4 ms·

I think his point is that at a certain point we should start questioning why we need so much escapism, and work to fix that.

jimbokun 7y ago
Because reality is increasingly depressing.
- Gene_Parmesan 7y ago
  Reality is not increasingly depressing. Reality is simply itself. It has no tone, no emotions, no motives, no trend. So saying this is not helpful; in fact, it's sort of highlighting part of the problem. The fact that people are more frequently describing "reality" as something that exists as a sphere that can be rejected or escaped or avoided is concerning to me. If "reality" is itself what's depressing, what other choice is there? Reality is all there is. Don't forget that one of the goals of the flavor of government seen in my country, America, is that of cultivating mass apathy. It's tyranny by way of "nothing I do really matters so why try." Convincing people that this concept of reality is what's going sour, and not the "leadership" evidenced by the 0.001%, must be a massive win for them. Escaping from your personal stressors for a little while by sinking into a movie or a book is perfectly reasonable. It's when it turns into an -ism and becomes the centerpiece of our cultural milieu that we should be very concerned.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  Bingo... one of my favorite quotes, that I try to live up to as best I can: "Be miserable. Or be motivated. Whatever's next, it's your choice." and "Whether you think you can't, or think you can, you're right." Can't say I'm a miracle worker but I try to remember that believing I can't do something is the start of my feeling miserable, and every time I break through that wall _something_ happens.
pnw_hazor 7y ago
I don't know if we need escapism anymore or less than before. Now it is more available than ever before and people are wealthier than ever before. So they have time and opportunity to do more of what they want.
goatlover 7y ago
Because people enjoy it. Why do we need to fix other people's enjoyment? Would this still be a criticism if we were talking about people reading too much fiction or watching too many plays, or telling too many stories by the campfire? Maybe playing too many board and card games?

jimbokun 7y ago

Because reality is increasingly depressing.

Gene_Parmesan 7y ago
Reality is not increasingly depressing. Reality is simply itself. It has no tone, no emotions, no motives, no trend. So saying this is not helpful; in fact, it's sort of highlighting part of the problem. The fact that people are more frequently describing "reality" as something that exists as a sphere that can be rejected or escaped or avoided is concerning to me. If "reality" is itself what's depressing, what other choice is there? Reality is all there is. Don't forget that one of the goals of the flavor of government seen in my country, America, is that of cultivating mass apathy. It's tyranny by way of "nothing I do really matters so why try." Convincing people that this concept of reality is what's going sour, and not the "leadership" evidenced by the 0.001%, must be a massive win for them. Escaping from your personal stressors for a little while by sinking into a movie or a book is perfectly reasonable. It's when it turns into an -ism and becomes the centerpiece of our cultural milieu that we should be very concerned.
zentiggr 7y ago
Bingo... one of my favorite quotes, that I try to live up to as best I can: "Be miserable. Or be motivated. Whatever's next, it's your choice." and "Whether you think you can't, or think you can, you're right." Can't say I'm a miracle worker but I try to remember that believing I can't do something is the start of my feeling miserable, and every time I break through that wall _something_ happens.

pnw_hazor 7y ago

I don't know if we need escapism anymore or less than before. Now it is more available than ever before and people are wealthier than ever before. So they have time and opportunity to do more of what they want.

goatlover 7y ago

Because people enjoy it. Why do we need to fix other people's enjoyment? Would this still be a criticism if we were talking about people reading too much fiction or watching too many plays, or telling too many stories by the campfire? Maybe playing too many board and card games?