Huxley, not Orwell, was right

From: Oscarvarium (OZGUR) 5 Aug 2013 19:28
To: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 5 of 13
Not trying to be too antagonistic, but society was around and working fine (as much as it ever does) for thousands and thousands of years before the US Constitution existed. I don't really get the near-religous blind faith in that single document, as if following it to the letter would make everything work fine without fail.
From: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 5 Aug 2013 19:31
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) 6 of 13
I am? What is it then?
From: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 5 Aug 2013 19:38
To: Oscarvarium (OZGUR) 7 of 13
It's what this country was founded on. The foresight that the people who crafted that document is amazing!

I agree that it's silly to think a piece of paper is the answer to all the problems, but this entire country and all of it's laws are based on the words from that document.  The words on that document determine guilt or innocence, and imprisonment or freedom.  So it's not something that you can just pick and choose to follow and that's what we have going on here.  I'm not really a "America is the best place on earth" type of person. I was born here and didn't have a say in that, but I'm here and I don't mind it usually.  Most places seem pretty much the same to me anyway. But the thing that really pisses me off, which is a little different from where you guys are from is these fuckers work for US!  We pay them, we elect them on the hopes that they have our best interests in mind and will do their best to uphold the oath they've taken.  It's to the point now though that they all come from the same mold (at least at the national level, local government isn't totally corrupt yet) so we are stuck picking the least worse which shouldn't happen.

Anyway, I hope that makes a little sense, the women in the office are fucking blabbing today and I can't concentrate. 
From: william (WILLIAMA) 5 Aug 2013 20:44
To: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 8 of 13
Unfortunate that Neil Postman appears to set up a very crude reading of Orwell in order to stage this supposed win for Huxley. Of course, there's an even older story from 1921 which is probably a more satisfactory piece of writing than either. 'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin has elements of both 1984 and Brave New World which isn't really surprising because it's very likely certain that both Orwell and Huxley read it before writing their books.
From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) 5 Aug 2013 23:10
To: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 9 of 13
It isn't something where guns can help with, except perhaps by shooting people who aren't your enemy, but that's generally regarded as not the wisest of approaches.

I'm not going to try and describe 'it' because (1) I don't know the right words; (b) I don't know that I'm right; (iii) You probably have to experience it for yourself, Kneo.

From: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 6 Aug 2013 13:05
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) 10 of 13
Great, so I have to keep my eye open for it but don't even know what it is!
From: Kenny J (WINGNUTKJ) 6 Aug 2013 13:18
To: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 11 of 13
Epic.
EDITED: 6 Aug 2013 13:20 by WINGNUTKJ
From: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 6 Aug 2013 13:19
To: Kenny J (WINGNUTKJ) 12 of 13
Maybe when we do the teh podcast PB can find the words to tell me what it is!
From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) 6 Aug 2013 23:23
To: Ken (SHIELDSIT) 13 of 13
Maybe reading the book that old Willie mentioned will help?