MASH-UPS: A THEORETICAL FUTURE?

 I find that in our statistics and efficiency driven culture, we often miss what might be the true or deeper human element to things. I enjoyed the video "Epic 2015" and it filled a few holes for me in my knowledge of the recent digital revolution. But, combined with the "Did You Know 2.0" video, I would say that sometimes we reduce being human to being "in the digital loop" or being part of the "workforce." I know the nerds won, but we can't totally let them take over! Well, actually, they already have. :)  But it's nice to see so many human nerds (e.g., Von Ahn wanting learning a language to be available to the poor).

I think it is vital that we prepare young people for twenty-first century jobs, but so often it seems like that's ALL school is for. EVERYTHING IS MEASURE IN ECONOMIC TERMS. But the human being is the measure. What does it really mean to be a "successful human being"? What about educating character? What about knowledge for the sheer joy of knowledge? What about virtue and "the good life"? What about ethics and the unconditional value of the human being? Sometimes it feels we veer into the utilitarian too much in our view of the world. A Down Syndrome child is awesome because she is alive, not because she turned out to be a pianist savant. No one needs to justify their existence to anyone else. How I'm getting all this from the class material? It's just that stats sometimes drive me crazy. Because there's always another story. Maybe a smaller story, but it differs from the "dominant narrative" and the "stats." And maybe that little story is a seed of a whole sea change. And maybe there is a meta-narrative that gives the lie to temporary statistics. And it is late and I am rambling.

I WAS glad to hear once again how "sensational" the so-called "news" has become. I would simply say "tabloid." I stopped watching TV news about 20 years ago and never looked back (and I am a bit of a news junkie). I felt like screaming at the TV like Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show": "Who are you talking to????" Do you think I'm an idiot??? Why are you talking so slowly??? Why aren't you showing us this other really important stuff going on in the world??? Why are you doing free product placement??? (Sorry, just reliving the angst, there.)