ago. Carlin was a smart man, but alot of the things he got right were by accident. He wasn't expressly philosophical, so he got some things wrong also. It might be easy to chalk it up to editorializing for comedic purpose, but his mid to late career was significantly focused, practiced, and intentional, so I would discard such a consideration. The context in which he used the word spectator wasn't just distancing himself from the corrupt, but it was also defeatist. It was him sort of giving up and I identified with this, which is why I now consider it a dangerous, and indeed irresponsible thing to say to an audience of any size. When we see corruption, there's a reason for it. It's not the end of the story, but a midpoint. If he had used the word spectator in the context of being observant and curious, he might've been open to the possibility that we'll be able to make use of the information to make corrections and improve the future. Carlin grew up on the streets of New York where he had little parental supervision and hung out with friends who had the whole NYC macho "be a man" thing going on. In this way, he normalized whatever abuse he suffered (if "only" neglect) and actually wore it as a point of pride. I looked up to him for a while. He was the first person that convinced me to question everything I was taught about religion (by example). He was anti-establishment, including refusing to provide ID to the police when he was detained one of the nights Lenny Bruce was hauled away for obscenity. He spoke out against the FCC, citing its unconstitutionality. There's lots of reasons to admire the man and his views. But like I said, he didn't arrive at those conclusion by principles.
Wuzzums Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 I know that feeling. Mankind is probably the most entertaining show in the cosmos, but it sucks that you have to be a part of it.
AccuTron Posted March 27, 2014 Author Posted March 27, 2014 Wuzzums, great line. Oddly grounding. Man in pink bunny suit: Very good points. Right now, I'm still exhausted after a conversation that....arrgh, making pirate sounds, don't get me started again. A large amount of pizza might help, but over the longer haul, I feel like I just have to pull out of the metaphorical river of political life, fighting it, and just rest on the riverbank and stare at the flow of nonsense and crime. I'll continue to make attempts at truth, but it's discouraging. I need to be more a spectator or I'll be damaged. I see the danger of defeatism, but also of simply being defeated.
jpahmad Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 I don't understand, you guys are acting like you've tried everything and there is nothing else do. Is this correct? Why the pity party?
Mike Fleming Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 I don't think it is people giving up. I think that if you want to change the world and you get all fired up about it and really want it to happen that you will end up just burnt out. No one person can change the world. We can all make our own contributions and I think that's what people are trying to say. When it comes to the corruption of government's, well, to me countries are just cults and I have as little interest in them as I do what are officially regarded as cults by most people. For myself, I am not a spectator because frankly it is a show that I just don't like watching. I largely deliberately avoid political news as much as you possibly can in a statist society. Don't read newspapers. Don't watch TV. The corrupt people are largely non-entities that I have little awareness of. I am trying to bring them down indirectly by bringing down the state by talking to people about why we should abolish government. I have no interest in the specifics of what they are actually doing because it is a disgusting thing to look at and I prefer to think nice thoughts rather than just to get angry and frustrated. Life is too short.
jpahmad Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Yes, just try to influence one or two people. That's really all you can do. Change one person's thought process; that is a success. If we all did that, free-thinking people would double in size. We could grow exponentially at that that rate!
AccuTron Posted March 27, 2014 Author Posted March 27, 2014 Mike, you are right about burn out. It's a learning curve, to know what can be done. As jpahmad said, it's about one or two people at a time, if we're lucky. I sometimes think that WW2 was fought one bullet, one building, at a time. Can't really act beyond that.
dsayers Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Old sailing advice: One hand for the boat, one for yourself. Nothing you could do for the boat makes a difference if you're tossed overboard.
AccuTron Posted March 28, 2014 Author Posted March 28, 2014 Old sailing advice: One hand for the boat, one for yourself. Nothing you could do for the boat makes a difference if you're tossed overboard. Good one. Helps plot the course as it were.
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