Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that were, and ask - what the hell happened?!
A few months ago, I wrote about "things I think" and enjoyed it so much that I thought I would do some more thinking. And there is a lot to think about - but don't worry, not politics. (Okay, maybe just a little.)
There is just so much going on that is either great, frightening, or curious. Mostly, I have been thinking about "progress" or what passes for it today.
Define Progress (and if it's Good)
I think about progress a lot and wonder how we know when we are making it - or maybe if it's going the other way.
"Progress refers to forward movement, development, or improvement toward a higher state, goal, or completion."
It's easy enough to identify progress in some things and if they are good e.g. healthcare, renewable energy, nicer homes, better cars, labor laws - streaming? But there are others things, important human behaviors that don't seem to fit into that simple definition. For example, civility. (A personal favorite of mine.)
Civility defined as: “Formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.”
My mom would simply say “you can always tell if a person had been brought up well.” (And she didn’t mean money cuz we certainly didn’t have much!) For example, decent folks who were “well brought up” said please, thank you, and yes sir/no ma’am to elders. It also meant they had good table manners. Mom was killer on table manners - heaven help you if you try to wear a hat at the table! Also, folks would dress decently to go out to eat at a nice restaurant or go to church. No, I don’t mean sport coat and tie, just not like you came straight from repairing a car engine. (Clean patched jeans and an actual collared shirt were fine - we're talking the 50's here.) Today anything goes, apparently there are no rules. Pajamas to the store? Sure. Sweat pants . . . anywhere? Of course. I especially enjoy seeing a guy in crappy jeans and “Kiss My Ass” tee shirt at the Guthrie Theater (not exaggerating. Well, a little.) Don't even ask about airline passengers.
Now his is not being snooty my mom, with a 10th grade education, would just call it having "respect" for yourself and others.
OMG, I’ve turned into my mom!
How about talking on the phone while walking around a grocery store – or, grrr, checking out! Texting someone else while sitting with friend in a restaurant. Even worse, while driving. How does this fit in? Just more "Progress" in civility?
Another related example. There was also a time when there was no cursing in films or TV and certainly no nudity. Well, we chipped away at all that apparently. This is not about prudishness - I’m very far from a prude - but it seems like it is progressing . . . somewhere. But where is left to go?!
Most of us assume progress is like this:
But what if it is actually this?
(Sorry about the naughty language - damn cavemen!)
I can't help but think that we might just be like the picture above, in many ways slowly devolving back into some sort of cavemen (okay, caveperson) but in nicer clothes. Well, nicer pajamas and sweat pants.
Anyway, I will continue to dress like an adult - and I will never EVER wear a hat to the table!
Speaking of Progress and Cavemen . . .
Men are from the Past . . . Women are Strange
We’ve known for a long time that we modern humans have some Neanderthal genes (my guess is that men have more of them.) Now if you were me, you would probably think it was mostly Homo Sapien guys really going for the Neanderthal ladies - gotta love a woman who can help you take down a Wooly Mammoth! But we would be wrong. Recently, I read that researchers have discovered it was the other way around; the Homo Sapien gals going for the Neanderthal guy - yowser!
Now to me this says a few things about both genders and species. Assuming that the Sapien woman chose the big guy (and wasn’t bonked on the head with a club and dragged into the cave by her hair) it would explain lot about some of the relationships today. An attractive, intelligent woman in a relationship with a guy who - shall we say would seem less deserving - is often sporting a mullet and driving a large pickup truck (not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
For the guy it’s easy to understand. Most of us modern guys, just like our Neanderthal brethren, fancy ourselves as a George Clooney-clone; handsome and oozing charm and sophistication. We always think we appeal to women . . . who are often way too good for us. Sadly, however, most of us resemble one of the Dumb or Dumber guys so very few are successful (unlike Dear Leader who, of course, was wildly successful.)
On a positive note, remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as Mrs Dear Leader often says, "There's a lid for every jar." (I'm sure she means that as a compliment.)
That brings me to this.
Truth, facts and opinions - More confusion on progress?
It occurred to me some time ago that most (perhaps
all?) of us have a very loose grip on reality. No, that’s not exactly right. We
all (perhaps most?) have a strong grip on reality - it’s just not the same reality.
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| More Progress? |
“While people often claim to prioritize objective facts research suggests that human decision-making is heavily influenced by personal beliefs and cognitive shortcuts (I confess, even me.) In many professional and organizational settings, an estimated 99% of decisions are effectively opinion-based, mirroring choices made by others in similar systems rather than being driven by original research. American Psychological Association.
Or, as George Constanza in "Seinfeld" said, "It's not a lie if you believe it." See, there is no fake news!
I’m not the only one pondering this. AI found an article for me called “What Can be Done to Restore Faith in Facts.” It’s not a long article (thankfully for me) and has some interesting ideas but I can boil the answer down to this: We’re screwed. Okay, that’s not exactly what they said but the solution, at least to my way of thinking, seems totally impractical due the extreme polarization in our society - and our unwillingness to take advice.And what is that advice? Simply this:
Media literacy. That’s it. We all need to be better consumers of information. Do less talking, more listening, blah, blah, blah. (Ha, we can’t even get people to take medicine that keeps them alive!)
Oh yeah and this, "One of the most important ways to inoculate people from false information is to befriend them." And this, per social psychologist Troy Campbell, PhD, "There's a time for the middle finger, and a time to put it away." (Now there's some $500/hr advice!)
I’ll end this gloomy spring thought with this: “. . . most of the expert authors above described their findings as "bleak" and "dismaying."
See what I mean? Ugh.
Oh well, cheer up, at least we can get our faux news conveniently on our phones!
And now this . . .
More Proof We Humans are Making . . . Progress?
Looksmaxxing
Right straight from today's headlines - surely you’ve heard of this:
“Looksmaxxing is an online subculture focused on maximizing physical attractiveness, often utilizing extreme measures to alter facial features and body shape, which has evolved from niche forums into a, notably, Tik Tok trend. Techniques range from "softmaxxing" (grooming, fitness) to extreme "hardmaxxing" (bone-smashing, steroids, surgery), often leading to serious mental health risks like body dysmorphia. It stems from the "incel"* community, aiming to achieve a supposed optimal "Chad" look for improved social and romantic success. (What, no "Doug" look?!)
Yeah, it’s a "guy" thing but I am not going to go any further in defining the terms or how on earth this could even BE a thing. Hopefully not a sign of progress for humanity but then again . . . (Well I’m sticking with softmaxxing - my regular $30 haircut - thank you very much.)
* "Incel" (involuntary celibate) refers to an online subculture of primarily young, heterosexual men who feel unable to form romantic relationships, often blaming women and promoting misogyny.” (Sheesh, as if we men don’t already give ourselves a bad enough name . . .)
If you have been paying attention you have probably have heard that democrats have been winning a number of elections, several in formerly "red" areas. In late March one of the more wonderfully surprising outcomes was in dystopian Florida: a woman won the state house seat in the district that holds no less a prize than our would-be dictator's own Mar-a-Lago.
Ah, the irony. We mustn't become overconfident but surely this is a good sign.
Ancient unpopular Pharoah . . .
In ancient Egypt after an unpopular pharaoh died their name and likeness was struck from all buildings - and history. Here's hoping they can find a place for all that trashy gold-plated crap that’s been spread around the White House.
Oh, and maybe turn the ballroom into a museum holding all the evidence of damage done to our fair country by him and his pack of miscreants.
Okay, I think I've thought enough, here's some music.
Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles (You knew I had to do this)
Special Vivaldi (This IS special and shows hope for the future)
