People have grown more weak and self-indulgent... and there's no advantage for companies or managers or politicians to tell us this, so we all pretend that people are generally capable and decent and reasonable.
People suck-and the little inconveniences, the annoying sounds, the safetyism, and the political illusions are all symptoms of that condition (in my opinion).
Oh god Josh you are reading my minds. Things that drive me crazy:
1. One of the negative outgrowths of being able to avoid an "ad", easy as hitting the mute on your remote, is that advertising is everywhere. From the side of your kids' school bus to pop ups on the obituary page in your local online newspaper. While you read about the passing of one your favorite teachers someone is trying to sell you an online college degree.
2. Safety overboard. Like we're all fragile, autistic five year olds with endless physical issues. I don't need daytime running headlights on a sunny day. I can see when the sun is out. Same for packaging that is almost impossible to get through. Like the bottle of my mouthwash packaged like it's an explosive material.
3. A culture that celebrates, encourages, and rewards low rent, ghetto, trailer park trash human behavior and appearance. Women that have butts and a voice/tone that look/sound like something out of the animal world at the top of that list. Your nose was never designed to have a piece of cheap metal driven through it. Bathing should be at least a once a day activity.
4. Technology that is far inferior to the days of paper and pen. Technology should make life easier and enrich our lives, not send us into an endless loop with a chat bot.
But at least the ads are SOLELY on the lock screen. There are no ads while you’re reading…. I also paid for the no-ad version, but I’m not sure if I’ll bother on my next one because I only see the lock screen for a few seconds when I turn it on.
That's the most hideous thing I've ever heard, right up there with still getting ads on PAID SUBSCRIPTION streaming services. Can you download the books and then turn it on airplane mode??
Somebody wrote--I can't remember who, and I'm paraphrasing--that in the 1950s the owner's manual for your car told you how to adjust the valves. Car owner's manuals today tell you not to drink the antifreeze. We are treated like retarded five-year-olds.
That’s cuz we act like retarded 5-yr-olds how else to explain re-electing Obama, voting for Hilary or Kamala, or whining when DJT cuts yuge $ of BS spending…?
Spock knocking out the punk on the bus was one of my favorite scenes. It isn't okay for Chekov to walk around asking where are the 'nuclear wessels', nor is it ok to make everyone hear your shit.
I noticed this as a nurse. There were times I'd come home and have to make my place totally silent and blacked out.
I think the constant bombardment of short bursts of " data" is shortening our attention spans especially those raised with computers and native to technology. I think it actually is changing how we think, what we can remember, how we communicate and even our ability to relate to one another. Not in a positive way
Oh, you must have. That job is filled with braying beeping machines constantly. While the doctors and nurses who cared for me in hospital when I had an early heart attack were wonderful, the hospital stay was excruciating. It was impossible to sleep through the noise and machine beeping, not to mention the (necessary) frequent checks of my vitals.
I don't think I could take working in that environment, Sue.
During my mom's final hospital stay, I spent her last two days on earth sitting with her around the clock. I was amazed at the noise from the hallway, the janitress coming in at 3:00 a.m. and loudly clanking the metal trash can, the fluorescent ceiling lights left on all night, etc. The staff seemed to place no value at all on patients' sleep.
All of that is so true. I was on hold on the phone recently, and I had to hold it a foot from my head so the blasting syntho-crap "music" wouldn't hurt my ear. It wasn't even decent old-style Muzak--101 Strings or Mantovani doing old show tunes--but some type of computer-generated space-drone junk, eight bars long, on a perpetual loop. It was like I was being punished for daring to bother them with a phone call.
While's back we had Cool hand Luke smashing parking meters
Cars, self-checkout like some kind of Orwellian inversion of soulful journey, OMG! From traffic cams to cars wigging out and shutting down because the seat belt isn't on, to "I can't do that Hal, and blows up"
Yet a funny thing happed on the way to food deserts and dollar stores.
People gamed the system and shoplifted.
Now they got rid of the self-checked outs.
Not advocating, but ..
Still have to answer question when put in my pay card, l8ke if I'd like to round up to make my ___ bigger, or how satisfied I am.
Thank you for this post, it really helps to hear I'm not alone in buing fustrated by these things.
Josh, is it possible that all of these "additions" to our environment are catering to people with ADHD? Seems like everyone has it now. Just a thought.
We are in a long, slow decline into a new "dark age." According to Oswald Spengler, there is an inevitable historical cycle of culture-civilization-peak-decline-dark age-new culture. The process takes a thousand years, or more, so those alive today must expect everything to keep getting worse.
