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I think Armstrong's treatment in the media is rather reflective of the relatively low degree of prestige the entire space program currently enjoys. What I mean

by doktrin 14y ago

I think Armstrong's treatment in the media is rather reflective of the relatively low degree of prestige the entire space program currently enjoys. What I mean by this is that a number of people alive today no longer regard the fact that we landed on the moon with any particular reverence. This, I think, is due in large part to the as-of-yet unrealized potential of space exploration in general. Had we been at a point in our evolution where space travel had demonstrated more tangible changes in daily life, the reaction would quite likely have been different. This isn't my personal opinion vis a vis Apollo 11, but rather my best guess as to how it is perceived by the public at large. I for one look forward to the day when we all look back on NASA's early achievements with awe, and note precisely how much our world changed on a July day in 1969.

ekianjo 14y ago
This is also because we are not in a forward-looking society anymore, aiming at bigger-than-ourselves kind of purpose. Now we live in a age where worthless stuff is highly valued and mostly talked about, losing sight of higher ideals. Tyler's words come back to mind: "we are the middle children of History. Our great war is a spiritual one."
- seclorum 14y ago
  A big part of it is that space is just too inaccessible to most people - Neil Armstrong was elite, and an aversion towards all things 'elite' permeates our societies. We technocrats sure know why he was awesome, but to the average Joe, Neil Armstrong represented a segment of society that was untouchable, outside the reach of an average individual. I think its a two-edged sword - we need 'the best' to pilot our technologically overwhelming machines - but this leaves a lot of us out. If Neil Armstrong wasn't such a well-trained, highly educated, privileged individual, perhaps there would be more of a fuss made .. but the fact is, average humanity is about as far away from the state of existence of Neil Armstrong as you and I are, really, from the Moon .. (Too bad NASA and the entire US "Defense" apparatus isn't delivering water purification, school library and DIY-hospital packages from orbit. Maybe it'd matter more to the rest of Humanity..)

by doktrin 14y ago

ekianjo 14y ago

This is also because we are not in a forward-looking society anymore, aiming at bigger-than-ourselves kind of purpose. Now we live in a age where worthless stuff is highly valued and mostly talked about, losing sight of higher ideals. Tyler's words come back to mind: "we are the middle children of History. Our great war is a spiritual one."

seclorum 14y ago
A big part of it is that space is just too inaccessible to most people - Neil Armstrong was elite, and an aversion towards all things 'elite' permeates our societies. We technocrats sure know why he was awesome, but to the average Joe, Neil Armstrong represented a segment of society that was untouchable, outside the reach of an average individual. I think its a two-edged sword - we need 'the best' to pilot our technologically overwhelming machines - but this leaves a lot of us out. If Neil Armstrong wasn't such a well-trained, highly educated, privileged individual, perhaps there would be more of a fuss made .. but the fact is, average humanity is about as far away from the state of existence of Neil Armstrong as you and I are, really, from the Moon .. (Too bad NASA and the entire US "Defense" apparatus isn't delivering water purification, school library and DIY-hospital packages from orbit. Maybe it'd matter more to the rest of Humanity..)