In 2007 I watched a very dear relative of mine die before my eyes. We were very close and I had known him all my life. It wasn't a sudden death, but his mind had been pretty sharp up until his final hours, which made his passing anything but a relief for those around him. He loved life and lived it to the full, and was positive right up until the very end. The whole experience was horrid for all those around him. An hour after his passing we all sat in the hospital reception, giving support to his wife as the nurses on the ward went through the basic formalities. The wife was asked whether she would like some bereavement counselling. Her response was a defiant,
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Rage Against the X Factor Machine
Rage Against the Machine via last.fm
A few days ago I wrote a purely self-indulgent article listing my 10 favourite songs. Nothing too progressive in the art I have to say, other than perhaps my idiosyncratic tastes in music, but it was an enjoyable exercise that paid me money. A received a comment on the said article from an interested reader, “No prizes for guessing who want for the Christmas number one then?” It puzzled me. All the songs I had listed had been out of the
The track, of course, is not a new single, but the first great hit of the band, “Killing in the Name of”. It is not exactly your typical Christmas hit, especially if we consider one of the lines in the song refers to the extremist Christian cult, the Ku Klux Klan. Rage Against the Machine have always stood out as one of the most staunch and popular protest rock groups in the last decade. The always seemed somewhat out of place in the early 1990s with their Che Guevara t-shirts, Anarchist Cookbooks and so on, all which were popular during the 1970s, but fast-forward to today and I guess it is all back in. Not since the days of the second generation punk band, Crass, of the early ‘80s can I recall a band being so overtly revolutionary and willing to tackle political issues. They really like to stick it to the man! However, of course, their popularity has meant that they have inevitably compromised and contradicted some of their socialist beliefs. I am not an especial fan of their politics anyway, seeing myself as a militant individualist, but I love their energy in the same way as I love the energy of the early punk rock movement.
I also love the concept of “the people” finally saying they have had enough of X Factor and replied with such a perfect track to express this opinion. It’s not that the show is especially awful, but for years now it seems to have finished the job the likes of Stock Aiken and Waterman started in the 1980s. For five unbroken years the
One thing that really got my goat, however, was the inevitability being pushed in the tabloid article about the battle between Rage Against the Machine and this other bloke. Bookies were giving odds against Rage Against the Machine’s supporters beating X Factor, as they felt that the Facebook campaign would be no match for the corporate advertising and marketing machine behind X Factor. This is quite sad, but it is reflective of our times. Personally I like the article written in the Guardian’s Music Blog. It gives a sense of balance, referencing a link describing RATM’s obvious political contradictions and describes why, from a democratic point of view, it would be very sweet to see the band get the top spot. Sadly it also speaks with a sense of pessimistic determinism that it would be unlikely for this happen. Another article from another disreputable tabloid cries out for another punk revolution. Now that would be sweet!
The Guardian article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/dec/11/rage-against-machine-christmas-no1
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com
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Monday, 26 October 2009
Unacceptable Conduct? - Pseudohistory in the making
Image via Wikipedia
Apparently the instructor who owned the dojo where the beating occurred, plus set up and encouraged it, is the man responsible for posting the footage on YouTube. This was met with a horrified response. Since then fictional information has been added, including connecting the incident to a "cold case", where a dead man was found in a dumpster around that time. Showing a shocking desire not to check facts, the incident was then reported on a US TV news programme, albeit with the question as to whether or not it was a hoax . When I received an email on Facebook asking to join a club that wanted to waste time and resources to investigate this mythical case, I felt I needed to say something. So, I joined a thread I remember seeing on the Martial Edge forum and posted my views.
