Safety in "Shtick"
Sometimes I think the current administration of China may have a point; time-travel and its cousins may be harmful to their society. But then I remember that I live in a different society. So I welcome time-travel programs — to a point.
So why won’t I probably buy-in the latest time-travel series?
Is the time-travel shtick simply a way to save the writing staff some words? After all, “Laziness” can be re-defined to mean, ”Efficiency” and almost nobody notices, right?
But ‘almost’ is not the same as ‘none.’ And that matters, at least to me.
So a different world is probably the safest to write about; you would think. But maybe not.
Instead, how about being honest to yourself. Because if your words matter enough, and your words are strong enough, and your rhythm gets enough people to hum along, forget the whole ‘safety’ thing. It isn’t safe. And it may lose you some friends.
You might even be lampooned by something as sophomoric — and brilliant — as “The Great Phatsby” (The Simpsons — SE28Ep12).
...
(this is also published at dkos in the "Write On" group - nice people. so tell them they are welcome here at caucus99percent too)
Comments
We are probably in the matrix
Technology is approaching the capacity to simulate virtual reality on a large scale. In 100 or 1000 years, that capacity will have grown exponentially. Some say that we are living in the year 3017, in a virtual simulation of the year 2017.
-OR-
Either mankind will become extinct before we invent time travel, or else we will one day invent time travel and travel back to the current time.
And this actually comes from Bank of America
http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-thinks-theres-a-50-chance...
“He may not have gotten the words out but the thoughts were great.”
@bondibox
Look at the rest of the speculative fiction such typically shielded-by-wealth characters use as philosophy, to 'justify' even large-scale callous and destructive selfishness, for example...
And even the idea that it's OK to destroy the natural world because the planned ultrawealthy survivors can still pretend to be in it as a virtual reality to evade the resultant future real grim reality and the constant worrying about a longer glitch in or complete collapse next time of the artificial life support system after the next bunker-cracking earthquake on the new and oxygen-free all-toxic Earth currently being created for the sake of immense profits for the few voluntarily doomed - due to their own faulty world-view and planning to survive to suffer this due to pathological greed on their own part and that of companies like Google selling virtual reality and even the fantasy of a nightmarish eternal unliving 'better than human' mechanical 'life' - without human joys and pleasures except within a fantasy world - for the very few of the very richest paired with disastrous societal and ecological breakdown eliminating the living?
Those - such as the Bush Admin and the Clinton's - have deluded themselves into believing that appearances are all that matter, while reality can be whatever they choose to claim or believe that it might be.
In any event, people preferring the concept of detaching from RL and living in a speculative fictional novel and who choose not to ever live in reality have self-defined themselves as insane.
So appropriate that Muse's Resistance was playing as I wrote this...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Hi jabney,
I’m not sure I understand what you’re writing is saying, but it sounds to me a little like, “make of it what you will”. Since I have just been thinking about time, and what it means (really, if it has any concrete meaning at all), I enjoyed this writing.
I also enjoy the writings and perspective on life and books of the Readers and Writers Book Lover people at DKos, so I am also happy to read of your encouragement.
Now I’ll look for “The Great Phatsby” (The Simpsons — SE28Ep12) to watch. Maybe then I‘ll understand better. Thanks for your essay here.
It doesn't look like I can see the episode
So I guess I'll just have to remain in the dark, ages of time.
The Great Phatsby
Try "view.yahoo.com" and find "Recent Episodes." Click on that and start looking. It's one of those semi-hidden areas, I think that's because Hulu would prefer that you send them money. But it's there, (on my computer it's already down by 25 rows) and it's free and legal.
Send me a note if that doesn't work for you.
best, john
Strange that a harp of thousand strings should keep in tune so long
I found it, but it won't stream outside the US,
and I'm in New Zealand. Thanks anyway.
I think I'll leave the welcome to caucus99 to you.
As much as I would enjoy their contributions here, they are quite a tight group at DKos who probably know about this place, but are more comfortable there after years of sharing that space.
@janis b Sorry about that.
Sorry about that. Soon, perhaps. And at least you have a lot of beautiful scenery (so I've heard).
best, john
Strange that a harp of thousand strings should keep in tune so long