The problem with advances in communications tech is that it enables the amplification of Cassandras. As the author indicates (and the use of the ancient symbolic name reinforces), they’ve always been with us.
Each new generation – assigned a letter from the end of the alphabet as if we’re counting down to the end – becomes more bombarded than the previous one with doomladen forecasts; without the experiential werewithal to counter these narratives, many succumb, often the more intelligent ones, i.e. students.
The world goes on, just differently in some ways but pretty much the same in most ways. Each new generation thinks that’s about to change.
The pages of Unherd are packed (littered?) with similar articles, about the ways in which theorists and commentators think this is happening. The author of this article seeks to rebalance this constant narrative, and whilst choosing an extreme example (someone who literally bombarded) i think he gets it just about right. The steady drum-beat of doom can he replaced with the complex syncopation of experience.
There was a complaint in the MSM yesterday that people were watching less news and were ignorant of ‘important’ issues. Perhaps, people have finally tired of the doomsterism of the media
Me too.
I usually listen to Angel Radio (available in Hampshire or anywhere on digital) – no news, only plays songs released between Jan 1st 1920 and Jan 1st 1970, elderly but knowledgeable DJs, only a few local ads and even the weather reports are in old money (Fahrenheit). Bliss!
Me too.
I usually listen to Angel Radio (available in Hampshire or anywhere on digital) – no news, only plays songs released between Jan 1st 1920 and Jan 1st 1970, elderly but knowledgeable DJs, only a few local ads and even the weather reports are in old money (Fahrenheit). Bliss!
You’re old and out of touch. One hopes you’re alive and compos mentis in 2053; perhaps even then you’ll be trying to convince people nothing has really changed.
Ha ha! Although i’ll be in my 90s by then, i fully intend to still be around and as in touch with developments and not just their implications as i’ve been since my teens, but adding to their interpretation for those stuck in thinking ruts – such as anyone who equates age with being in or out of touch.
Ha ha! Although i’ll be in my 90s by then, i fully intend to still be around and as in touch with developments and not just their implications as i’ve been since my teens, but adding to their interpretation for those stuck in thinking ruts – such as anyone who equates age with being in or out of touch.
On one hand, it’s true, nothing much changes within the boundaries of living memory or perhaps even within those of written history. Human nature certainly hasn’t changed much since, for example, the biblical period. In the grand scheme of things, on the other hand, everything changes. Whatever we do or don’t do, Earth will continue to change radically from one geological era to another and eventually, inevitably, end up as a cosmic cinder. But neither point of view, in my opinion, is particularly helpful in connection with the present–that is, the immediate past and the immediate future. Some periods really do require us to make moral choices or even to sacrifice ourselves in order to avoid cataclysmic reversions to, for want of a better word, barbarism.
I mean, what if you were living in the Germany of 1933? Would you dismiss as Cassandras those who warned others about the sinister signs of things to come? Many people did close their eyes, convincing themselves for countless reasons that the Nazis would soon come to their senses–or be forced to do so by pressure from other countries. Life would go on as usual, if not immediately then eventually, despite a few brutal blips. And it did for a few lucky people but at a staggering cost in suffering to millions of very unlucky people–and even to those who were born generations later but live to this day in the deeply cynical world that emerged from the ruins and the death camps.
My point is that history is not homogeneous. Within the admittedly confined context of daily life, at any rate, things can indeed change for either the better or the worse. Isn’t there some way to avoid both complacency and hysteria?
true – for some it is the tread lightly strategy – no kids, flexible work and living options and make the most of the naturally occurring positive aspects of our time in this mortal coil….sounds sensible to me !
true – for some it is the tread lightly strategy – no kids, flexible work and living options and make the most of the naturally occurring positive aspects of our time in this mortal coil….sounds sensible to me !
There was a complaint in the MSM yesterday that people were watching less news and were ignorant of ‘important’ issues. Perhaps, people have finally tired of the doomsterism of the media
You’re old and out of touch. One hopes you’re alive and compos mentis in 2053; perhaps even then you’ll be trying to convince people nothing has really changed.
