Quote:
Originally Posted by hipster duck
You know, one of the things that keeps me up at night - more than climate change or the collapse of economies - is that we are entering a world where it's difficult to be exposed to new ideas. This is ironic because there is more knowledge and information floating around than we know what to do with. We could have been on the edge of another scientific and cultural revolution but, instead, we have search engines that tailor our searches to validate pre-existing biases, internet communities and forums that siloize thinking and promote hyper-partisanship and the closure of traditional, bricks and mortar ways of accessing diverse cultural and scientific info.
I mean, without video stores, how is some kid going to find out about an obscure director that will blow his mind? If all you do is buy books on Amazon, how are you going to gain exposure to authors in vastly different fields and totally different political spectrums?
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I think the internet makes new experiences easier for people who have any interest in broadening their horizons. Just as it makes it easier for others to live surrounded by the echoes of like-minded individuals.
I think the key is exposure when you're young - that's when it really makes a difference.
I've noticed in my own family that there's an obvious difference between those raised in urban and suburban/rural areas. Neither is cooler than the other or wealthier or more experienced, really. There's just a difference.
There's an effortlessness and an ease present in those raised in downtown St. John's and Halifax and wherever else it's really, richly urban. There's a... some sort of lesser limit... among those raised in rural Newfoundland, Lower Sackville (Nova Scotia), and Ajax (Ontario). They're just as cool - one lives in Whistler now and extreme mountain bikes in her spare time, another travels the U.S. attending festivals and concerts and does God-only-knows-what for money along the way.
But there's still a difference. If there's family gossip, for example, you can rest assured every number calling my phone is someone from rural NL, suburban NS, or Ajax. The ones actually from St. John's, Halifax, or any urban area couldn't care less.
There's a... sense of general life competitiveness from the non-urban crowd. It's really hard to accurately explain but it's like... their world, however big it is based on their experiences, isn't broadened by any imagination or innate understanding. It is
only what they know, however grand that might be.
Personally, I blame setbacks.