I was just thinking about how much I detest the videos that play noisily at the gas station pump as I filled up my car the other day.
And I was just saying to my husband "remember when restaurants had things like draperies and tablecloths and carpets, and weren't SO DAMN LOUD?" I think the change to all hard surfaces and floors had something to do with them being easier to clean, but had the side effect of making everything so much noisier that people no longer wanted to linger over dessert and coffee - thus allowing faster table turnover and more revenue. It's weird thinking back to what it was like going to a nice restaurant back in the '80s or '90s; you could have an actual conversation instead of just saying "what? WHAT?" to each other.
Yes, everything is noisier and more visually overstimulating these days. Why is EVERYTHING constantly beeping or making weird sounds? Why is there obnoxious music EVERYWHERE, all the time? Why are people walking around having speakerphone conversations?
I have a theory that part of the massive increase in autism diagnoses is simply that our normal environment is about 1,000 times more overstimulating than it was 20-30 years ago. People who, in previous generations, would have just been considered sensitive and introverted are now having autistic meltdowns because their sensory systems are on constant overload.
Japan does public transit right. They're clean, civilized, and most of all - quiet.
Culturally in Japan it's rude to talk on the phone while using public transportation and any conversation with another person on the train must be done quietly. They do have ads on the train but nothing on digital screens other than transit-related information. The only noise from these screens are the station announcements and the rules.
Also, the "get a bike" comment is pure garbage especially when cities with transit are the ones also with not just high rates of bike theft but dangerous "protected" bike lanes. Biking "evangelists" (few are actually bicyclists but simply use them as a tool to push their car hatred) seem to be completely tone deaf when it comes to the fact that bicycles don't serve everybody's transportation needs. I'm really looking forward to these imbeciles, who took over the sensible bicyclists, starting to see their ideology on the decline.
People have grown more weak and self-indulgent... and there's no advantage for companies or managers or politicians to tell us this, so we all pretend that people are generally capable and decent and reasonable.
People suck-and the little inconveniences, the annoying sounds, the safetyism, and the political illusions are all symptoms of that condition (in my opinion).
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/people-suck
I was halfway through your essay (very good) when you commented. Similar lines of thinking.
Oh god Josh you are reading my minds. Things that drive me crazy:
1. One of the negative outgrowths of being able to avoid an "ad", easy as hitting the mute on your remote, is that advertising is everywhere. From the side of your kids' school bus to pop ups on the obituary page in your local online newspaper. While you read about the passing of one your favorite teachers someone is trying to sell you an online college degree.
2. Safety overboard. Like we're all fragile, autistic five year olds with endless physical issues. I don't need daytime running headlights on a sunny day. I can see when the sun is out. Same for packaging that is almost impossible to get through. Like the bottle of my mouthwash packaged like it's an explosive material.
3. A culture that celebrates, encourages, and rewards low rent, ghetto, trailer park trash human behavior and appearance. Women that have butts and a voice/tone that look/sound like something out of the animal world at the top of that list. Your nose was never designed to have a piece of cheap metal driven through it. Bathing should be at least a once a day activity.
4. Technology that is far inferior to the days of paper and pen. Technology should make life easier and enrich our lives, not send us into an endless loop with a chat bot.
I had to pay more for my new Kindle to get one without ads.
But at least the ads are SOLELY on the lock screen. There are no ads while you’re reading…. I also paid for the no-ad version, but I’m not sure if I’ll bother on my next one because I only see the lock screen for a few seconds when I turn it on.
That's the most hideous thing I've ever heard, right up there with still getting ads on PAID SUBSCRIPTION streaming services. Can you download the books and then turn it on airplane mode??
All the warning beeps & buzzers & clangs are just more of first world societies getting in Darwin’s way. Just like warnings on hammers, saws, etc.
Stop warning people not to be idiots. We’ll have fewer idiots. Win-win.
Somebody wrote--I can't remember who, and I'm paraphrasing--that in the 1950s the owner's manual for your car told you how to adjust the valves. Car owner's manuals today tell you not to drink the antifreeze. We are treated like retarded five-year-olds.
That’s cuz we act like retarded 5-yr-olds how else to explain re-electing Obama, voting for Hilary or Kamala, or whining when DJT cuts yuge $ of BS spending…?
We’ve been devalued, dehumanized and mechanized -- reduced to passive consumption. Thanks for speaking up.
Spock knocking out the punk on the bus was one of my favorite scenes. It isn't okay for Chekov to walk around asking where are the 'nuclear wessels', nor is it ok to make everyone hear your shit.