On one hand, it’s true, nothing much changes within the boundaries of living memory or perhaps even within those of written history. Human nature certainly hasn’t changed much since, for example, the biblical period. In the grand scheme of things, on the other hand, everything changes. Whatever we do or don’t do, Earth will continue to change radically from one geological era to another and eventually, inevitably, end up as a cosmic cinder. But neither point of view, in my opinion, is particularly helpful in connection with the present–that is, the immediate past and the immediate future. Some periods really do require us to make moral choices or even to sacrifice ourselves in order to avoid cataclysmic reversions to, for want of a better word, barbarism.
I mean, what if you were living in the Germany of 1933? Would you dismiss as Cassandras those who warned others about the sinister signs of things to come? Many people did close their eyes, convincing themselves for countless reasons that the Nazis would soon come to their senses–or be forced to do so by pressure from other countries. Life would go on as usual, if not immediately then eventually, despite a few brutal blips. And it did for a few lucky people but at a staggering cost in suffering to millions of very unlucky people–and even to those who were born generations later but live to this day in the deeply cynical world that emerged from the ruins and the death camps.
My point is that history is not homogeneous. Within the admittedly confined context of daily life, at any rate, things can indeed change for either the better or the worse. Isn’t there some way to avoid both complacency and hysteria?
The problem with advances in communications tech is that it enables the amplification of Cassandras. As the author indicates (and the use of the ancient symbolic name reinforces), they’ve always been with us.
Each new generation – assigned a letter from the end of the alphabet as if we’re counting down to the end – becomes more bombarded than the previous one with doomladen forecasts; without the experiential werewithal to counter these narratives, many succumb, often the more intelligent ones, i.e. students.
The world goes on, just differently in some ways but pretty much the same in most ways. Each new generation thinks that’s about to change.
The pages of Unherd are packed (littered?) with similar articles, about the ways in which theorists and commentators think this is happening. The author of this article seeks to rebalance this constant narrative, and whilst choosing an extreme example (someone who literally bombarded) i think he gets it just about right. The steady drum-beat of doom can he replaced with the complex syncopation of experience.
Last edited 10 months ago by Steve Murray
Michael Walsh
10 months ago
Apparently the author of this dubious piece -unlike Kaczynski- did not get his head f***ed with by the CIA under the MKUltra program.
Michael Walsh
10 months ago
Apparently the author of this dubious piece -unlike Kaczynski- did not get his head f***ed with by the CIA under the MKUltra program.
J Bryant
10 months ago
Yes, we all have to deal with reality as it is, not as we want it to be, and to do otherwise is arguably immature. The key element is that of will and agency. We must choose to accept reality and have the ability to make that choice.
Sadly, the author chose the wrong subject to illustrate his point, imo. By all accounts, Kaczynski suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His denial of reality demonstrated nothing more than the effect of his profound mental illness.
J Bryant
10 months ago
Yes, we all have to deal with reality as it is, not as we want it to be, and to do otherwise is arguably immature. The key element is that of will and agency. We must choose to accept reality and have the ability to make that choice.
Sadly, the author chose the wrong subject to illustrate his point, imo. By all accounts, Kaczynski suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His denial of reality demonstrated nothing more than the effect of his profound mental illness.
Fred Oakley
10 months ago
Condescending drivel.
Fred Oakley
10 months ago
Condescending drivel.
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
10 months ago
“..now at least has some social science research buttressing it.”
And the author thinks uncle Ted had some strange beliefs
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
10 months ago
“..now at least has some social science research buttressing it.”
