Kill the Culture and Burn the Pulpit Part 2: Cultural Change

[Adios]

I am not condenscending to you. I just understand that as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts that you are running into brick walls.

Honestly I would love to be proven wrong.

I think you misunderstood him completely.

Enlighten me please.

[Cain]

as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts

So, until another European economy flatlines and takes down the entire global system with it?

I give it until Christmas.

[Adios]

related post from Chaos Marxism: http://chaosmarxism.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-war-between-rich-and-poor-war.html

Interesting but not sure if I agree. I have more faith in the power of individuals than in mankind as a group.

To be young and idealistic again. Damn I miss those days.

Not sure how that qualifies as idealism.

How much faith do you have in individuals Dok?

[Doktor Howl]

I am not condenscending to you. I just understand that as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts that you are running into brick walls.

Honestly I would love to be proven wrong.

I think you misunderstood him completely.

Enlighten me please.

He says he has more faith in individuals than in the mass of humanity.

Please demonstrate the error in the statement:  "Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

[Adios]

as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts

So, until another European economy flatlines and takes down the entire global system with it?

I give it until Christmas.

Now here you may have an excellent point.

[Doktor Howl]

related post from Chaos Marxism: http://chaosmarxism.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-war-between-rich-and-poor-war.html

Interesting but not sure if I agree. I have more faith in the power of individuals than in mankind as a group.

To be young and idealistic again. Damn I miss those days.

Not sure how that qualifies as idealism.

How much faith do you have in individuals Dok?

Quite a bit, depending on the individuals in question.

I have precisely zero faith in mankind as a group.

[Adios]

I am not condenscending to you. I just understand that as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts that you are running into brick walls.

Honestly I would love to be proven wrong.

I think you misunderstood him completely.

Enlighten me please.

He says he has more faith in individuals than in the mass of humanity.

Please demonstrate the error in the statement:  "Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

Ok, I see the statement, it's just that I have no faith in people. Unless like Cain said they lose all their comforts and find themselves in the streets.

[Doktor Howl]

I am not condenscending to you. I just understand that as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts that you are running into brick walls.

Honestly I would love to be proven wrong.

I think you misunderstood him completely.

Enlighten me please.

He says he has more faith in individuals than in the mass of humanity.

Please demonstrate the error in the statement:  "Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

Ok, I see the statement, it's just that I have no faith in people. Unless like Cain said they lose all their comforts and find themselves in the streets.

Oh, okay.  Then it's doom and gloom and hopelessness and we all die in the dark and the cold.

Glad we got that sorted out.  Let's all drive into bridge abuttments now.

[Adios]

I am not condenscending to you. I just understand that as long as people (especially Americans) have their flat screen televisions and their comforts that you are running into brick walls.

Honestly I would love to be proven wrong.

I think you misunderstood him completely.

Enlighten me please.

He says he has more faith in individuals than in the mass of humanity.

Please demonstrate the error in the statement:  "Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

Ok, I see the statement, it's just that I have no faith in people. Unless like Cain said they lose all their comforts and find themselves in the streets.

Oh, okay.  Then it's doom and gloom and hopelessness and we all die in the dark and the cold.

Glad we got that sorted out.  Let's all drive into bridge abuttments now.

And miss the show? Not a chance. Besides I really do want to be proven wrong.

Seeing 1 billion people stand up together ans say Enough! would make me the happiest person in the world.

[Doktor Howl]

I thought we were talking about individuals.

[Adios]

I thought we were talking about individuals.

We are. How many individuals would be required to effectively change things?

[The Wizard]

"Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

That's pretty much what I believe. On and individual basis, more often than not, people are more or less okay. But when they get into groups, they get stupid and mean.

I believe that humanity as a whole has a lot of potential, but needs to grow up to achieve it. Right now, as a whole we're stupid and self destructive. I want to try and change that, if I can. It may be that there is little we can do to try and change humanity, but as long as I can try and still enjoy it, I'll keep going.

[The Wizard]

We are. How many individuals would be required to effectively change things?

Oftentimes a shitload. But occasionally only one. It varies, from what I've read.

[Doktor Howl]

I thought we were talking about individuals.

We are. How many individuals would be required to effectively change things?

Depends.  In the civil rights movement, it took about 200 leaders.  Out of 280,000,000 people.  So 1 in 1,400,000.

[Doktor Howl]

"Individuals are more likely to do the right/smart thing than is the vast majority of humans taken as a whole."

That's pretty much what I believe. On and individual basis, more often than not, people are more or less okay. But when they get into groups, they get stupid and mean.

The psychology is pretty well known.  Primate behavior changes as you add monkeys, and the big changes happen (for whatever reason) in multiples of 8.