Collective stupidity

[Ontarian1981 10]

Of course the information is out there but it is hidden behind all the nonsense that is being fed to us.

 

I was at a pub quiz the other week and the team at the next table were 5 or six people aged between 20 and 30. In the news section of the quiz none of them knew who the Brexit secretary was, who the French president was or which social media giant had just been fined for data breaches. They did however know who was in the final of Love Island and what book had been given to Prince George as a christening present.

 

These were all people who had received a first world education but didn't seem to be interested in anything but fluff!

 

I bet the one's at the next table were all gals, going by what they excelled in lol.

[tinfoilhat 11]

Of course the information is out there but it is hidden behind all the nonsense that is being fed to us.

 

I was at a pub quiz the other week and the team at the next table were 5 or six people aged between 20 and 30. In the news section of the quiz none of them knew who the Brexit secretary was, who the French president was or which social media giant had just been fined for data breaches. They did however know who was in the final of Love Island and what book had been given to Prince George as a christening present.

 

These were all people who had received a first world education but didn't seem to be interested in anything but fluff!

 

Now there's a sign you're getting old

[Top Cats Hat 10]

Now there's a sign you're getting old

 

Well yes and no.

 

One of our team members knew all the current affairs questions and had never even heard of Love Island.

 

She is 18 lol

[Anna B 1,414]

It's not so much collective stupidity as living in a world where what we know is largely controlled by those with the power, who have a vested interest profiting from production of stuff that we mostly don't need.

 

When we do start to get a glimpse of the dangers of this, we are bought off with promises of more shiny things we can have.

 

We all acquiesce to this.

 

I have to agree with you. It's a shame but the world will be all but destroyed by a few very powerful and greedy psychopaths.

 

I disagree that we all acquiesce to it, some of us feel very strongly about it, but it's more a case of what can we, as individuals, do about it? We really are powerless, it has to be solved at a world government level, and I can't see that happening.

 

However we have some real shocks coming just around the corner. Maybe that will jolt us/them into the realisation that we can't just carry on as we are.

[TimmyR 10]

I want to feel like I'm doing something but I feel like some have mentioned above, helpless against it. I also don't want to be labelled as a tree hugger/lefty/whatever. I don't think solving climate change is a "lefty" concept any more. Its just something we have to do, otherwise everyone will suffer.

 

I bet if you interviewed people there'd be plenty who would be willing to make changes to their lives, if they thought it was what everyone else was doing. That is the issue, taking your recycling out or turning a light off feels pointless - and really it largely is. What we really need is to take the power away from the few mega rich people who have a disproportionately vast impact on the environment by shaping government policy and generally allowing their mega companies to do **** all to solve the problem. Surely with enough of a movement of people we could start to make a difference. We just need to find a way of getting everyone to unite behind something.

 

I can't subscribe to this "we're doomed so just enjoy it while you can" philosophy. Surely something about our society is worth fighting for.

Edited August 8, 2018 by TimmyR

[Anna B 1,414]

I want to feel like I'm doing something but I feel like some have mentioned above, helpless against it. I also don't want to be labelled as a tree hugger/lefty/whatever. I don't think solving climate change is a "lefty" concept any more. Its just something we have to do, otherwise everyone will suffer.

 

I bet if you interviewed people there'd be plenty who would be willing to make changes to their lives, if they thought it was what everyone else was doing. That is the issue, taking your recycling out or turning a light off feels pointless - and really it largely is. What we really need is to take the power away from the few mega rich people who have a disproportionately vast impact on the environment by shaping government policy and generally allowing their mega companies to do **** all to solve the problem. Surely with enough of a movement of people we could start to make a difference. We just need to find a way of getting everyone to unite behind something.

 

I can't subscribe to this "we're doomed so just enjoy it while you can" philosophy. Surely something about our society is worth fighting for.

 

I agree. Be proud to be called a tree hugger etc. it will take it out of political factionism.

 

We really need a lot more long term, cross party planning in all areas, and less 'opposition' politics. This is something which desperately needs people (parties) to work together and come up with some radical thinking.

 

As with all things radical, it will take some selling to get everyone on the same page. We don't need people trying to undermine it for the sake of scoring political points.

[tinfoilhat 11]

I want to feel like I'm doing something but I feel like some have mentioned above, helpless against it. I also don't want to be labelled as a tree hugger/lefty/whatever. I don't think solving climate change is a "lefty" concept any more. Its just something we have to do, otherwise everyone will suffer.

 

I bet if you interviewed people there'd be plenty who would be willing to make changes to their lives, if they thought it was what everyone else was doing. That is the issue, taking your recycling out or turning a light off feels pointless - and really it largely is. What we really need is to take the power away from the few mega rich people who have a disproportionately vast impact on the environment by shaping government policy and generally allowing their mega companies to do **** all to solve the problem. Surely with enough of a movement of people we could start to make a difference. We just need to find a way of getting everyone to unite behind something.

 

I can't subscribe to this "we're doomed so just enjoy it while you can" philosophy. Surely something about our society is worth fighting for.

 

You could interview someone but if midway through the interview someone interrupted them and started talking about love island/brexit/football - you've lost them.

 

People are comfortable, we aren't wrestling each other in the street for a can of beans. We are going to remain so for a while. Until the world has something catastrophic happen to it (and by "world" I mean the developed world) nothing will ever change for the better. You can't tell the developing world to watch it's carbon emissions or stop shooting rhinos because we did both for years. It will take a catastrophic global event that shaves off - at least - 10% of the population to make it happen.

 

If you want to see how it could work, dig out Utopia - it was on channel 4 a few years back

[Cyclone 10]

Its not a problem, technology is moving along at a terrific pace...in ,say, 50yrs we will have colonised the moon, maybe Mars, in 1000yrs we will have expanded to other places in the universe....

 

We haven't even set foot on the moon in the last 45 years, so it seems highly unlikely that we'll be colonising it in another 50. It will be a wonder if we've even got a single human to Mars in that time, I seriously doubt it.

[ads36 217]

Padders

in ,say, 50yrs we will have colonised the moon, maybe Mars, in 1000yrs we will have expanded to other places in the universe....

 

A) who's going to move to the moon?!

 

we can't even persuade people to move to Barnsley.

 

and Barnsley's nice.

 

B) how would that even help?

[Top Cats Hat 10]

A) who's going to move to the moon?!

 

we can't even persuade people to move to Barnsley.

 

and Barnsley's nice.

 

B) how would that even help?

 

And if people do want to move 'off planet' to escape environmental meltdown, it won't be the likes of you and me that are first in the rocket ships it will be those with a bit of brass in their pockets.

[Anna B 1,414]

An awful ot of this hinges on equality and sharing resources equitably across the globe.

 

That's not going to go down well with some...

[petemcewan 27]

TimmyR

 

The stupidity lies in the thinking that "Market Capitalism" will provide solutions -within the framework of making profit- to Global Warming.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the ironies of carbon markets, though, is that you don't really have to care about climate change to contribute towards tackling the issue. The market, in theory at least, allows you do it while making money.

 

Check out the link if you have time.

 

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/climate-capitalism/conclusions/649630D583802596DCB3109DCC0848F6

Edited August 8, 2018 by petemcewan