And the author thinks uncle Ted had some strange beliefs
Justin Clark
10 months ago
https://twitter.com/spikedonline/status/1668785364662726657?s=20
Elon Musk says the Unabomber might have been right about the Industrial Revolution. Grow up, Elon – you wouldn’t be where you are today without that glorious upheaval in human history, says Brendan O’Neill
Justin Clark
10 months ago
https://twitter.com/spikedonline/status/1668785364662726657?s=20
Elon Musk says the Unabomber might have been right about the Industrial Revolution. Grow up, Elon – you wouldn’t be where you are today without that glorious upheaval in human history, says Brendan O’Neill
Hendrik Mentz
10 months ago
The Unabomber has been proven prescient. ‘As for the rest of us, our life may feel banal’. Speak for yourself, mate.
Hendrik Mentz
10 months ago
The Unabomber has been proven prescient. ‘As for the rest of us, our life may feel banal’. Speak for yourself, mate.
Cate Terwilliger
10 months ago
“For all its failings, society offers us human connection, a shared history, and communal resilience in the face of adversity.” That’s not what I feel in modern American society. I feel illusionary (or delusionary), virtually mediated human “connection,” an unshared history in which each self-defined group advances its particular narrative while opposing others, and — post-pandemic, after short-sighted shutdowns that caused immense and enduring collateral damage — dubious resilience. Kaczynski certainly (and obviously) had his failings, and I am certainly not defending committing murder. But I disagree that his perspective was “childish.”
Alan Gore
10 months ago
I’m curious: has Paul Kingsnorth weighed in on Kacynski’s death yet?
Nathan Ngumi
10 months ago
Word. Even those fleeing to the hills or heading back to the woods will be overtaken by the pestilence they are escaping from.
Mark Smith
10 months ago
“Kaczynski was apparently unable to truly grasp the cyclical nature of history — the one field neglected in Industrial Society and Its Future”
I don’t think that cycles of societal decay are relevant to the problems that the Unibomber discussed. Technology almost by definition develops cumulatively, with each new generation building on the previous, leading to greater complexity, power, and influence on society. Most dramatically, several ways to end the species have been invented in the past 100 years. These are world-historical developments that no resurgence of civil and civic norms will address.
Charles Stanhope
10 months ago
Why was this ‘weirdo’ NOT electrocuted back in 1998 as he so richly deserved?
ps. Alright gassed, shot or even hanged then.
But certainly NOT lethal injection!
As I recall, his family, having recognised his writing style passed on his identity to th authorities on the condition ethat, if it was him, he didn’t face the death penalty.
As I recall, his family, having recognised his writing style passed on his identity to th authorities on the condition ethat, if it was him, he didn’t face the death penalty.
Charles Stanhope
10 months ago
Why was this ‘weirdo’ NOT electrocuted back in 1998 as he so richly deserved?
ps. Alright gassed, shot or even hanged then.
But certainly NOT lethal injection!
Last edited 10 months ago by Charles Stanhope
Albert McGloan
10 months ago
Oliver Bateman – write more about working in the realm of experimental medical treatments for the ultra-wealthy. Everything else you write is ‘meh’.
Albert McGloan
10 months ago
Oliver Bateman – write more about working in the realm of experimental medical treatments for the ultra-wealthy. Everything else you write is ‘meh’.
Frank McCusker
10 months ago
“Extremists can’t accept life’s disappointments”
Sums up Brexiters.
Look at them now, blaming everyone and everything (apart from the mirror)
I’ll take a foreigner’s exemption on the political part but I love the idea of “blaming the mirror”, instead of what it reflects. Reminds me of the old Tom Waits number: “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”.
I’ll take a foreigner’s exemption on the political part but I love the idea of “blaming the mirror”, instead of what it reflects. Reminds me of the old Tom Waits number: “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”.
Frank McCusker
10 months ago
“Extremists can’t accept life’s disappointments”
Sums up Brexiters.
Look at them now, blaming everyone and everything (apart from the mirror)
The problem with advances in communications tech is that it enables the amplification of Cassandras. As the author indicates (and the use of the ancient symbolic name reinforces), they’ve always been with us.
Each new generation – assigned a letter from the end of the alphabet as if we’re counting down to the end – becomes more bombarded than the previous one with doomladen forecasts; without the experiential werewithal to counter these narratives, many succumb, often the more intelligent ones, i.e. students.
