What our world has become.
POSTED BY: Fremdfirma
UPDATED: Monday, June 29, 2026 21:34
VIEWED: 23018
PAGE 16 of 20
Quote:I don't know about that. I can't say what these people were thinking, anymore then anyone else can, but as for me personally, I've never felt the least bit uncomfortable ignoring homeless people on the street and certainly not street musicians.
Originally posted by rue:
The response is: I pretend not to see it b/c it's uncomfortable for me.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Wow. Amazing article, thanks for the link!
The time comes when silence is a betrayal. MLK,Jr.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Ruse,
"Do we WANT people to appreciate classical music?"
Not really. What makes it any better than Rap or Rock or Emo or Disco? It is a form of music. It comes down to personal preference. What are we music Nazi's around here? Is Bell any more talented than Neil Pert? Why do you WANT people to appreciate classical music? Why not the Cure...Robert Johnson, Marley, Dixie Chixs, Spice Girls, Taking back Sunday? How often do you listen to classical music on your Ipod? What makes one form more important? Who decides......Answer, The listener! You come off as a tad HIGHBROW....
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:Quote:I don't know about that. I can't say what these people were thinking, anymore then anyone else can, but as for me personally, I've never felt the least bit uncomfortable ignoring homeless people on the street and certainly not street musicians.
Originally posted by rue:
The response is: I pretend not to see it b/c it's uncomfortable for me.
I'm pretty sure that what she was saying is that for some reason the presence of street musicians makes you uncomfortable, so you ignore them. No more correct but a different statement then "Ignoring street musicians makes you uncomfortable".
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
Hi Agent,
I have to go to a meeting, but I'd like to pose this question: why would a person need to LEARN to ignore sounds and people? (Besides paying minute attention to where they're walking.)
Information overload? Overstimulation?
I am not talking about ignoring all sounds and people, but those that are familiar enough to create their specific categories in the mind, be judged safe. Otherwise we'd have to categorize every sound and person every day. And again and again, which would leave us blind to what is actually new.
We filter out certain categories in order to free our attention to what is actually new or relevant. We'll recognize a familiar face in a crowd faster, are able to think about something other than walking around strangers and what certain noises mean, what the people around us are talking about. Which is actually often repetitive, boring and frustrating and thus stressful. Thinking about something else, navigating on auto-pilot frees our mind go to a more interesting place. Or a more relevant one.
A city, compared to the environment in which human beings evolved is incredibly crowded, noisy. We are swamped with information. Swamped with people. It's not natural. It's not really avoidable for a large number of people considering our population size, and it has many advantages, but it is not natural.
I think filtering is the only way to cope with the stress. We reduce the amount of stimuli we actually have to examine down to a number we can cope with easily.
Filtering is our friend.
Now, we can demonize the idea of concentrating people in cities the way we do, but the advantages outweigh or at least balance the disadvantages, in my opinion.
Even in a village with 50 people, there will be filtering. Just less of it, because there is much less stimulation on offer.
Hell, people living all by themselves also start filtering simply because they can't take the boredom of having to reexamine the same things all over again. They, too, will disappear into their heads.
It's how we are. A normal human response.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Okay, well in that case, homeless people on the street might make me uncomfortable depending on the circumstances. I don’t really want them approaching my family, because I don’t know if their dangerous. But in any case that’s not way I ignore them; that’s a completely different story that has to do with the belief that anything I do for them personally is likely to have little positive impact and may aggravate the situation.
Originally posted by fredgiblet:Quote:
Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:Quote:I don't know about that. I can't say what these people were thinking, anymore then anyone else can, but as for me personally, I've never felt the least bit uncomfortable ignoring homeless people on the street and certainly not street musicians.
Originally posted by rue:
The response is: I pretend not to see it b/c it's uncomfortable for me.
I'm pretty sure that what she was saying is that for some reason the presence of street musicians makes you uncomfortable, so you ignore them. No more correct but a different statement then "Ignoring street musicians makes you uncomfortable".
As far as street musicians go, I can't think of any circumstance in which they would make me uncomfortable? If I ignore them, it probably has a lot more to do with not caring about their music then with any discomfort.
And speaking to what Agent is talking about: when I used to walk to work or when I’m out running or even just taking a walk, I’m almost always in my own little world. Most of the time my mind is deep in thought about work: thinking of how I might phrase something for an upcoming briefing, or working out the physics or the chemistry or the geometry of something I’ve been struggling with. Or sometimes I'm thinking about something completely frivolous. So I might not ignore street performers because I don’t care, although I probably don’t, but I might be completely consumed with what I’m thinking about.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I'll probably just have time for one response today:
Agent and Finn - have either of you lived in another country for any length of time? Because - and I'll have to go back to my experiences rather than any study - not all countries are like this. Going to work or coming home from work in another country is nothing like in the US. Each place has its different flavor, but the US is, by far, the most defensive walled-off group of commuters I have ever seen.
It's not 'normal' in the sense of some hidden biological response. It is very cultural.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I'll probably just have time for one response today:
Agent and Finn - have either of you lived in another country for any length of time? Because - and I'll have to go back to my experiences rather than any study - not all countries are like this. Going to work or coming home from work in another country is nothing like in the US. Each place has its different flavor, but the US is, by far, the most defensive walled-off group of commuters I have ever seen.
It's not 'normal' in the sense of some hidden biological response. It is very cultural.
I have to agree Rue.
---- plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose
Bestower of Titles, Designer of Tshirts, Maker of Mottos, Keeper of the Pyre, Owner of a too big Turnippy smelling coat with MR scratched in the neck (thanks FollowMal!)
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
FORSAKEN original
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I'll probably just have time for one response today:
Agent and Finn - have either of you lived in another country for any length of time? Because - and I'll have to go back to my experiences rather than any study - not all countries are like this. Going to work or coming home from work in another country is nothing like in the US. Each place has its different flavor, but the US is, by far, the most defensive walled-off group of commuters I have ever seen.
It's not 'normal' in the sense of some hidden biological response. It is very cultural.
I'll repeat here that I am not actually from or in the US, nor in a particularly big city.
The results of the experiment still didn't strike me as odd or alarming.
I haven't lived in another country than mine for any length of time, though, so I'm perfectly willing to concede that you may have seen things I have not.
Since you're the one with the experience, what are the responses in cities of comparable size and cultural offers, at morning rush hour in a spot of public transit in other countries?
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
