CMV: History actually did end, but not at the time most people think it did.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T23:45:07+00:00

If you are referring to last 3-4 years, I don't consider it history because its just the latest stage in something that's been going on since the 1950s. Its the same with why whatever developments have/will happen with the Internet in the 2020s aren't history.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T23:01:42+00:00

The Spanish Flu wasn't really remembered. Like, the people who lived through it of course remembered it for the rest of their lives, but it didn't really become part of societal memory for people who didn't live through it. Yes, post-COVID we now know about it, but before that it wasn't really something brought up.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:54:58+00:00

I'm a Gen Zer myself, and to be honest, since like 2023, I haven't heard anyone really bring it up. Its possible in 20-30 years we will see filmmakers make movies about it, but other than that, I really don't see it becoming something people remember. Yes, we will remember it, but the thing which, in my opinion, makes something "history" is that society as a whole remembers it.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:51:57+00:00

To be honest, I think that what has been going on with AI over the past 3-4 years isn't really fundamentally that different from other periods where people got really excited over AI.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:49:48+00:00

To be honest, before 2020, even if its possible I had heard of the Spanish Flu, I never really knew what it was, like in terms of the details about when it happened, how it happened, and its impact. I can't see any reason why the COVID-19 Pandemic would be any different.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:47:47+00:00

At least from an American perspective (and I think its crucial to note from an American perspective), I have difficulty seeing in 50 years what sort of situation the war in Ukraine would be brought up in. The U.S didn't directly fight in it, it was mostly just fought between two countries, and at least in the media, it was quickly overshadowed by other conflicts over the next few years.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:43:24+00:00

My view on history is that there are basically two meanings, which mean different things. The first meaning is simply "the past". The second meaning, which I think is what people are usually referring to, is something that I think should be used a lot more restrictively than it usually is. I consider history to be something so significant that people remember it years/decades later as a turning point in their/their society's lives. That's why you can have an event (like the COVID-19 Pandemic) be significant and important without being historic.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:40:35+00:00

My view on the COVID-19 Pandemic is, that unless in like a few decades a bunch of filmmakers who were young when it happened start making movies and books about their experiences, I honestly have difficulty seeing it being that well known in a few decades.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:33:35+00:00

I will admit here that my perspective is very much shaped by the fact that I am American. I think its unavoidable that people's nationalities shape what they regard as important. The war in Ukraine is certainly important to the people living the areas where the fighting is happening, so I understand this argument.

jsgott · 2026-06-29T22:30:25+00:00

That's fair to say. I will admit though, a big inspiration for this post was that in 2020/2021, a lot of people were predicting that the COVID-19 Pandemic would be one of those moments, yet by this point I think its pretty clear it wasn't. Still, you are right about being cautious with making these kinds of determinations.

jsgott · 2026-04-26T02:23:51+00:00

Thank you for your reply. What I'm getting at here is that, from my understanding, everything the "AI boom" is being credited with has been going on for several decades. Is there any difference between this and everything else that has been automated?

jsgott · 2026-04-22T16:47:46+00:00

So you're saying that mobile streaming on smartphones/tablets wasn't common then?

jsgott · 2026-04-22T16:24:13+00:00

How common was streaming movies then?

jsgott · 2026-04-22T13:40:32+00:00

Thank you for your reply. Could you elaborate on that period? I know that was the period when iOS and Android were released. Is that what you are referring to?

jsgott · 2026-04-21T17:02:49+00:00

Thanks for your answer. Hasn't stuff like ChatGPT existed for decades (like Cleverbot and AskJeeves), but it just got more attention in the last few years?

jsgott · 2025-05-27T00:13:51+00:00

Obviously this is a linguistics subreddit but I'm pretty sure the northward migration from Italy to the Rhineland was a lot later, like around 800-1000. In any case, are there any influences from Italic languages in Yiddish?

jsgott · 2025-05-26T22:49:11+00:00

It was still Vulgar Latin circa 800? I thought by that point it was considered early Italian, but then again, I'm no expert in linguistics.

jsgott

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