Keen to show this example of pseudohistory in the making to an audience that would better understand it objectively I passed on details of my small amount of activity on the forum, to the "Undercover Sceptic" blog. Here is their post:
http://undercoversceptic.blogspot.com/2009/10/unnaceptable-conduct.html
I have seen the power of the media from both sides of the camera. I grew up in showbusiness and my parents' company supplies to the media industry. It is incredible what imagery and emotional language can do to people. Things I have learnt since I embraced critical thinking are that no one is invulnerable to propaganda and gossip, and it is all a question of finding someone's level of creduality. I am still shocked how so many people in the circus world, my first culture, can be taken in by charlatans. It seems mad to me that a culture who counts some of the greatest tricksters of all in their heritage - Phineas T Barnum for example - can buy into all sorts of pseudoscience, old wives tales and superstition. Likewise, the subculture of martial arts and its offshoot, that of modern self protection methods, both of which I am heavily entrenched produce people who are just as gullible. We are in a time where "defence of the self" is being preached as a method of ultimate self defence. I am in line with this way of thinking and feel that we need to be aware on all fronts.
Undercover Sceptic's points that martial artists should be "switched on" not only to the hard dangers in life, but also to the manipulations of others is very apt. In my Martial Arts Scepticism series of articles for "Jissen!" magazine, I pointed out that scepticism is a philosophy that would benefit the martial arts world. A martial artist aspires to a high level of discipline and self control. This is usually meant by the fastidious way they stick to their physical training, rituals and self control often just means don't go around abusing your skills on others. However, I argue that this self control needs to be honed at an even deeper level. A good defence against becoming susceptible to the emotional impact of gossip, the tabloid media and other stimulants that set off the sympathetic nervous system is to become more disciplined with critical thinking. We should always question intelligently and have a rational set of tools to help us spot red flags in a story. When shown any sort of imagery we should be sceptical and ask some simple questions, doing our best to remove our emotions from the questioning. It is not difficult and before long you will have a built-in intuitive sense of whether or not something is entirely true.
The Washington Post's more balanced review of the "cold case"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/30/AR2009083002251.html
Some more hysterical responses:
http://www.thoughts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25191
http://www.justice4kungfuguy.com/
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com
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Tuesday, 16 June 2009
The Minds that Shape our Future: A Review of "Grown up Digital"
“Grown up Digital” is Don Tapscott’s follow-up to “Growing up Digital”, a book that described the emerging “Net Generation” and their unique influences. This generation is defined by Tapscott as those who were born from 1977 to 1997. As he explains, they have often gone by different monikers including “Generation Y”, because they immediately follow “Generation X”, and the “Millennials”. Tapscott uses the “Net” to distinguish them, as this is the main tool he sees them using in their work and leisure. “Grown up Digital” is a study and reflection on how this generation is now changing our world and how the older members of society are succeeding or failing depending on how well they understand these new kids on the block.
Criticizing your era’s youth is nothing new. It’s not difficult either. We can find literature going back centuries, let alone decades, where the older generation discusses the shortcomings of their successors. In this sense Tapscott’s book is refreshing in the enthusiastic optimism he feels, as a member of the “Baby Boomer Generation”, watching the way the Net Generation are shaping business and society. He argues that the unique communicative services provided by the internet have helped develop the world’s first aligned global generation and helped promote more collaboration and less prejudice. The birth of “Web 2.0” has made this generation become more creative and interactive. They are less passive than previous generations whose main influence came from sources like the television. Web 2.0 has promoted such services as Wikipedia, Myspace and Facebook that encourage users to create their own content. Tapscott explains that a generation “bathed in bits” are used to customizing everything and their actual thinking process is geared towards contribution rather than just receiving information.
The book is fairly lengthy yet an accessible, which cries out for a massive paradigm shift in the way we run businesses and education. The author spends a lot of time rebutting the popular arguments about the Net Generation. The alienation argument is countered with the mass philanthropy and global community promoted by the ‘net. Although more liberal views regarding intellectual property are clearly a behaviour that puts this generation at odds with previous ones, Tapscott argues that this does not diminish the Net Generation’s creativity and is partly explained by their desire to be interactive. His most convincing argument is put forward regarding the apparent lack of physical activity displayed by this generation, a generation often condemned for being obese and lazy. Tapscott points out that the Net Generation don’t watch nearly as much television as the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. In fact, television is used more as a type of muzak for this generation, played in the background whilst they got on with other activities. This brings us onto the argument regarding multitasking. Tapscott should be credited with the objective way he handled this topic. Although the studies mentioned do not prove that the Net Generation are any better at multitasking, it also shows that they aren’t any worse and their apparent lower attention spans demonstrate the sheer volume of activity they actually cram into a day.
