3 ms·

Is "technophobic" really a bad word now? If so, I'm an outright technophobe. If you're going to break hard news to anyone (whether it be a breakup, telling some

by plants 8y ago

Is "technophobic" really a bad word now? If so, I'm an outright technophobe. If you're going to break hard news to anyone (whether it be a breakup, telling someone their loved one has died, or telling someone they are dying) you might as well give them the benefit of being there in person. You can hug a person, you can't hug a screen.

potta_coffee 8y ago
It's just an ad hominem attack. I don't agree with you, so you're a "phobe". Technology isn't really the issue here.
pas 8y ago
People are in general have a very bad handle on fundamental parts of life, like death. (And personal finances, metacognition and so on.) And sure, doctors can play the emergency psychologist while delivering the news, but people don't just go to the hospital and get a random death sentence. They knew there was a very significant chance that the news will be bad. Yes, when the uncertainty evaporates together with the favorable outcome, that's fucking harsh, and there's a process for dealing with that (the good old Kübler-Ross stages come to mind). People should be better prepared for these eventualities. (And I'm not saying it's easy, and people must be perfect stoics, but these theatrics we assign to conveying a few bits of information coupled with the human touch is just a psychology theater.)
- ripsawridge 8y ago
  "these theatrics we assign to conveying a few bits of information..." Really? You really are of the opinion that news about death is just "a few bits of information?" And you are capable of describing the ways humans attempt to be empathic with each other as "these theatrics?" I'm not sure I want to live in this world. :(
  - pas 8y ago
    Yes. You already have an expected lifespan. Getting sick, makes you reevaluate that, and getting a concrete diagnosis with an expert opinion should not be a big change. Of course, we can do the be positive, be optimistic, you can fight it, you can do it mantra, and then watch as their heart breaks when they get the diagnosis. Empathy shouldn't mean helping people to delay facing the hard problems and truths. This is the same world that largely considers suicide a crime, and denies a dignified and conscious end of life to a lot of suffering people. I watched as a family member went through the stages of physiological and mental decline, dementia, muscle atrophy, and eventually even breathing was a full time job, and it became too much. And it was a relatively painless end. (And there were others with different, faster ends. Recently one with cancer.) And taking it for what it is seemed the healthier mindset and approach. Accepting the inevitable led to those last days and months better spent. And preparing for it is just as important. We already drag doctors into enough futile quarrels of our own. At least that's my opinion.
    - ripsawridge 8y ago
      Sorry for the long delay, I just saw your reply. I agree with you more than I disagree. That is -- facing truths is important. Suicide should not be a crime. A dignified death is often about knowing when to go, and that choice is the final sentence of the long book that is a life. I don't want to drag doctors into "futile quarrels." I just think that the occasion of death is special, and deserves to be communicated face to face, not with robots (oh sorry, with iRobots).

by plants 8y ago

potta_coffee 8y ago

It's just an ad hominem attack. I don't agree with you, so you're a "phobe". Technology isn't really the issue here.

pas 8y ago

People are in general have a very bad handle on fundamental parts of life, like death. (And personal finances, metacognition and so on.) And sure, doctors can play the emergency psychologist while delivering the news, but people don't just go to the hospital and get a random death sentence. They knew there was a very significant chance that the news will be bad. Yes, when the uncertainty evaporates together with the favorable outcome, that's fucking harsh, and there's a process for dealing with that (the good old Kübler-Ross stages come to mind). People should be better prepared for these eventualities. (And I'm not saying it's easy, and people must be perfect stoics, but these theatrics we assign to conveying a few bits of information coupled with the human touch is just a psychology theater.)

ripsawridge 8y ago
"these theatrics we assign to conveying a few bits of information..." Really? You really are of the opinion that news about death is just "a few bits of information?" And you are capable of describing the ways humans attempt to be empathic with each other as "these theatrics?" I'm not sure I want to live in this world. :(
- pas 8y ago
  Yes. You already have an expected lifespan. Getting sick, makes you reevaluate that, and getting a concrete diagnosis with an expert opinion should not be a big change. Of course, we can do the be positive, be optimistic, you can fight it, you can do it mantra, and then watch as their heart breaks when they get the diagnosis. Empathy shouldn't mean helping people to delay facing the hard problems and truths. This is the same world that largely considers suicide a crime, and denies a dignified and conscious end of life to a lot of suffering people. I watched as a family member went through the stages of physiological and mental decline, dementia, muscle atrophy, and eventually even breathing was a full time job, and it became too much. And it was a relatively painless end. (And there were others with different, faster ends. Recently one with cancer.) And taking it for what it is seemed the healthier mindset and approach. Accepting the inevitable led to those last days and months better spent. And preparing for it is just as important. We already drag doctors into enough futile quarrels of our own. At least that's my opinion.
  - ripsawridge 8y ago
    Sorry for the long delay, I just saw your reply. I agree with you more than I disagree. That is -- facing truths is important. Suicide should not be a crime. A dignified death is often about knowing when to go, and that choice is the final sentence of the long book that is a life. I don't want to drag doctors into "futile quarrels." I just think that the occasion of death is special, and deserves to be communicated face to face, not with robots (oh sorry, with iRobots).