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Old 04-23-2014, 06:11 PM
 
Location: Berwick, Penna.
16,214 posts, read 11,273,221 times
Reputation: 20827

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I'm sure I'll draw some heavy censure from some people for this, but I see the original post as symptomatic of the damage done by oversimplification, oversensitization, and a general resentment against the traditional culture of the "hard science" community by the more aggressive elements within feminism, and their peripheral allies.

More of our young men than ever are growing up primarily in single-parent, female-headed households, and spend the first years of their education in facilities where males in any position of authority are increasingly rare. Among the extremely politically correct, it's a crime of the first magnitude to point out that the only male present at the ill-fated Sandy Hook Elementary was a janitor.

And even that point doesn't address the fact that when all male authority figures are excluded, a Politically Correct consensus sets in, and Heaven help the boy, even those still aged in the single digits, who's viewed as "disruptive" -- medication, rather than common sense, is increasingly viewed -- and sold -- as the proper remedy.

I'll be the first to recognize that imbalances among gender lines in many occupations lead to a distorted view, and a distorted agenda, and from both sides of the issue. I don't doubt that many people advocating for greater participation in the sciences by women are sincere in their belief. But education, like so many other sectors of daily life, has been subjected to harsh, and not always well-grounded criticism by an alliance of certain special-interest groups, Big Media, and. most unsettling of all, -- Madison Avenue.

Junk Science sells -- particularly among that segment of the population with higher levels of discretionary spending. Hard Science is viewed as the not-very-"trendy" habitat of "geeks", and the overly-introverted losers the Pop Wisdom would have its Following believe they all become.

At the upper echelons, I really can't see this as too much of a threat; major advances, be they in science or entrepreneurship, still seem to originate with gifted individuals such as Jobs, Gates and Bezos, and the "think tanks" seem better geared toward adapting the basics to mass marketing. But I wonder whether today's First world will continue to hold its prominent position if the leaner and meaner rivals gain ground in the technological arena.

Last edited by 2nd trick op; 04-23-2014 at 07:05 PM..

 
Old 04-23-2014, 08:00 PM
 
Location: Tucson for awhile longer
8,869 posts, read 16,266,754 times
Reputation: 29229
There are a lot of people in this country who resist change. First and foremost, the science deniers. You want jet packs, home robots, and a cure for cancer? We won't even have a planet earth, as we know it, to live on if people don't get their heads in the game and accept that we have already done real, probably irreversible, damage to our world. But ... far, far easier to claim:

-It's impossible for stars to have formed from nebulae,
-Radiocarbon dating is a hoax,
-Adam and Eve were cavorting with dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden 6,000 years ago,
-Noah's flood caused the Ice Age,
-That same flood receding formed the Grand Canyon,
-There's no such thing as climate change,
-We'd be better off if we bombed countries we don't like "back to the stone age,"
-Etc., etc.

Too many people of the "first world," particularly Americans, seem to think that everything is a matter of opinion. There are no such things as scientific FACTS or rules of physics that we live by. They don't want to fund scientific research because they don't like to pay taxes. And if such education should occur outside their will, they don't have to believe the results. If they just plug up their ears and sing lalalalala, it will all go away. Heaven forbid anyone should be expected to inconvenience themselves by limiting the number of children they have, changing to alternate fuel sources, doing without frivolous things that harm the environment, or even recycling. They have their "freedom" and their God will look after them, so too bad for everyone else. Party on!

History has not always been a steady forward march to progress. Human kind has taken missteps before that have led to harder lives for everyone. We're taking another one of those now. Led by people who think they are the center of a universe of their own imagination and they owe nothing to the welfare of any other humans, let alone the earth itself. We'll be lucky if we remain stuck in the 1980s. It's better than some of the alternatives ... like the 1080s.
 
Old 04-23-2014, 08:55 PM
 
4,475 posts, read 6,664,732 times
Reputation: 6635
I think someone's been watching too many Jetsons episodes
 
Old 04-23-2014, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Sydney, Australia
11,645 posts, read 12,870,585 times
Reputation: 6369
You're talking about sci-fi stuff.

We won't see those appearing up until like the late 21st century or perhaps in 22nd century.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 12:54 AM
 
346 posts, read 643,701 times
Reputation: 610
I think life is quite different from even the early 1990s. The internet, email, and cell phones have changed our expectations for how we receive information and how we communicate.

One interesting example of a popular 1960s prediction that seemed to fall flat, only to reemerge with a vengeance was the video-phone. I remember it used to be a joke that in the 1960s, so many people predicted in 10-20 years, phone calls would be through a TV-like device. It was once an object of mockery, like the jet pack. Its only been in the last ten years that the right combination of technology and other factors has made this type of communication really take off.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 01:39 AM
 
Location: Ak-Rowdy, OH
1,522 posts, read 2,991,880 times
Reputation: 1152
I feel the same way frequently, particularly when watching TV shows from the 90s. Fashion has changed a little, hairstyles a little, but for being 20 years out almost everything looks the same (except for the occasional cordless phone with a metal antenna). It's really weird, I think. It seems like if you looked at 1954 to 1974 or 1974 to 1994 there would be much more visible changes than what we have from 1994 to 2014.