Although, on the whole, Tapscott’s mission is to bang the drum and promote a better understanding of the Net Generation he does also mention some of their shortcomings that are not easily countered. His main word of warning is the way net users freely divulge private information on the web, information that has affected people’s careers. I read “Grown up Digital” at the same time I was reading Damian Thompson’s “Counterknowledge”. It was interesting to note what Tapscott viewed as a scrutinizing and critical generation inspired by the constantly peer-reviewed internet, Thompson saw their susceptibility to misinformation, conspiracy theories, pseudohistory and pseudoscience. They are both correct, of course, but the scrutinizing Tapscott sees as a trait of the emerging generation can often manifests itself in pseudoscepticism. This is demonstrated by the egregious conspiracy theory films created for the net such as “Zeitgeist: The Movie” and “Loose Change”.
Having not read “Growing up Digital” and being completely new to Don Tapscott’s work I viewed his latest work as a standalone piece. It is recommended reading for anyone involved at least in teaching, where it provides some superb new initiatives and insights.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com
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Criticizing your era’s youth is nothing new. It’s not difficult either. We can find literature going back centuries, let alone decades, where the older generation discusses the shortcomings of their successors. In this sense Tapscott’s book is refreshing in the enthusiastic optimism he feels, as a member of the “Baby Boomer Generation”, watching the way the Net Generation are shaping business and society. He argues that the unique communicative services provided by the internet have helped develop the world’s first aligned global generation and helped promote more collaboration and less prejudice. The birth of “Web 2.0” has made this generation become more creative and interactive. They are less passive than previous generations whose main influence came from sources like the television. Web 2.0 has promoted such services as Wikipedia, Myspace and Facebook that encourage users to create their own content. Tapscott explains that a generation “bathed in bits” are used to customizing everything and their actual thinking process is geared towards contribution rather than just receiving information.
The book is fairly lengthy yet an accessible, which cries out for a massive paradigm shift in the way we run businesses and education. The author spends a lot of time rebutting the popular arguments about the Net Generation. The alienation argument is countered with the mass philanthropy and global community promoted by the ‘net. Although more liberal views regarding intellectual property are clearly a behaviour that puts this generation at odds with previous ones, Tapscott argues that this does not diminish the Net Generation’s creativity and is partly explained by their desire to be interactive. His most convincing argument is put forward regarding the apparent lack of physical activity displayed by this generation, a generation often condemned for being obese and lazy. Tapscott points out that the Net Generation don’t watch nearly as much television as the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. In fact, television is used more as a type of muzak for this generation, played in the background whilst they got on with other activities. This brings us onto the argument regarding multitasking. Tapscott should be credited with the objective way he handled this topic. Although the studies mentioned do not prove that the Net Generation are any better at multitasking, it also shows that they aren’t any worse and their apparent lower attention spans demonstrate the sheer volume of activity they actually cram into a day.
Although, on the whole, Tapscott’s mission is to bang the drum and promote a better understanding of the Net Generation he does also mention some of their shortcomings that are not easily countered. His main word of warning is the way net users freely divulge private information on the web, information that has affected people’s careers. I read “Grown up Digital” at the same time I was reading Damian Thompson’s “Counterknowledge”. It was interesting to note what Tapscott viewed as a scrutinizing and critical generation inspired by the constantly peer-reviewed internet, Thompson saw their susceptibility to misinformation, conspiracy theories, pseudohistory and pseudoscience. They are both correct, of course, but the scrutinizing Tapscott sees as a trait of the emerging generation can often manifests itself in pseudoscepticism. This is demonstrated by the egregious conspiracy theory films created for the net such as “Zeitgeist: The Movie” and “Loose Change”.
Having not read “Growing up Digital” and being completely new to Don Tapscott’s work I viewed his latest work as a standalone piece. It is recommended reading for anyone involved at least in teaching, where it provides some superb new initiatives and insights.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com
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