As our societies become increasingly intolerable and we grow angrier, more isolated, and more radicalized, the wealthy and powerful are betting on technology to remove humanity from the equation
Matt Johnson brilliant songwriter and founder of the underrated post-punk band “The The” Check out their official YouTube videos of their songs “Heartland” and the “Beat(en) Generation”
Heartland
Beneath the old iron bridges, across the Victorian parks
And all the frightened people running home before dark
Past the Saturday morning cinema that lies crumbling to the ground
And the piss stinking shopping center in the new side of town
I've come to smell the seasons change and watch the city
As the sun goes down again
Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over
This is the land where nothing changes
The land of red buses and blue blooded babies
This is the place, where pensioners are raped
And the hearts are being cut from the welfare state
Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey
Let the bums count their blessings while they count the money
So many people can't express what's on their minds
Nobody knows them and nobody ever will
Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen
And they can't get what they want then they're gonna get angry
Well it ain't written in the papers, but it's written on the walls
The way this country is divided to fall
So the cranes are moving on the skyline
Trying to knock down this town
But the stains on the heartland, can never be removed
From this country that's sick, sad, and confused
Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over
The ammunition's being passed and the lords been praised
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained
All the bankers gettin' sweaty beneath their white collars
And The Housemartins. Two eternal faves that spoke the truth... So funny you would reply with this— listened to the Beat(en) Generation repeatedly over last 4 yrs like an anthem for the times - but it’s been ceaselessly repeating down through the centuries in various forms too eh?
It strikes me how the audience in entertainment has become a character in the plot, with their own parts or responses, kind of like an RPG. Virtual reality is an example of that because it gives the viewer an individual experience that they can direct to an extent. Just like the fandoms demanding creators follow their script instead of having to accept and experience s that person’s art. I feel like fandoms are less about supporting a creator and their art, and more about liking a franchise or a stereotyped character; it’s less about respecting an artist’s independence and more about their ability to fulfill the demands of the customer. Maybe that’s why I’ve been disappointed with most of the movies released in the last few years.
"Thrusting humans into a machine so they might be distracted and leave behind secular affairs of power might alleviate the pesky issue of democracy, but it will never actually solve the very real problems of reality." Well said.
Thank you again, Jared. We desperately need to get a grip on this issue, and work to fix it. To me, this is one of the most troubling issues of our society. For generations, people have been retreating, gradually, but more and more as time passes, into their own tailored reality made up of recreation, sports, entertainment, religion, etc, to the point that they lose contact with their place in a democratic society, and increasingly view real political and social issues in the context of their tailored reality. Political and social issues lose their critical purpose in society, and are instead viewed as just another sports rivalry or superhero franchise. As i mentioned, we have been living in this worldview for generations, so long that we can't see the forest for the trees. We are nearly fully assimilated into our tailored reality, finding happiness in our servitude through our Soma induced bliss (ref. Brave New World), abandoning education, knowledge and participation in favor of our niche in the "machine" that we serve. Virtual reality is just the latest version of the drug that keeps us in line and serving the machine. How to wake up? How to unplug? We need to find out or surrender what remains of humanity to the Utopian machine.
Really like your ideas you’ve mentioned in past Bourbon Talks of reaching out to neighbors, friends, family etc and making conscious effort to strengthen and increase solidarity and dependability amongst your tribe, and wonder if this is big part of the remedy to combat atomization within American society?
The last four year’s success at divisions along all lines — regionally, generationally, politically etc, perpetrated by the right and foreign ops sock puppets online, seems like it would be well combatted by doing our best to re-establish more face to face relations and group activity.
If we could work at building local and regional networks of progressives which offset the advances of white supremacy groups and the top heavy financial discord that has so purposefully tried to divide us with our technological dependency, maybe we could heal these fractures.
As a Gen X-er, the stark contrast between palling around in the streets or gathering in yards, parks etc, in comparison to all of us hovering in front of computer screens is distressing. In person relations create stronger bonds which are less cursory and of greater quality in shared experiences etc and promote more thoughtful, caring interactions... imo.
