I've become Socially numb

[carlosx]

Yes, that's a riff on Pink Floyd.

What I wanted to talk about was the whole effect of how our modern society is numbing us to our masculinity.

Things like video games...

Nude images of women (you know, that four letter word, starts with "P")

Television & movies

Substances (including junky food & caffeine & alcohol)

Conspicuous consumption...


All of this stuff stops men from tapping into their inner fire and being REAL men these days.

What do you think?

[Arcador]

I am on that!

(btw the new Font is difficult to read, if possible to edit the theme, can make it a little more readable).

Indeed I believe all the media & co do numb people. Yet it is very difficult for one to realize this (until he feels it once).

All factors contribute to this, it is like a symptom of this condition - depersonalization (and coffee, pot and similar substances are know to deliver a slight feeling of this).

I guess it is like watching the world through glass. I've felt something similar when the lack of sleep hit me (I believe it is apathy). It is like the things that happen around you don't give you anything, you just don't care about them, like they are some kind of scripted movie.

Mountain climbers that go extreme have reported similar symptom when lacking of oxygen up there. It is like knowing what to do logically and technically, but the emotional motivation is in complete absence.

I am shooting blindly here.

Staying away from the social interactions and trying to fill the gap with substitute things do numb down. I remember when I was making my master's degree thesis - 5 days of complete lockdown, no phones, no day no night - just me, the PC and my drafts. Well on the 6th day when I entered the world of the living It took me a while to get in rhythm.

That new movie - "Surrogates" hit that spot pretty good. People made life a video game. Sims go extreme.

I also believe some sort of numbness may emerge from being on extreme. We were at this international airsoft event (68 hours non stop military simulation). When it was over the world was like a dulled down insignificant place (at least for few days). Now imagine with real soldiers who stay on a mission for months. No wonder those guys go nuts. What was it ? ~28 days to get new neural paths?

Veso

[Sparrow]

Keeping the Pink Floyd theme alive ^^^,

On my most recent trip to Malaysia, I was fully engulfed within a completely different culture. Strangely enough, one of the major epiphanies I experience in my travels, is western societies dependence on alcohol. When you really think hard about it - it's kind of disgusting all this binge drinking in youths - are we that socially insecure? Why must we drink to get drunk? It disgusts me, I now never drink purely to get drunk, but I assure you the majority % of 23yo's do - it's sad!

I think the producers of such shows as 'Americans next top model' should burn in hell (yes we get that crap in Australia). I think the News is now designed not to purvey facts, but rather promote an emotion reaction (Carlos I think you have a theory along these lines).

I think facebook will make social retards out of the next generation of kids and that people are increasingly confusing their virtual world with their real world.

On the contrary, I do play video games, but only FIFA10 soccer which I play multi-player with my mates when they come over my place.

Sparrow.

[c-rock]

There is nothing wrong with video games, pot, alcohol, media -- they are all recreational outlets for guys to let loose. But its when things become excessive- that is the numbing of men in this country. I believe an Alpha man will be selective as to what he puts his attention on, because there is a coorelation between your attention and your state. If you loosely let the media define your state, then you are at mercy. Choose wisely.

Did you guys see a recent 'the office' episode, when Pam, the receptionist turned saleslady, gets the priveledge for punching the office manager in the face, Michael, for dating her mom? And this was after negotiation, at the expense of his own self respect. he VOLUNTEERED this; and nearly flinched right before she did it.

-why are masculine roles, and the breaking down of masculine roles all of the sudden funny? Its funny, because my favorite Character on that show is Stanley, who happens to 'let shit break loose' when the shit hits the fan.
MEN have built our cities,
MEN have fought our wars,
MEN deal with shit day in and day out
MEN have never sacrificed their self respect in exchange for being funny


Mass media however, I think has a unified agenda in dumbing down gender roles re: Adam Lambert kissing his keyboardist on American Idol, Of which, is broadcast to a WIDE audience, significantly children. I'm all for equality - yes, you get your rights, yes you get your cable channels, yes we as a society are generally open to accepting your lifestyle. But since when are we, at the expense of you broadcasting your sexual agenda on stage to a national audience where the average age of viewers is 14-18 years old?

Im not homophobic, but Adam Lambert kissing his keyboardist on American Idol is not necessary. American Idol is about finding the next big talent, not a display of homosexual behavior. The shock factor, along with telling kids that 'its okay to engage in homosexual behavior' is just another 'dumbing' of the gender roles we are experiencing in this country. MY god if my grandfather and his brothers saw this shit, it would give them heart attacks

Everytime I go to the supermarket, the tabloids 'who's gay' etc
you know what? who gives a F%^????????????

where are the morals? I grew up with them, and im proud because its imprinted in my character. People who are highly 'suggestable' by the media are unaware of the forces behind them, an agenda to think a certain way, accept a concept etc.
the media is eroding the mental fabric (whats left of it) of people in this country. It is so important, as Tony Robbins says, to "watch your coffee"; what what people "try" to put in it and to guard it with your life.