The world goes on, just differently in some ways but pretty much the same in most ways. Each new generation thinks that’s about to change.
The pages of Unherd are packed (littered?) with similar articles, about the ways in which theorists and commentators think this is happening. The author of this article seeks to rebalance this constant narrative, and whilst choosing an extreme example (someone who literally bombarded) i think he gets it just about right. The steady drum-beat of doom can he replaced with the complex syncopation of experience.
There was a complaint in the MSM yesterday that people were watching less news and were ignorant of ‘important’ issues. Perhaps, people have finally tired of the doomsterism of the media
That’s great news if true.
I immediately change the station on the radio when the news comes on. Radio 3 only has news at 8am, 1pm and 5pm. Classic FM has no news after 7pm
Me too.
I usually listen to Angel Radio (available in Hampshire or anywhere on digital) – no news, only plays songs released between Jan 1st 1920 and Jan 1st 1970, elderly but knowledgeable DJs, only a few local ads and even the weather reports are in old money (Fahrenheit). Bliss!
Same here. TV news in particular is a no-go zone, I’ve completely lost interest in their manipulative hysteria.
It does make me less informed about some of the things that do matter, but that is a worthwhile trade-off.
Me too.
I usually listen to Angel Radio (available in Hampshire or anywhere on digital) – no news, only plays songs released between Jan 1st 1920 and Jan 1st 1970, elderly but knowledgeable DJs, only a few local ads and even the weather reports are in old money (Fahrenheit). Bliss!
Same here. TV news in particular is a no-go zone, I’ve completely lost interest in their manipulative hysteria.
It does make me less informed about some of the things that do matter, but that is a worthwhile trade-off.
I immediately change the station on the radio when the news comes on. Radio 3 only has news at 8am, 1pm and 5pm. Classic FM has no news after 7pm
Perhaps it’s because people rightfully don’t trust what they are being told…and there are also those who are just willfully ignorant.
That’s great news if true.
Perhaps it’s because people rightfully don’t trust what they are being told…and there are also those who are just willfully ignorant.
You’re old and out of touch. One hopes you’re alive and compos mentis in 2053; perhaps even then you’ll be trying to convince people nothing has really changed.
Ha ha! Although i’ll be in my 90s by then, i fully intend to still be around and as in touch with developments and not just their implications as i’ve been since my teens, but adding to their interpretation for those stuck in thinking ruts – such as anyone who equates age with being in or out of touch.
You’ve been ploughing a rut so long you’re at the bottom of a canyon. One wonders if the old were ever wise.
You’ve been ploughing a rut so long you’re at the bottom of a canyon. One wonders if the old were ever wise.
Ha ha! Although i’ll be in my 90s by then, i fully intend to still be around and as in touch with developments and not just their implications as i’ve been since my teens, but adding to their interpretation for those stuck in thinking ruts – such as anyone who equates age with being in or out of touch.
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”
On one hand, it’s true, nothing much changes within the boundaries of living memory or perhaps even within those of written history. Human nature certainly hasn’t changed much since, for example, the biblical period. In the grand scheme of things, on the other hand, everything changes. Whatever we do or don’t do, Earth will continue to change radically from one geological era to another and eventually, inevitably, end up as a cosmic cinder. But neither point of view, in my opinion, is particularly helpful in connection with the present–that is, the immediate past and the immediate future. Some periods really do require us to make moral choices or even to sacrifice ourselves in order to avoid cataclysmic reversions to, for want of a better word, barbarism.
I mean, what if you were living in the Germany of 1933? Would you dismiss as Cassandras those who warned others about the sinister signs of things to come? Many people did close their eyes, convincing themselves for countless reasons that the Nazis would soon come to their senses–or be forced to do so by pressure from other countries. Life would go on as usual, if not immediately then eventually, despite a few brutal blips. And it did for a few lucky people but at a staggering cost in suffering to millions of very unlucky people–and even to those who were born generations later but live to this day in the deeply cynical world that emerged from the ruins and the death camps.
