Red
Well-Known Member
Methinks I do protest too much. About Trump that is. But, this is not another Trump thread really. Despite the fact that some folks here apparently see me as a bash-Trump-leftist-run-amuck, in all honestly, while my bias is clearly as anti-Trump as it can get(heck, if he enacts his anti-science climate agenda, I will interpret that as crimes against humanity without hesitation), on a personal motive level, I'm trying to look at recent years as a social scientist would. I just want to know how we arrived at this point in history. I want to stand outside my own culture, my own society, and see it as if I were not a part of it. Because I think that's how you gain fresh perspective. It's an impossible task when you come down to it. But sometimes I look at it this way: I'm a visitor from another planet and I'm observing this society and culture. What do I see? If you had spent much of your life looking at the world through the eyes of social science, you might be as mesmerized by Trump and Trumpism as I am. But I've never attempted to hide my bias at all.
It does bother me a tad that I will be seen as just a Trump basher, as somebody who's completely over the top and blind to his own bias. It bothers me because I do believe I've made every effort to add links and thoughts that will actually help others better understand the era in which we live. Writing helps me better understand. And I sincerely hope that links I've added ever since Trump emerged have in fact helped people understand better.
With that in mind, I came across a couple of articles recently that might in fact help us understand what exactly has changed in American society over the last several decades that can help us understand where we are. This was an eye opener to me, and because it seemed to offer that kind of detached perspective that I always am looking for, that ability to see the present circumstances of my society and culture as if I were a visitor from another planet, I thought this sounded like interesting food for thought in that respect. So, I've yet to explore this to any detailed degree. I've yet to read the book in question in fact. I have read both "1984" and "Brave New World", but not in decades.
That said, since many are quick to reference "1984" as some kind of prescient template describing our present circumstances, I found the suggestion that "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley might be more prescient then Orwell an interesting idea that might be worth exploring if it shed light on changes in our society over recent decades.
So, I am posting this for those who enjoy delving into stuff like this, those who might be looking for the same broadest perspective as possible as I am. So, you don't have to see this as still another anti-Trump thread, because I myself don't believe it is. It's offered for its potential educational value. And I freely admit, I'm just being introduced to these thoughts myself.....
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2...ves-to-death-neil-postman-trump-orwell-huxley
https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...ostman-predict-the-rise-of-trump-and-fak.html
It does bother me a tad that I will be seen as just a Trump basher, as somebody who's completely over the top and blind to his own bias. It bothers me because I do believe I've made every effort to add links and thoughts that will actually help others better understand the era in which we live. Writing helps me better understand. And I sincerely hope that links I've added ever since Trump emerged have in fact helped people understand better.
With that in mind, I came across a couple of articles recently that might in fact help us understand what exactly has changed in American society over the last several decades that can help us understand where we are. This was an eye opener to me, and because it seemed to offer that kind of detached perspective that I always am looking for, that ability to see the present circumstances of my society and culture as if I were a visitor from another planet, I thought this sounded like interesting food for thought in that respect. So, I've yet to explore this to any detailed degree. I've yet to read the book in question in fact. I have read both "1984" and "Brave New World", but not in decades.
That said, since many are quick to reference "1984" as some kind of prescient template describing our present circumstances, I found the suggestion that "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley might be more prescient then Orwell an interesting idea that might be worth exploring if it shed light on changes in our society over recent decades.
So, I am posting this for those who enjoy delving into stuff like this, those who might be looking for the same broadest perspective as possible as I am. So, you don't have to see this as still another anti-Trump thread, because I myself don't believe it is. It's offered for its potential educational value. And I freely admit, I'm just being introduced to these thoughts myself.....
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2...ves-to-death-neil-postman-trump-orwell-huxley
https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...ostman-predict-the-rise-of-trump-and-fak.html
