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Sheri Oz's avatar

This is truth I didn't want to know. Oof! Can society recover it's senses?

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

Probably not in our lifetimes. Maybe things would swing backwards a few generations down the line. I really think we need to prepare for the culture to just degrade further, with technology just accelerating the decline. Apologies for being a prophet of doom, here.

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Sheri Oz's avatar

Need a sad emoji here

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CHARLES's avatar

I don't agree with this sentiment:

"When men stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.”

But I TOTALLY agree with this one:

"...despite being β€œempty calories,” junk info still tastes delicious. Since your dopamine pathways can't distinguish between useful and useless info, consuming junk info gives you the satisfaction of feeling like you're learning."

This is TikTok culture hands down.

Limitless information. But too often delivered in tiny bites--very superficial bites--and the algorithms can lead a person to think 'everybody' sees it 'their way.' It feeds that beast unrestrained.

So yes, if an entire generation grows up that way, all bets are off.

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

Why do you disagree with the first?

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CHARLES's avatar

That if a person doesn't believe in God, they're subject to believe in 'anything?'

That's like saying a person can't have strong moral principles without a belief in God. That makes no sense to me.

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

But can’t they believe in whatever moral principles they want?

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CHARLES's avatar

I don't think it's anywhere near that simple.

I don't think someone can be in favor of child sacrifice one day and totally against it the next just because.

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

But I mean that one can choose to believe in whichever moral value system one wants - communism, fascism, anarchism, monarchism. Etc. One can pick whatever system of moral values one wants.

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CHARLES's avatar

That's just not how beliefs work in my mind. People either believe something or we don't.

We can be convinced to believe differently from what we currently believe. But ultimately, it's not a choice.

What you're talking about sounds more related to ideology, religion, etc., which are more about doctrine and adhering to a doctrine. But general beliefs about right and wrong, as far as I can tell, are more based in culture, family, environment and personal experience.

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Alfred, Lord Featherstonehaugh's avatar

I think β€œdoomed” is a bit extreme here. What you’re seeing here is the youth with no trust in institutions.

When the state is functioning as it should, I believe you’ll see a lot more trust. The fact so many young people turned out to vote for Trump shows they think it’s not hopeless.

- An example of said demographic

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

You’re not factoring in here the data about religion that I’m citing, which is my whole argument.

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Alfred, Lord Featherstonehaugh's avatar

Simply because I agree with you. It’s arguably the serious problem America faces, and one which will lead us to dangerous situations. As we’ve already seen all too well.

I do question if we’re β€œdoomed” though. Seems a trifle too black pilled for me: People can - and frequently do - pick up religion as they get older and realise they don’t know all the answers. Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes spring to mind.

For example, look at how female opinions on transgender acceptance has changed drastically in the last four years.

Possibly we have a different definition of the words, because while I see the situation as unquestionably dangerous, I don’t think it is utterly hopeless.

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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

I think β€œblack hole-pilled” would be a good way to summarize my perspective on humanity in general and America’s cultures in particular. 😁

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Alfred, Lord Featherstonehaugh's avatar

πŸ˜‚ Lol yes. I think most people are orbiting that these days! I think one of the beauties of Israel is the public determination to strive in hope. It’s certainly the feeling I get when I travel there (but that was all pre-Oct 7).

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Freedom Lover's avatar

It's a bit of a leap from not trusting institutions to supporting cold blooded murder.

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Alfred, Lord Featherstonehaugh's avatar

To some extent, I agree Doug, but I don’t think the young are the only demographic where you’ll find one person willing to β€œtake the law into his own hands” when ten thousand see no impartial legal system.

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Feb 11
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David Swindle 🟦's avatar

I hear you. I was a pretty wild right-wing hellraiser 15 years ago too. I guess the key difference that I’m highlighting here is that this generation is just starting from a lower level of religiosity than previous ones. Political ideology is downstream from religious ideology, IMHO.

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