The Monkeysphere
Caboose
title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">...or why I don't give a ****</div> There's a bit of crude language here, be warned.
Please read the whole article before posting, the following is just a teaser.
<a href='http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/monkeysphere.html' target='_blank'>http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/monkeysphere.html</a>
<!--QuoteBegin-"The Above Link"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> ("The Above Link")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Picture a monkey. A monkey dressed like a little pirate, if you wish. We'll call him Slappy.
Imagine you have Slappy as a pet. Imagine a personality for him. Maybe you and he have little pirate monkey adventures and maybe even join up to fight crime. You'd be sad if Slappy died, wouldn't you?
Now, imagine you get five more monkeys. Tito, Bubbles, Fluffy, Marcel and ShitTosser. Imagine personalities for each of them. Maybe one is aggressive, one is affectionate, one is distant and quiet. And so on. They're all your personal monkey friends.
Now imagine a hundred monkeys. Then a thousand.
How long until you can't tell them apart? Or remember their names? At what point, in your mind, do your beloved pets become just a faceless sea of monkey? If you get enough monkeys, you'll eventually have enough that you no longer even care if one of them dies.
Now, each of these monkeys is every bit the monkey that Slappy was. It's just that you don't give a rat's **** any more.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That first section of the linked article pretty much sums up the whole thing, but it makes a lot of good points, and I thought it to be a good read.
An example of this applyed to humanity is today's attacks in London. People feel bad, even sympothetic to those who died, but so long as nothing happened to you or anyone in your "Monkeysphere" you're not too terribly bothered. How many of you sat down and locked yourselves away to cry for the casualties you don't know? Would you have felt differently if it had been your neighbor, your mother? You may feel angry, but not because the people were attacked, but because your homeland was attacked, and countries are personofied. I felt national pride and some other emotions on September 11th as well.
Yea, discuss.
Please read the whole article before posting, the following is just a teaser.
<a href='http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/monkeysphere.html' target='_blank'>http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/monkeysphere.html</a>
<!--QuoteBegin-"The Above Link"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> ("The Above Link")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Picture a monkey. A monkey dressed like a little pirate, if you wish. We'll call him Slappy.
Imagine you have Slappy as a pet. Imagine a personality for him. Maybe you and he have little pirate monkey adventures and maybe even join up to fight crime. You'd be sad if Slappy died, wouldn't you?
Now, imagine you get five more monkeys. Tito, Bubbles, Fluffy, Marcel and ShitTosser. Imagine personalities for each of them. Maybe one is aggressive, one is affectionate, one is distant and quiet. And so on. They're all your personal monkey friends.
Now imagine a hundred monkeys. Then a thousand.
How long until you can't tell them apart? Or remember their names? At what point, in your mind, do your beloved pets become just a faceless sea of monkey? If you get enough monkeys, you'll eventually have enough that you no longer even care if one of them dies.
Now, each of these monkeys is every bit the monkey that Slappy was. It's just that you don't give a rat's **** any more.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That first section of the linked article pretty much sums up the whole thing, but it makes a lot of good points, and I thought it to be a good read.
An example of this applyed to humanity is today's attacks in London. People feel bad, even sympothetic to those who died, but so long as nothing happened to you or anyone in your "Monkeysphere" you're not too terribly bothered. How many of you sat down and locked yourselves away to cry for the casualties you don't know? Would you have felt differently if it had been your neighbor, your mother? You may feel angry, but not because the people were attacked, but because your homeland was attacked, and countries are personofied. I felt national pride and some other emotions on September 11th as well.
Yea, discuss.
Comments
I'm probably one of the few who bend over backwards to please the sanitation workers. Hell, if I hear their truck rumbling down the street I run outside with a handfull of ice cold Code Reds for 'em. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> I also cut my yard waste into appropriately sized bundles ...
However, the essay makes on error... it assumes everyone is limited to 150; that isn't true, for some it may be more, for others it may be less.
The article touched on capitolism/communism, and explained why capitolism works, and why communism doesn't, unless it's in small groups, say 150 or less <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I know I've refered to the government as a lone entity before, not thinking that it's actually a collective of people just as human as myself.
It also made me think that in the grand scheme of things just how worthless I am to 99.9999% of everyone.
Well, then they are inside your monkeysphere <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Well, then they are inside your monkeysphere <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Exactly, as are many others that most would not allow in. I especially care for those who work in theaters.... ... .. . <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
On a more serious note, that's probably because you sympathize with people like that because you've worked. But if some popcorn sweeper from your local theater died, would you feel the same as if a friend of yours died?
I mean, obviously you'd be sad, but the level of sadness would be different because you didn't know them.
That really annoying person you know, the one who's always spouting ****, the person who always thinks they're right? Well, the odds are that for somebody else, you're that person.
So take the amount you think you know, reduce it by 99.999%, and then you'll have an idea of how much you actually know regarding things outside your Monkeysphere. Once you accept this you can no longer smirk over other people just because you think they're morons.
This way you won't, for instance, snidely dismiss all religious faith as ridiculous and in the next breath solemnly share your experiences with the conspiracy of reptilian overlords who secretly run society.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Quite possibly the best piece of advice ever written.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->"One death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic."
-50 Cent <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes. This is exactly the way to start off with my full respect. 50 Cent? <i>50 Cent!?</i> The person to originally state this is Josef Stalin. 50 Cent, a would-be malefactor, is incapable of this keen insight. Stalin, a man responsible for the death and suffering of millions of Russians, is the origin of such sagacity.
Like NGE said, it's a childish and simplistic view of human nature. I'd personally add ill-informed to the list too. The article was neither perspicacious nor original. "Expand your horizons," "Be less judgemental" and "Love your fellow man" are hardly revolutionary concepts.
The more we invest in something, be it cronological, financial, emotional or intellectual, the more we feel its loss. I know nothing of the victims of the London bombings and it's likely I never will know anything beyond their membership to the species <i>homo sapiens.</i> The fact that I feel more attachment to my sister than a Londoner has nothing to do with apathy and "monkeyspheres." It's Psychology 101.
its something of that nature and I'll get back here when I find the non-butchered version I shamelessly shared with you all, until then stay the fark outta my finger-cut-caring reality. thnx
So, one of the most famous 'communists' ever, admited the human flaw that prevents communism from working exists?
that the only reason you care about people
is because you have connections with them.
Other people are simply "statistics." This
article helped clarify it for me a bit, lately I've
been troubled about why I can't feel sadness
for 9/11, or any other major incident...
We can remark how a certain quote was <i>NOT</i> said by 50 cent, we can argue that the "monkey sphere" (what a stupid word, to be honest) is not always <i>exactly</i> 150 people, but those are insignificant details compared to the overall message.
If you'd have us discuss, Caboose, start doing so and we will join in.
It is pretty obvious that humans care more about the people who they know and who affect their lives than people who they don't know and who don't affect their lives.
I think that his comments on communism vs. capitalism are insipid. I think that his three suggestions at the end are right, for the most part.
However, I must agree with the point he makes: Capitalism is inherently a system that is much simpler to grasp, and therefore fit for unsophisticated people. We need to become better people in a sense before communism has any chance of working at all.
However, I must agree with the point he makes: Capitalism is inherently a system that is much simpler to grasp, and therefore fit for unsophisticated people. We need to become better people in a sense before communism has any chance of working at all. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'd think the opposite. Communism is basically having everyone throw all their material possessions into a pot and then dividing it up equally. Capitalism involves bartering, currency, supply and demand pricing, partial and shared property ownership, etc. I'd say communism is a much simpler system to grasp, even if it is harder to implement well.