Active Thinking Topic 90 - Memes, Gurus, Wannabe Universal Truths 1 & 3 September 2024 Recommended viewing: Coffeezilla (2021) "Successful "Young Entrepreneurship" is Mostly a Myth" @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hac-cD44HzI Talking Points: 1. Take your favourite wise saying. Now find the holes in it (c'mon, you can do it..). 2. Why do social iconoclasts* have such miserable lives as social outcasts? Examples? [* mocking sacred cows] 3. Many people, perhaps all of us, eventually collect a set of invented or borrowed "words of wisdom" about how the world works. Some people spend their lives dreaming up this stuff, while others borrow from the instant supermarket of the spirits (religions, ideologies etc). What is the personal purpose of such philosophies? 4. Can you think of a meme that has actually changed anything? You can probably recall someone with too much time on their hands who publishes a constant stream of memes on their social media pages. They seem to fish for them on dedicated meme web sites. 5. Since 2011 I (Thor) have run a meetup, Active Thinking, which invites people to come and chew over big ideas. People have rushed to "join" the meetup, but rarely come. It is extremely unpopular in practice. On the other hand, anyone ready to stand up, pose as a guru and talk AT people always attracts a crowd. What is going on? 6. I (Thor) am personally allergic to piety, but I can see that it is a haven for mental safety and stability for some people. It is also enforced in some cultures more than others. What is it psychologically which draws some people (and cultures) to piety while others are drawn to impiety? 7. Social media now is awash with "influencers". Influencers have always existed, but the low cost and low risk of setting up shop as an influencer has led to a plague of the species. So what are the qualities which make for quick success as an influencer, and which influencers are likely to endure? 8. There is a very old meme called "the wisdom of the crowd". This is always in deadly competition with fear of "the mindless mob". So how exactly is a crowd (reputedly) sometimes wise? 9. One of the founding documents of the United Nations is The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Most world governments accept this declaration in public but often ignore it in practice. Why the hypocrisy? What does this chasm between declaration and action tell us about the universal behaviour of human beings. 10. Companies and organizations are usually enthusiastic about declaring their values but less enthusiastic about value outcomes. It is sometimes said that companies develop psychopathic practices in pursuit of profit. Is this true? What can be done about it? (... uh, business schools are probably not the solution). Extra Reading & Viewing United Nations (1947) "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". @ https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights . Coffeezilla (2021) "Successful "Young Entrepreneurship" is Mostly a Myth" @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hac-cD44HzI Glum_Gain_8094 (2023) "On Gurus, Wannabe Gurus and Why Most Online Advice Sucks". Reddit @ https://www.reddit.com/r/hikineet30plus/comments/1879nn6/on_gurus_wannabe_gurus_and_why_most_online_advice/ Thor May (2022) Meetup topic: "You can't ask that !" => When & where is that true?". The Passionate Skeptic website @ http://thormay.net/unwiseideas/DiscussionTopics/QESUB-QUESTIONS/You-cant-ask-that.htm Thor May (2015) "The peculiar interest of god(s) in human morality" The Passionate Skeptic website @ http://thormay.net/unwiseideas/peculiargod.htm Thor May (2015) " Media Distraction and Social Control" The Passionate Skeptic website http://thormay.net/unwiseideas/MediaWhiteNoise.htm James Jani (31 Mar 2020) "The Toxic World of Self Help: Hustle Culture, Toxic Positivity, Addiction, and Fake Gurus". @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLTLkCBSN8 James Jani (7 Mar 2021) " The Dark World of New Age Gurus | Documentary." @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyktccr5apU [Quote: "New Age and Law of Attraction gurus have been on the rise since Rhonda Byrne released her 2006 film, The Secret. But there is a sinister industry and reality that lies behind the teachings of New Thought which seemingly goes unnoticed".] Modern MBA (27 May 2024) "Why AI Is Tech's Latest Hoax". @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOuBCk8XMC8 [ Quote: "Tech is a sector unlike any other - it’s an industry where individuals can turn into billionaires overnight, ideas supersede fundamentals, and leaders are rewarded for showmanship. In today’s Silicon Valley, innovation is crowned and not earned. Venture capitalists and founders are symbiotic. Unprofitable companies are kept alive with injections of capital, gamed valuations, and manufactured hype with the goal of surviving long enough to IPO". Christophe Haubursin (8 Oct 2019) "Why Do Memes Matter? - Glad You Asked". Vox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYJZA86dPEo [Quote: "Memes are the language of the internet. At some point in the last decade, they became the secret ingredient for advertising, political messaging, and disinformation all across the world. Glad You Asked host Christophe Haubursin wanted to know why that happened — and what it means for the internet today".] BBC Ideas (24 Sept 2020) "A brief history of memes". BBC @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VS9cWmmu2k ----------------- Memes, Gurus, Wannabe Universal Truths (c) Thor May 2024
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