3 ms·

> the fabric of society is itself 'at risk' of collapse It’s not. We live in a unique time in history (living memory at least) where all parts of society, hidd

by Swizec 4y ago

> the fabric of society is itself 'at risk' of collapse It’s not. We live in a unique time in history (living memory at least) where all parts of society, hidden and unhidden, are interacting in real time globally. We’ve never had this before! What we as kids and our parents/grandparents as adults mistook for idyllic society where we all get along and life is great and nobody has problems, was in reality a thin veneer draped over a seedy underbelly of raw mess. People pretended to fit in. A lot. Ask anyone from an underrepresented or even repressed group how great that society was. Bet they’ll say it wasn’t. Society isn’t collapsing. It is revealing itself. This is the real humanity. The way it’s always been. Varied and messy. As for why I’m here – same reason I’ve always been online. Because likeminded people who get a kick out of similar things as myself are few and far between in real life. Online, there’s plenty. HN in particular has a good mix of high signal discussion on interesting topics.

alphabettsy 4y ago
Thanks for writing this. Saved me some time!
mathgladiator 4y ago
> It is revealing itself. This is why I'm more optimistic these days since I think the speed of information is going to keep any dangerous movements in check and a minority. Because opposition can band together online, there really can't be a growth in a "join or die" kind of sense as a growing movement would impose.
pohl 4y ago
Society isn’t collapsing. It is revealing itself. What does that even mean? Is it revealing itself as being intrinsically ephemeral or something? How is that not a distinction without a difference?
- Swizec 4y ago
  It means the parts of society that were previously hiding are now visible and interacting with you. This can be jarring. The societal unity we remember never existed. People who are different were just hiding or invisible. To avoid stereotypical-for-usa examples (gays, immigrants, blacks), go ask a teenage goth growing up in a small town in the 90’s what it was like to be the only goth person in their entire environment. Bet it was super fun and they felt totally accepted by all. Now go back 30 more years and someone in a similar position wouldn’t even have had access to information that would tell them it was possible to be anything other than $vanilla. They felt different and had no way of knowing that’s okay. The Jackass Forever documentary, of all places, shared a really good insight when they said ”You can’t even comprehend what a big deal MTV was in the 80’s.”.
- ss48 4y ago
  It means that people in society are being exposed to things that they wouldn't have been in the past because the ways we communicate changes with regards to faster and more available means of communication, and that our perceptions and reality are different. In reference to their past perception when unaware of this, it would seem that society in contrast is collapsing, even when the state of society has not changed. If we collectively become more aware as a society of an issue, then it's revealed to society in a way it has not been in the past despite no or limited actual deterioration.
the_only_law 4y ago
> Society isn’t collapsing. It is revealing itself. This is the real humanity. The way it’s always been. Varied and messy. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” has been bouncing around my head these past few years.

by Swizec 4y ago

alphabettsy 4y ago

Thanks for writing this. Saved me some time!

mathgladiator 4y ago

> It is revealing itself. This is why I'm more optimistic these days since I think the speed of information is going to keep any dangerous movements in check and a minority. Because opposition can band together online, there really can't be a growth in a "join or die" kind of sense as a growing movement would impose.

pohl 4y ago

Society isn’t collapsing. It is revealing itself. What does that even mean? Is it revealing itself as being intrinsically ephemeral or something? How is that not a distinction without a difference?

Swizec 4y ago
It means the parts of society that were previously hiding are now visible and interacting with you. This can be jarring. The societal unity we remember never existed. People who are different were just hiding or invisible. To avoid stereotypical-for-usa examples (gays, immigrants, blacks), go ask a teenage goth growing up in a small town in the 90’s what it was like to be the only goth person in their entire environment. Bet it was super fun and they felt totally accepted by all. Now go back 30 more years and someone in a similar position wouldn’t even have had access to information that would tell them it was possible to be anything other than $vanilla. They felt different and had no way of knowing that’s okay. The Jackass Forever documentary, of all places, shared a really good insight when they said ”You can’t even comprehend what a big deal MTV was in the 80’s.”.
ss48 4y ago
It means that people in society are being exposed to things that they wouldn't have been in the past because the ways we communicate changes with regards to faster and more available means of communication, and that our perceptions and reality are different. In reference to their past perception when unaware of this, it would seem that society in contrast is collapsing, even when the state of society has not changed. If we collectively become more aware as a society of an issue, then it's revealed to society in a way it has not been in the past despite no or limited actual deterioration.

the_only_law 4y ago

> Society isn’t collapsing. It is revealing itself. This is the real humanity. The way it’s always been. Varied and messy. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” has been bouncing around my head these past few years.