HOWEVER

The Internet and technology has changed so many things it's ridiculous. I can call across the country or the globe for free. I can watch movies or tv shows when I want - I never have to consult tv listings. I can take thousands of pictures virtually for free and I can see them as soon as I take them. Whether it is legal or not, anyone can download just about any music they want at any time for free or for next to nothing. I can find out most information at the drop of a hat that 20 years ago would have involved a lengthy trip to the library and I still wouldn't have had as good of information.

And on and on.

What's different from the other eras I mentioned is that there have been huge changes, but they are mostly intangible or nearly invisible. Physically things look pretty similar, though.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 03:24 AM
 
Location: North Carolina
1,764 posts, read 2,856,388 times
Reputation: 1900
I am from Generation X so grew up long before everyone had a computer or cell phone and I never saw a kid with a cell phone when they did come out*. The advances we've made in technology over the past century plus have been amazing!

Cojoined twins, who were once just expected to die because doctors didn't know how to separate them, are being successfully separated and surviving. Women are having multiple births at one time and surviving when birth used to be a major threat to baby and mom even with one baby. I am amazed every day how much society, as a whole, has come just in my lifetime. I'm even more amazed at watching the wonder on my children's faces about all they're learning about the world.



* I am a bit concerned about our overdependence on cell phones. It seems that many people are losing (or not gaining) the ability to interact socially with others in real time, face-to-face, and that's a scary precedent.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 03:31 AM
 
16,433 posts, read 22,136,737 times
Reputation: 9622
Feels like 60s to me. Go figure.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 04:14 AM
 
Location: Sol System
1,497 posts, read 3,340,682 times
Reputation: 1043
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl View Post
There are a lot of people in this country who resist change. First and foremost, the science deniers. You want jet packs, home robots, and a cure for cancer? We won't even have a planet earth, as we know it, to live on if people don't get their heads in the game and accept that we have already done real, probably irreversible, damage to our world. But ... far, far easier to claim:

-It's impossible for stars to have formed from nebulae,
-Radiocarbon dating is a hoax,
-Adam and Eve were cavorting with dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden 6,000 years ago,
-Noah's flood caused the Ice Age,
-That same flood receding formed the Grand Canyon,
-There's no such thing as climate change,
-We'd be better off if we bombed countries we don't like "back to the stone age,"
-Etc., etc.

Too many people of the "first world," particularly Americans, seem to think that everything is a matter of opinion. There are no such things as scientific FACTS or rules of physics that we live by. They don't want to fund scientific research because they don't like to pay taxes. And if such education should occur outside their will, they don't have to believe the results. If they just plug up their ears and sing lalalalala, it will all go away. Heaven forbid anyone should be expected to inconvenience themselves by limiting the number of children they have, changing to alternate fuel sources, doing without frivolous things that harm the environment, or even recycling. They have their "freedom" and their God will look after them, so too bad for everyone else. Party on!

History has not always been a steady forward march to progress. Human kind has taken missteps before that have led to harder lives for everyone. We're taking another one of those now. Led by people who think they are the center of a universe of their own imagination and they owe nothing to the welfare of any other humans, let alone the earth itself. We'll be lucky if we remain stuck in the 1980s. It's better than some of the alternatives ... like the 1080s.
I'm sure you are painfully aware a majority of persons in this political zone would prefer to watch some bull**** show about someone who wouldn't give them time of day passing on the street as opposed to gaining palpable useful knowledge. Like those fools in Indiana who have 16 kids , who believe it is a 'divine' mission to reproduce , with little thoughts on the long term repercussions. They refer to this as the 'land of the free' , which is fine , but lately , everyone seems to think that includes the freedom to be stupid. I was unable to rep you twice , you deserve more. Nowadays , any form of scientific advancement is largely frowned upon , and those who associate themselves with pursuit of science related endeavours are outcast as nerds , or sinners. Despite the technological advancements humanity has made , psychologically , we are but tribes in the jungle. I'd be surprised if we last 50 years the way things are now. Regarding opinions , I realize this is the epitome of irony , being on this forum , but it does seem that everyone has an opinion , even if the issue has absolutely nothing to do with them. It gets on my nerves sometimes , I recall a teacher in high school telling us to value opinions of others. I do , to the extent of family and friends provided it can be used constructively , and is not meant from spite or immaturity. Hell , leaving the house nowadays places one at risk of being surreptitiously recorded from afar. This **** is crazy , but eventually , it will come to a resounding end , hopefully through no fault of our own.
 
Old 04-24-2014, 05:47 AM
 
Location: Beautiful Rhode Island
9,245 posts, read 14,812,448 times
Reputation: 10264
Aspects of human achievement change at different rates.

In the past 50 years it's been the digital age with electronics evolving at high speed. Cars, due to the auto lobbyists and insistence on keeping fossil fuel run gasoline engines, are still decades out of date in terms of major evolution. Certain social "advances", like marriage falling out of fashion for the raising of children, have taken us backwards rather than forwards.

And just look at politics in the US- talk about backward momentum- Congress has ground to a halt. Not to mention that we're still fighting ground wars with foot soldiers in the 21st century. We still have evolutionists purging textbooks.

So change does not move in a direct forward line on all fronts and it's worth mentioning that even a lot of scientific advances have been serendipitous- like penicillin being discovered by accident.

On we go, two steps forward, three steps back. Right now we look like mad max with really powerful cell phones.
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