We have a very individualistic, survival-of-the-fittest culture that also distrusts authority. In our short history, we have also been given numerous reasons to distrust authority so that even progressives/leftists/whatever can lean towards self-arming even if logically the idea of taking down the U.S. military with a home arsenal is non-sensical.
Just riffing but I feel like countries with longer histories have more developed senses of "community provides safety" than the U.S. and whatever small amount of that we have is continually degraded by our news media, politicians, and advertising. We are more likely to try to augment our individual power than think about collective safety.
Feb 15, 2024
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i think it’s paired with anti-intellectualism - we’re getting to a place where nearly everyone wants immediate gratification so they need a constant stream of consumption. i think this is particularly true in capitalist countries and in the west. i do think superficial interests in culture by the masses are the historical norm, partly bc historically that media was often the most accessible, but i think, combined, the internet and trends changing so rapidly nowadays has exacerbated the issue. everything is cheapened, there’s little respect for craft or appreciation of Doing.
many people want everything fast fast fast, so it’s tiktok instead of movies, AI summaries instead of books, chatgpt instead of research (or simply google), fast fashion to keep up with trends, etc. many of us are privileged enough to be able to access an impossible amount of information through the internet and yet so many people are simply using that resource to mindlessly consume whatever content.
also, with the internet i feel we’ve lost subcultures’ uniqueness because it’s easier to find them - you can quickly learn about the symbolic aspects of basically any subculture and adopt those (ie fashions, slang, media) without having a personal relationship with whatever community it is. which basically means (tongue-in-cheek) we’re in a poser renaissance.
i think as living conditions gets worse for most people, there’s a lower ability to think as clearly and increased desire to escape, so most of the people who can live so mindlessly, do it.
plus throw in the American dream (which i think is just the myth of success that exists in all capitalist societies) and there’s this other group of people who prioritize “hustle culture” or whatever and that takes up time they could’ve used to really engage with art, film, reading, etc (alienation as the other Marx once said lol). which is its own unique depreciation of art and scholarship!
in his essay on ur-fascism, umberto eco notes the opposition to most artistic and intellectual pursuits as an aspect of fascism (which we can observe in the right-wing movements of many countries today), in part that, to fascists “thinking is a form of emasculation. Therefore culture is suspect insofar as it is identified with critical attitudes.”
4d ago
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We love looking backwards to try to get in touch with ourselves, our history, traditional ways of doing things. I think this is a noble pursuit but the pace of cycling through eras in the trend cycle for example has grown increasingly rapid to the point that it feels like we’re endlessly regurgitating everything all at once, without context.
Rediscovering the past can look like going back to pre-industrial ways of living which is a beautiful thing to strive toward. In a lot of ways, we’ve also abandoned a lot of traditional ways of doing things in favor of methods that are easier, faster, and simpler, not necessarily better.
On the other hand, one of the three essential elements to fascism identified by Jason Stanley is invoking a mythic past to manufacture nostalgia for a more traditional, patriarchal, and racially pure past, which is I think what we’re seeing with a lot of people who romanticize 1950s Americana as some kind of utopian traditional society.
Carl Sagan said:
“In general, human societies are not innovative. They are hierarchical and ritualistic. Suggestions for change are greeted with suspicion: they imply an unpleasant future variation in ritual and hierarchy: an exchange of one set of rituals for another, or perhaps for a less structured society with fewer rituals. And yet there are times when societies must change.”
“As a consequence of the enormous social and technological changes of the last few centuries, the world is not working well. We do not live in traditional and static societies. But our government, in resisting change, act as if we did. Unless we destroy ourselves utterly, the future belongs to those societies that, while not ignoring the reptilian and mammalian parts of our being, enable the characteristically human components of our nature to flourish; to those societies that encourage diversity rather than conformity; to those societies willing to invest resources in a variety of social, political, economic and cultural experiments, and prepared to sacrifice short-term advantage for long-term benefit; to those societies that treat new ideas as delicate, fragile and immensely valuable pathways to the future.”
So I think we need forward-thinking transformational change, though it may not be as comfortable as nostalgia…
Jan 15, 2025
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why are conspiracy theories such an american phenomemon? how have they become connected with politics? where did the leftist countercultural side diverge and turn into the right wing conspiracy phenomenon? working on writing something and i'd love help processing thoughts
Mar 3, 2025
Top Recs from @videotapezzzz
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When I stopped thinking about "fixing my life" and "getting disciplined" and started focusing on how nice I would feel in my clean room, how calm I would feel if I maintained my calendar, and how good I would feel eating 3 healthy meals, it became much easier. It feels like you are indulging in the good stuff rather than punishing yourself with it.
Feb 16, 2024
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For the past few weeks... months? I've been having
Two fried eggs in corn tortillas with chipotle hot sauce
Korean bbq style pork and rice
A spinach and fruit smoothie with protein powder and collagen
Rice Krispie treats or a handle full of chocolate chips.
I'll double up, I'll mix the order around, and I'll have chocolate chips for breakfast. But it's mostly these same foods over and over. I always found repetitive eating a little weird but here I am. One part of me knows I am a little depressed, but the other part loves to have at least one familiar and totally brain-free part of my life.
Jan 26, 2024
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bump of dopamine when I look at it, never lose my phone, phone protected, feels like a part of my identity
Mar 19, 2024