Hahah!
🍞
Yes, yes, yes, and AMEN! A thousand times over!
I noticed this as a nurse. There were times I'd come home and have to make my place totally silent and blacked out.
I think the constant bombardment of short bursts of " data" is shortening our attention spans especially those raised with computers and native to technology. I think it actually is changing how we think, what we can remember, how we communicate and even our ability to relate to one another. Not in a positive way
Oh, you must have. That job is filled with braying beeping machines constantly. While the doctors and nurses who cared for me in hospital when I had an early heart attack were wonderful, the hospital stay was excruciating. It was impossible to sleep through the noise and machine beeping, not to mention the (necessary) frequent checks of my vitals.
I don't think I could take working in that environment, Sue.
During my mom's final hospital stay, I spent her last two days on earth sitting with her around the clock. I was amazed at the noise from the hallway, the janitress coming in at 3:00 a.m. and loudly clanking the metal trash can, the fluorescent ceiling lights left on all night, etc. The staff seemed to place no value at all on patients' sleep.
All of that is so true. I was on hold on the phone recently, and I had to hold it a foot from my head so the blasting syntho-crap "music" wouldn't hurt my ear. It wasn't even decent old-style Muzak--101 Strings or Mantovani doing old show tunes--but some type of computer-generated space-drone junk, eight bars long, on a perpetual loop. It was like I was being punished for daring to bother them with a phone call.
Yes mine too.
While's back we had Cool hand Luke smashing parking meters
Cars, self-checkout like some kind of Orwellian inversion of soulful journey, OMG! From traffic cams to cars wigging out and shutting down because the seat belt isn't on, to "I can't do that Hal, and blows up"
Yet a funny thing happed on the way to food deserts and dollar stores.
People gamed the system and shoplifted.
Now they got rid of the self-checked outs.
Not advocating, but ..
Still have to answer question when put in my pay card, l8ke if I'd like to round up to make my ___ bigger, or how satisfied I am.
Thank you for this post, it really helps to hear I'm not alone in buing fustrated by these things.
Josh, is it possible that all of these "additions" to our environment are catering to people with ADHD? Seems like everyone has it now. Just a thought.
Catering? They're inducing it
I've started listening to nothing in the car. No music, podcasts, books. Everything starts to sound like an ad after a while.
We are in a long, slow decline into a new "dark age." According to Oswald Spengler, there is an inevitable historical cycle of culture-civilization-peak-decline-dark age-new culture. The process takes a thousand years, or more, so those alive today must expect everything to keep getting worse.
As the Borg say, "Resistance is futile."
I was just thinking about how much I detest the videos that play noisily at the gas station pump as I filled up my car the other day.
And I was just saying to my husband "remember when restaurants had things like draperies and tablecloths and carpets, and weren't SO DAMN LOUD?" I think the change to all hard surfaces and floors had something to do with them being easier to clean, but had the side effect of making everything so much noisier that people no longer wanted to linger over dessert and coffee - thus allowing faster table turnover and more revenue. It's weird thinking back to what it was like going to a nice restaurant back in the '80s or '90s; you could have an actual conversation instead of just saying "what? WHAT?" to each other.
Yes, everything is noisier and more visually overstimulating these days. Why is EVERYTHING constantly beeping or making weird sounds? Why is there obnoxious music EVERYWHERE, all the time? Why are people walking around having speakerphone conversations?
I have a theory that part of the massive increase in autism diagnoses is simply that our normal environment is about 1,000 times more overstimulating than it was 20-30 years ago. People who, in previous generations, would have just been considered sensitive and introverted are now having autistic meltdowns because their sensory systems are on constant overload.
Your last paragraph is spot on, in my opinion.
You are onto something. I have the exact same theory about ADHD.
Japan does public transit right. They're clean, civilized, and most of all - quiet.
Culturally in Japan it's rude to talk on the phone while using public transportation and any conversation with another person on the train must be done quietly. They do have ads on the train but nothing on digital screens other than transit-related information. The only noise from these screens are the station announcements and the rules.
Also, the "get a bike" comment is pure garbage especially when cities with transit are the ones also with not just high rates of bike theft but dangerous "protected" bike lanes. Biking "evangelists" (few are actually bicyclists but simply use them as a tool to push their car hatred) seem to be completely tone deaf when it comes to the fact that bicycles don't serve everybody's transportation needs. I'm really looking forward to these imbeciles, who took over the sensible bicyclists, starting to see their ideology on the decline.