My point is that history is not homogeneous. Within the admittedly confined context of daily life, at any rate, things can indeed change for either the better or the worse. Isn’t there some way to avoid both complacency and hysteria?
true – for some it is the tread lightly strategy – no kids, flexible work and living options and make the most of the naturally occurring positive aspects of our time in this mortal coil….sounds sensible to me !
true – for some it is the tread lightly strategy – no kids, flexible work and living options and make the most of the naturally occurring positive aspects of our time in this mortal coil….sounds sensible to me !
My comment was repeated, so I deleted it.
There was a complaint in the MSM yesterday that people were watching less news and were ignorant of ‘important’ issues. Perhaps, people have finally tired of the doomsterism of the media
You’re old and out of touch. One hopes you’re alive and compos mentis in 2053; perhaps even then you’ll be trying to convince people nothing has really changed.
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”
On one hand, it’s true, nothing much changes within the boundaries of living memory or perhaps even within those of written history. Human nature certainly hasn’t changed much since, for example, the biblical period. In the grand scheme of things, on the other hand, everything changes. Whatever we do or don’t do, Earth will continue to change radically from one geological era to another and eventually, inevitably, end up as a cosmic cinder. But neither point of view, in my opinion, is particularly helpful in connection with the present–that is, the immediate past and the immediate future. Some periods really do require us to make moral choices or even to sacrifice ourselves in order to avoid cataclysmic reversions to, for want of a better word, barbarism.
I mean, what if you were living in the Germany of 1933? Would you dismiss as Cassandras those who warned others about the sinister signs of things to come? Many people did close their eyes, convincing themselves for countless reasons that the Nazis would soon come to their senses–or be forced to do so by pressure from other countries. Life would go on as usual, if not immediately then eventually, despite a few brutal blips. And it did for a few lucky people but at a staggering cost in suffering to millions of very unlucky people–and even to those who were born generations later but live to this day in the deeply cynical world that emerged from the ruins and the death camps.
My point is that history is not homogeneous. Within the admittedly confined context of daily life, at any rate, things can indeed change for either the better or the worse. Isn’t there some way to avoid both complacency and hysteria?
My comment was repeated, so I deleted it.
The problem with advances in communications tech is that it enables the amplification of Cassandras. As the author indicates (and the use of the ancient symbolic name reinforces), they’ve always been with us.
Each new generation – assigned a letter from the end of the alphabet as if we’re counting down to the end – becomes more bombarded than the previous one with doomladen forecasts; without the experiential werewithal to counter these narratives, many succumb, often the more intelligent ones, i.e. students.
The world goes on, just differently in some ways but pretty much the same in most ways. Each new generation thinks that’s about to change.
The pages of Unherd are packed (littered?) with similar articles, about the ways in which theorists and commentators think this is happening. The author of this article seeks to rebalance this constant narrative, and whilst choosing an extreme example (someone who literally bombarded) i think he gets it just about right. The steady drum-beat of doom can he replaced with the complex syncopation of experience.
Apparently the author of this dubious piece -unlike Kaczynski- did not get his head f***ed with by the CIA under the MKUltra program.
Apparently the author of this dubious piece -unlike Kaczynski- did not get his head f***ed with by the CIA under the MKUltra program.
Yes, we all have to deal with reality as it is, not as we want it to be, and to do otherwise is arguably immature. The key element is that of will and agency. We must choose to accept reality and have the ability to make that choice.
Sadly, the author chose the wrong subject to illustrate his point, imo. By all accounts, Kaczynski suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His denial of reality demonstrated nothing more than the effect of his profound mental illness.
Yes, we all have to deal with reality as it is, not as we want it to be, and to do otherwise is arguably immature. The key element is that of will and agency. We must choose to accept reality and have the ability to make that choice.