Jared writes “ the wealthy and powerful are betting on technology to remove humanity from the equation” More support for his argument:
“Will the Robots Make Us Work: In warehouses, call centers, and other sectors, intelligent machines are managing humans, and they’re making work more stressful, grueling and dangerous”
Written by Josh Dzieza, Verge Website. Feb 27, 2020
“The robots are watching over hotel housekeepers telling them which room to clean and tracking how quickly they do it. They’re managing software developers, monitoring their clicks and scrolls and docking their pay if they work too slowly. They’re listening to call center workers, telling them what to say, how to say it, and keeping them constantly, maximally busy. While we’ve been watching the horizon for the self-driving trucks, perpetually five years away, the robots arrived in the form of the supervisor, the foreman, the middle management and they’re grinding workers into the ground”
“Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen” Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson brilliant songwriter and founder of the underrated post-punk band “The The” Check out their official YouTube videos of their songs “Heartland” and the “Beat(en) Generation”
Heartland
Beneath the old iron bridges, across the Victorian parks
And all the frightened people running home before dark
Past the Saturday morning cinema that lies crumbling to the ground
And the piss stinking shopping center in the new side of town
I've come to smell the seasons change and watch the city
As the sun goes down again
Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over
This is the land where nothing changes
The land of red buses and blue blooded babies
This is the place, where pensioners are raped
And the hearts are being cut from the welfare state
Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey
Let the bums count their blessings while they count the money
So many people can't express what's on their minds
Nobody knows them and nobody ever will
Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen
And they can't get what they want then they're gonna get angry
Well it ain't written in the papers, but it's written on the walls
The way this country is divided to fall
So the cranes are moving on the skyline
Trying to knock down this town
But the stains on the heartland, can never be removed
From this country that's sick, sad, and confused
Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over
The ammunition's being passed and the lords been praised
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained
All the bankers gettin' sweaty beneath their white collars
As the pound in our pocket turns into a dollar
This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.
This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.
This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.
WOW - i have to got to listen to this artist!!!
Wow. That's really good.
And The Housemartins. Two eternal faves that spoke the truth... So funny you would reply with this— listened to the Beat(en) Generation repeatedly over last 4 yrs like an anthem for the times - but it’s been ceaselessly repeating down through the centuries in various forms too eh?
It strikes me how the audience in entertainment has become a character in the plot, with their own parts or responses, kind of like an RPG. Virtual reality is an example of that because it gives the viewer an individual experience that they can direct to an extent. Just like the fandoms demanding creators follow their script instead of having to accept and experience s that person’s art. I feel like fandoms are less about supporting a creator and their art, and more about liking a franchise or a stereotyped character; it’s less about respecting an artist’s independence and more about their ability to fulfill the demands of the customer. Maybe that’s why I’ve been disappointed with most of the movies released in the last few years.
"Thrusting humans into a machine so they might be distracted and leave behind secular affairs of power might alleviate the pesky issue of democracy, but it will never actually solve the very real problems of reality." Well said.
Good Morning Everyone
Thank you again, Jared. We desperately need to get a grip on this issue, and work to fix it. To me, this is one of the most troubling issues of our society. For generations, people have been retreating, gradually, but more and more as time passes, into their own tailored reality made up of recreation, sports, entertainment, religion, etc, to the point that they lose contact with their place in a democratic society, and increasingly view real political and social issues in the context of their tailored reality. Political and social issues lose their critical purpose in society, and are instead viewed as just another sports rivalry or superhero franchise. As i mentioned, we have been living in this worldview for generations, so long that we can't see the forest for the trees. We are nearly fully assimilated into our tailored reality, finding happiness in our servitude through our Soma induced bliss (ref. Brave New World), abandoning education, knowledge and participation in favor of our niche in the "machine" that we serve. Virtual reality is just the latest version of the drug that keeps us in line and serving the machine. How to wake up? How to unplug? We need to find out or surrender what remains of humanity to the Utopian machine.
Really like your ideas you’ve mentioned in past Bourbon Talks of reaching out to neighbors, friends, family etc and making conscious effort to strengthen and increase solidarity and dependability amongst your tribe, and wonder if this is big part of the remedy to combat atomization within American society?
The last four year’s success at divisions along all lines — regionally, generationally, politically etc, perpetrated by the right and foreign ops sock puppets online, seems like it would be well combatted by doing our best to re-establish more face to face relations and group activity.
If we could work at building local and regional networks of progressives which offset the advances of white supremacy groups and the top heavy financial discord that has so purposefully tried to divide us with our technological dependency, maybe we could heal these fractures.
As a Gen X-er, the stark contrast between palling around in the streets or gathering in yards, parks etc, in comparison to all of us hovering in front of computer screens is distressing. In person relations create stronger bonds which are less cursory and of greater quality in shared experiences etc and promote more thoughtful, caring interactions... imo.
Jared writes “ the wealthy and powerful are betting on technology to remove humanity from the equation” More support for his argument:
“Will the Robots Make Us Work: In warehouses, call centers, and other sectors, intelligent machines are managing humans, and they’re making work more stressful, grueling and dangerous”
Written by Josh Dzieza, Verge Website. Feb 27, 2020
“The robots are watching over hotel housekeepers telling them which room to clean and tracking how quickly they do it. They’re managing software developers, monitoring their clicks and scrolls and docking their pay if they work too slowly. They’re listening to call center workers, telling them what to say, how to say it, and keeping them constantly, maximally busy. While we’ve been watching the horizon for the self-driving trucks, perpetually five years away, the robots arrived in the form of the supervisor, the foreman, the middle management and they’re grinding workers into the ground”
“Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen” Matt Johnson
😭