4 ms·

https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video

by def- 9y ago

adrianratnapala 9y ago
Thanks. And I gotta love America, where professorial lectures are accomapnied by the national anthem and a military flag ceremony!
- tr1ck5t3r 9y ago
  Why? You are born into a system when you get to vote every few years but quite often change is only effected with violence of sorts. How is that a democracy? What laws have you agreed too, what laws have you changed and why? At least business contracts are more democratic as is capitalism because you can effect you vote by giving your business if in a position to make a choice not dictated by a lack of funds along with enough knowledge to make an informed decision. Considering fake news how can people even make an informed decision with what little time they have when not working to sustain the system which many can very as repressive some or all of the time?
- truxus 9y ago
  Well you don't become the largest democracy in the world by baking pies...
  - c3534l 9y ago
    Are you saying the famed American apple pie hasn't been a major contributor to America's success?!
  - waqf 9y ago
    *samosas
  - madez 9y ago
    How is large good in a democracy? Are the Netherlands worse because they are small?
  - walterstucco 9y ago
    It's not even the largest By population EU is larger than US It's not even the oldest, probably Iceland is, its parliament was formed in 930 by Vikings.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago
  That is because America is not bound together by ethnicity or origin. We are not Americans because our ancestors have always lived in this place. What binds us together as Americans is the flag and patriotism. The flag and patriotism are supposed to transcend political boundaries. I for one think we as Americans need to emphasize what unites us and the flag and national anthem are two such things.
  - alansammarone 9y ago
    Maybe uniting with humans in general is also a reasonable option.
  - throwamilesaway 9y ago
    What you're describing as patriotism sounds like faith. Your flag is analogous to a cross or a star. Your national anthem sounds like prayers. Countries come across as religions. I digress. It seems that democracy has been hacked many times over history (thanks OPs for all the links). Honestly, what would be a feasible alternative? PS: Please do not bring up transparency; more of it won't solve it, we're being socially engineered at large scale.
  - nine_k 9y ago
    I'd say Constitution and the ideals behind it. A big part of the "American Dream" is that you don't have to be of particular ethnicity; you have to play by some rules, and you have a chance to make it big.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      For better or worse, the flag and anthem are representatives of the ideals and the Constitution. We are pretty nationalistic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself.
    - JamesLeonis 9y ago
      You are correct. We are heavily inspired my Enlightenment philosophy, especially Hobbesian Social Contract theory. The Constitution is our Social Contract.
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  This is a Jefferson Lecture, "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities." It happens once a year.
octaveguin 9y ago
That lecture has a 20 minute introduction. A long meandering of thanking and praising various funding organizations and people. A great example of what's wrong with modern academia.
- Spooky23 9y ago
  That’s nothing. When I was an intern acting as an AV monkey we ran into all sorts of crazy stuff. Sucking up to people who give you money is an art form present in all forms of business.
- katastic 9y ago
  I see nothing terrible with people wanting to make a big deal out of handing you (tens?) of millions of dollars and getting thanked. If this was Hollywood, instead of a ceremony, there'd be a "casting couch." The only real issue is whether you can search for, and publish results that are the opposite of the hand that feeds. And as Google recently proved, that is a problem. What seems like you're actually annoyed by, is having to wade through comments and content that were never intended for you. (Pro-tip: Skip ahead.) I mean, should we also get mad at PBS saying "this program was brought to you by the X, Y, Z, and Viewers Like You?"? Is the issue one of "length" or "content?" Because as I've shown, PBS does the same content and nobody complains. And if it's length, yeah, it's annoying, but we're the most spoiled people in the history of the human race if we can't skip some video being beamed across the entire planet after previously being recorded on trillions of dollars of research, billions of dollars of industry, and tens of thousands of smart people all working together in harmony to bring us a video... that could have been clipped a little in the beginning.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  They should just put up sponsor banners like sports do. I almost reflexively fast forward 10 minutes now when I watch a lecture because it seems they always feel that need to give a long intro speech.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    They could adorn their jackets with sponsor logos and change hats frequently. It'd be like automobile racing! It might actually get more attention that way. The scientist could show up and do doughnuts in the parking lot, squirt champagne on the crowd, and get a trophy. I'd watch the hell out of that.

