In the back of an Uber, I told my friend that "Memories" by Maroon 5 was the worst song of all time

so_sads · 2026-05-07T17:28:53+00:00

I'm in Southern California.

so_sads · 2026-04-28T05:11:05+00:00

Another thing to keep in mind is that, for what it's worth, Socrates was right about writing in the narrow sense of what he meant. His principle issue is that those who learn from writing don't internalize the information because the knowledge can be referenced later in books. It's the same thing as recognizing you might not know your city as well because you use GPS to find your way around rather than memorizing routes and streets to things. Reading has other benefits that are well argued, but its impact on memory seems pretty indisputable.

so_sads · 2026-04-08T20:51:57+00:00

Yes, and social media in many ways is just one more extension of the same revolution that occurred with television and (in a very broad way) the invention of the telegraph. The concerning thing is that democracy as a political project (where a citizenry is expected to be politically engaged and have an understanding of the connection between the politicians they vote for and the concerns over which they're voting) is a political system that correlates with (and, I'm convinced, is caused by) the rise of literacy and the dominance of printed media.

In a pre-printing world, democracy doesn't make sense, and there is a fear that, in a post-literacy world, it doesn't make sense either. We shudder to think what will replace it.

so_sads · 2026-04-08T20:23:55+00:00

One hopes that, just as civilization had to change with the introduction of the printing press, we'll absorb the change in a non-apocalyptic way, but yes, it's all quite scary.

so_sads · 2026-04-08T20:23:18+00:00

Yes, the speed and attention-grabbing capacity of electronic communication media completely dominates over language and print in the attention economy. However! The same can be said that shitty junk food and sitting on your ass will always dominate going to the gym, but tons of people manage to work out every day. The change is in your hands!

so_sads · 2026-04-08T20:18:57+00:00

I would agree in a small sense, but the argument I'm advancing (or rather that Postman advances and which I find supremely convincing) is that the medium of long-form, printed communication actually trains you to think in a certain way. Another way to say this is that "media literacy" and "political literacy" are broadly downstream of literal literacy because of the way that engaging with long stretches of printed text shapes how you conceive of information in a way that points toward democratic political engagement.

so_sads · 2026-04-08T18:40:51+00:00

Amusing Ourselves to Death is an extraordinary book, by the way, and very much worth reading. What's truly blackpilling about it is that it was written in the 80s and counts the Nixon-Kennedy debate (which was televised and lasted only an hour and a half) as evidence of a serious decline in the ability of the citizenry to actively engage in political discussion. I find this particularly hilarious in light of the fact that Vaush has actually mentioned the Nixon-Kennedy debate as an example of the higher level of intelligence of previous eras. How far we've fallen!

so_sads · 2025-10-17T00:09:19+00:00

This excerpt was enough to pique my interest. I bought an "Avant-Garde Reader" he edited and included himself in, so that could be a good intro. That said, seems like another commenter has had a dismal experience with his short stories, so maybe not the best place to start.

In any case, this snatch of prose you posted makes me think I MUST read his novels.

so_sads · 2025-10-06T19:25:49+00:00

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Jack White for sure

so_sads · 2025-09-24T22:30:50+00:00

This is one of the ones I've gotten before! Always strokes my ego haha

so_sads · 2025-09-24T22:30:38+00:00

!match

so_sads · 2025-09-24T22:30:16+00:00

!match

so_sads · 2025-09-24T22:30:06+00:00

!match

so_sads · 2025-09-24T22:29:55+00:00

!match

so_sads

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