Novelty of a peasantry with cell phones: we're harder to rule, harder to fool.

[lindysalsagal]

In previous societies, the ruling class got away with most of their malpractice. We worker bees lacked the access to information. Now each one of us can capture and broadcast the results of their leadership. And so we're disillusioned and ungovernable.we want
Luxury without productivity. Health without sacrifice. Security without responsibility.

It's the lottery/American idol mentality: I refuse to be burdened with the hardship of paying dues or learning lessons. Just give me my wishes like a genie and let me watch the Kardashians and order a pizza.

We are a nation of greedy children.

[Kentonio]

2. Harder to fool? The exact opposite is true.

It used to be that people understood they didn't know about complex issues, and trusted experts in each field to provide that knowledge. Those experts in turn were held accountable by the press and other experts in their field. It was understood that politicians disagreed on ideology, but they couldn't get away with downright lying, because if they were caught their careers were over.

Now we live in a time when access to wikipedia and google means a huge number of poeple consider themselves experts in a field as a result of 5 minutes of reading on the internet. The result? We have hundreds of thousands of people arguing that vaccines are a bad thing, millions who think climate change is a myth and tens of millions who voted for Donald Fucking Trump for president.

[lindysalsagal]

3. You're right: we can filter for the info that supports our emotional disposition.

Like children.

[Orrex]

5. Reliquary? Damn--people are nuts!

[Orrex]

7. LOL!

I believe our set was "The Encyclopedia American," and our edition was from 1947.

Its entries on the solar system were somewhat less than comprehensive!

[BainsBane]

12. You didn't watch the moon landing on TV?

I did. It made quite an impression on me. I pestered my parents for months asking questions about how the astronauts left earth to get to the moon. I didn't understand why rockets didn't break the earth. My parents tried to explain, but I couldn't understand. You see, my only reference to earth was globes I had seen. I thought we lived on the inside of the planet, not on its surface. Once I sorted that out, I was okay.

[BainsBane]

9. So true

and they despise experts because they don't want to have their preexisting views challenged. That cuts across the political spectrum.

[BainsBane]

8. Looks to me that people are very easily fooled

Look at the White House, the success of Kremlin propaganda. People seem more susceptible than ever.

[BainsBane]

11. We've never seen anything like Trump before

and the eagerness to accept propaganda is unsettling to me.

[lindysalsagal]

15. For those of us in our 50's and above, everything seems different with cell phones around.

Those of you who grew up with them won't feel it. The world was what Tom Brokaw told you it was. There was usually one side to a story. People didn't spend all their time bickering about it. Liars lied, and no one knew it, but the polulation was more unified. It was easier for politicians to know what to do. Less in-fighting. I'm not saying that was better, it's just different now.

I personally love access to everything, instead of just the people in my own town. I believe that over time, the isolation that made the south so hateful will be relieved by social media and we may well become more of a united nation, but we're in the growing-pains stage now. And so the gop can't make up its mind, voters reach for magic panaceas propegated my liars and morons.

When I'm old, it will be interesting to see if I'm right.

[annabanana]

17. It still amazes me that the kids leave the house BEFORE

the plans have been made and the rendezvous point settled on.

I tell them that when you made plans to meet at "A PLACE" at "A TIME", and someone didn't show up.. You maybe didn't find out til the next day what the hell happened.

[kcr]

16. I was with you for the first half of your post

But then you lost me. I don't agree with you, at least not fully. I think there is some truth to what you say. There are negative aspects of everyone always tuned in to personally curated conduits of information. But overall I'd say the benefits outweigh them, by far. I do think that age colors how people view this topic. Cellphones have been around for most of my adult life but I can remember what life was like without them growing up.