https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video

by def- 9y ago

https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video https://www.neh.gov/content/2017-lecture-video

Thanks. And I gotta love America, where professorial lectures are accomapnied by the national anthem and a military flag ceremony!

tr1ck5t3r 9y ago
Why? You are born into a system when you get to vote every few years but quite often change is only effected with violence of sorts. How is that a democracy? What laws have you agreed too, what laws have you changed and why? At least business contracts are more democratic as is capitalism because you can effect you vote by giving your business if in a position to make a choice not dictated by a lack of funds along with enough knowledge to make an informed decision. Considering fake news how can people even make an informed decision with what little time they have when not working to sustain the system which many can very as repressive some or all of the time?
truxus 9y ago
Well you don't become the largest democracy in the world by baking pies...
- c3534l 9y ago
  Are you saying the famed American apple pie hasn't been a major contributor to America's success?!
- waqf 9y ago
  *samosas
- madez 9y ago
  How is large good in a democracy? Are the Netherlands worse because they are small?
- walterstucco 9y ago
  It's not even the largest By population EU is larger than US It's not even the oldest, probably Iceland is, its parliament was formed in 930 by Vikings.
RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago
That is because America is not bound together by ethnicity or origin. We are not Americans because our ancestors have always lived in this place. What binds us together as Americans is the flag and patriotism. The flag and patriotism are supposed to transcend political boundaries. I for one think we as Americans need to emphasize what unites us and the flag and national anthem are two such things.
- alansammarone 9y ago
  Maybe uniting with humans in general is also a reasonable option.
- throwamilesaway 9y ago
  What you're describing as patriotism sounds like faith. Your flag is analogous to a cross or a star. Your national anthem sounds like prayers. Countries come across as religions. I digress. It seems that democracy has been hacked many times over history (thanks OPs for all the links). Honestly, what would be a feasible alternative? PS: Please do not bring up transparency; more of it won't solve it, we're being socially engineered at large scale.
- nine_k 9y ago
  I'd say Constitution and the ideals behind it. A big part of the "American Dream" is that you don't have to be of particular ethnicity; you have to play by some rules, and you have a chance to make it big.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    For better or worse, the flag and anthem are representatives of the ideals and the Constitution. We are pretty nationalistic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself.
  - JamesLeonis 9y ago
    You are correct. We are heavily inspired my Enlightenment philosophy, especially Hobbesian Social Contract theory. The Constitution is our Social Contract.
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
This is a Jefferson Lecture, "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities." It happens once a year.

octaveguin 9y ago

That lecture has a 20 minute introduction. A long meandering of thanking and praising various funding organizations and people. A great example of what's wrong with modern academia.

Spooky23 9y ago
That’s nothing. When I was an intern acting as an AV monkey we ran into all sorts of crazy stuff. Sucking up to people who give you money is an art form present in all forms of business.
katastic 9y ago
I see nothing terrible with people wanting to make a big deal out of handing you (tens?) of millions of dollars and getting thanked. If this was Hollywood, instead of a ceremony, there'd be a "casting couch." The only real issue is whether you can search for, and publish results that are the opposite of the hand that feeds. And as Google recently proved, that is a problem. What seems like you're actually annoyed by, is having to wade through comments and content that were never intended for you. (Pro-tip: Skip ahead.) I mean, should we also get mad at PBS saying "this program was brought to you by the X, Y, Z, and Viewers Like You?"? Is the issue one of "length" or "content?" Because as I've shown, PBS does the same content and nobody complains. And if it's length, yeah, it's annoying, but we're the most spoiled people in the history of the human race if we can't skip some video being beamed across the entire planet after previously being recorded on trillions of dollars of research, billions of dollars of industry, and tens of thousands of smart people all working together in harmony to bring us a video... that could have been clipped a little in the beginning.
maxxxxx 9y ago
They should just put up sponsor banners like sports do. I almost reflexively fast forward 10 minutes now when I watch a lecture because it seems they always feel that need to give a long intro speech.
- KGIII 9y ago
  They could adorn their jackets with sponsor logos and change hats frequently. It'd be like automobile racing! It might actually get more attention that way. The scientist could show up and do doughnuts in the parking lot, squirt champagne on the crowd, and get a trophy. I'd watch the hell out of that.