Sadly, the author chose the wrong subject to illustrate his point, imo. By all accounts, Kaczynski suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His denial of reality demonstrated nothing more than the effect of his profound mental illness.
Condescending drivel.
Condescending drivel.
“..now at least has some social science research buttressing it.”
And the author thinks uncle Ted had some strange beliefs
“..now at least has some social science research buttressing it.”
And the author thinks uncle Ted had some strange beliefs
https://twitter.com/spikedonline/status/1668785364662726657?s=20
Elon Musk says the Unabomber might have been right about the Industrial Revolution. Grow up, Elon – you wouldn’t be where you are today without that glorious upheaval in human history, says Brendan O’Neill
https://twitter.com/spikedonline/status/1668785364662726657?s=20
Elon Musk says the Unabomber might have been right about the Industrial Revolution. Grow up, Elon – you wouldn’t be where you are today without that glorious upheaval in human history, says Brendan O’Neill
The Unabomber has been proven prescient. ‘As for the rest of us, our life may feel banal’. Speak for yourself, mate.
The Unabomber has been proven prescient. ‘As for the rest of us, our life may feel banal’. Speak for yourself, mate.
“For all its failings, society offers us human connection, a shared history, and communal resilience in the face of adversity.” That’s not what I feel in modern American society. I feel illusionary (or delusionary), virtually mediated human “connection,” an unshared history in which each self-defined group advances its particular narrative while opposing others, and — post-pandemic, after short-sighted shutdowns that caused immense and enduring collateral damage — dubious resilience. Kaczynski certainly (and obviously) had his failings, and I am certainly not defending committing murder. But I disagree that his perspective was “childish.”
I’m curious: has Paul Kingsnorth weighed in on Kacynski’s death yet?
Word. Even those fleeing to the hills or heading back to the woods will be overtaken by the pestilence they are escaping from.
“Kaczynski was apparently unable to truly grasp the cyclical nature of history — the one field neglected in Industrial Society and Its Future”
I don’t think that cycles of societal decay are relevant to the problems that the Unibomber discussed. Technology almost by definition develops cumulatively, with each new generation building on the previous, leading to greater complexity, power, and influence on society. Most dramatically, several ways to end the species have been invented in the past 100 years. These are world-historical developments that no resurgence of civil and civic norms will address.
Why was this ‘weirdo’ NOT electrocuted back in 1998 as he so richly deserved?
ps. Alright gassed, shot or even hanged then.
But certainly NOT lethal injection!
As I recall, his family, having recognised his writing style passed on his identity to th authorities on the condition ethat, if it was him, he didn’t face the death penalty.
Thank you.
It reminds rather of William Joyce (aka Lord Haw-Haw) sacrificing himself to save his wife from the noose.
Thank you.
It reminds rather of William Joyce (aka Lord Haw-Haw) sacrificing himself to save his wife from the noose.
As I recall, his family, having recognised his writing style passed on his identity to th authorities on the condition ethat, if it was him, he didn’t face the death penalty.
Why was this ‘weirdo’ NOT electrocuted back in 1998 as he so richly deserved?
ps. Alright gassed, shot or even hanged then.
But certainly NOT lethal injection!
Oliver Bateman – write more about working in the realm of experimental medical treatments for the ultra-wealthy. Everything else you write is ‘meh’.
Oliver Bateman – write more about working in the realm of experimental medical treatments for the ultra-wealthy. Everything else you write is ‘meh’.
“Extremists can’t accept life’s disappointments”
Sums up Brexiters.
Look at them now, blaming everyone and everything (apart from the mirror)
I’ll take a foreigner’s exemption on the political part but I love the idea of “blaming the mirror”, instead of what it reflects. Reminds me of the old Tom Waits number: “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”.
I’ll take a foreigner’s exemption on the political part but I love the idea of “blaming the mirror”, instead of what it reflects. Reminds me of the old Tom Waits number: “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”.
“Extremists can’t accept life’s disappointments”
Sums up Brexiters.
Look at them now, blaming everyone and everything (apart from the mirror)