... like empathy is a muscle that atrophies if not exercised And which is made possible by universal suffering according to Colbert and Cooper. Has anyone seen that video I linked?
Frank ----------------------------------- Frank Wimberly My memoir: https://www.amazon.com/author/frankwimberly My scientific publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Wimberly2 Phone (505) 670-9918 On Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 11:56 AM uǝlƃ ☣ <geprope...@gmail.com> wrote: > Yes, I think this "savior" narrative was why this particular one was > interesting. There are a spate of articles talking about how our modern > tech isolates us more than it connects us, or how outrage clickbait gives a > dopamine rush and such, or how the incels and the alt-right bois are > disaffected and radicalized through their isolation. In such a cultural > context, it seems reasonable that messages like this (including newage BS > like "the law of attraction") might hit a vulnerable spot similar to what > Nick mentions. > > The mechanisms/exploits Marcus mentions in PDF files parsed by Acrobat > Reader, macro-laden Office or obfuscated JavaScript, including the tracking > pixels mentioned by Eric and Steve are much less interesting to me ... > maybe because I understand those tools. I definitely do NOT understand the > position someone would have to be in to click something thinking there's > any kind of hopeful, life-changing, message or secret at the other end of > the link. It's that psychological "exploit" that's most interesting to me. > It's just like the Nigerian scam, only instead of targeting lazy, greedy, > get-rich-quick suckers, they target lazy, lonely, get-relationships-easy > suckers. > > My intuition hints at some loss of empathy, some kind of objectification > of others ... e.g. that one might see all the pretty people on instagram > always having fun, never slumped in fits of depression, and thinking how > cool the lives of those objectified non-people must be. I caught a snippet > of a conversation on NPR where the person suggested that empathizing enough > with animals so that *eating* them might feel a bit like cannibalism may > *foster* empathy with other humans, over and above that with animals. ... > like empathy is a muscle that atrophies if not exercised. > > My guess is that the person who might click on the Archangel Michael links > is just such an isolated Gollum, who feels like their life is hopeless and > the world is cruel ... always hunting for that get-happy-quick Precious > that must be out there somewhere, if only they could find it. > > On 8/17/19 9:30 AM, Pietro Terna wrote: > > What is very interesting for me is that the "Archangel Michael's > Message For You" > > text reproduces a quite archaic format used in Italy, but I guess not > only, for > > handwritten messages diffused by old mail. > > E.g. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catena_di_sant%27Antonio > > > > The format always quotes one or more relatives or fiends by name > etc. having received > > benefits and requires prayers etc. > > > > Very interesting this form of modern survival. > > -- > ☣ uǝlƃ > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC <http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/FRIAM-COMIC> > http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove >
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
