(no subject)

[tinyjo]

The cognitive surplus. A very interesting article on why sitcoms are like gin and the internet is the growth of civil society. No really, go read it. Via copperbadge.

Comments

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

I still know people who do take that kind of attitude when I mention doing things like LiveJournal (or, in fact, roleplaying), so I wasn't surprised by the position she's portrayed as taking and I found the time comparisons very interesting in that context.

I haven't done the reading on that period (plus I hate social history) but I was under the impression that the gin binge of the early industrial period was several orders of magnitude different from binge drinking issues today. Not so?

[truecatachresis.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree that it's a believable position and I do fully expect there to be people who hold similar opinions - but it was presented rather conveniently for the poster's argument, and in a real discussion I would expect more back and forth over it.

I believe the gin issue was very serious - or at least was considered very serious - but the basic human failings it was exposing haven't really changed, we just really don't have the same horrendous levels of urban poverty and unemployment. I don't agree with the poster's argument of a step change in society causing some kind of societal angst - yes, urbanisation caused poverty which led to the gin problem, but to characterise it as the shock to a generation seems naive.