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Out of context: Reply #75503
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- Horp1
*sigh*
I worry that a chunky percentage of younger people just really don't get nuance and irony anymore. No big deal in some ways, but in other ways, it does imply that everything could increasingly need to be very literal and descriptive and thoroughly unambiguous.
It's quite an important layer of the communication cake to remove and discard.
I've noticed this a lot with people I've worked with here and there. Something said in allegory is taken literally leading to a lost half day stressing about it, when it doesn't even exist (whatever it was), and I've had to explain what I meant by "a needle in a haystack" or "the seed of an idea".
"So I'm not meant to be looking for a real actual seed then?"
I just had an example now, on a BMX forum. We're getting a new, quite extensive BMX/Skate playground built right by my house. For the UK it's pretty large. A multi-level / multi-object ramps and rails area and then flowing from that a fairly wild looking pump track in asphalt that in parts is like a skate bowl.
So it's quite impressive.
I decide to ride past it today on my BMX and shoot a vid over the railing on my phone. I wanted to post it to show everyone what's being built.
I needed to ride standing up, and pedal, hold a video camera in one hand, up high, and maintain a straight line down the path next to the building sight.
So I start off narrating this video and I begin pedalling.
Literally 10ft later - before the new BMX park has even made it into frame, I lost my balance, made a god awful "old man yowling" noise as though my long saggy nuts had become trapped in the hinged lid of a school desk, and I came clean off my bike face down on the ground. Camera up in the air, the sound of my skull smacking down on hard tarmac, some impeachments made in earnest to a higher force and of a blasphemous nature, plus a few sexual swears on the audio.
A stupidly old man who should not be riding a BMX anymore, crowing proudly about the new skate park as though he's going to boss it when it opens, and yet he can't even trundle along a perfectly flat, smooth, obstacle free surface for more than 10ft before falling off for no known reason and breaking his hip. (I haven't actually broken my hip but you know what I mean)
"They'll love this" I thought. So I posted it on the forum.
"Dude, we can't see the skate park"
"Dude your video sucks there's nothing in it"
"Dude, I think you uploaded the wrong video?"
"Dude, it's just a shaky bit of sky"
I had to *walk them through* the reason why I posted the video and the irony of its concept, context and content, and the slapstick, and the hubris, and the ridiculousness.
After I had explained it, they said "ahhhh okay, I get it now, but you should have said it was about you falling off, not that is was a video about your new skate park because we can't see the skate park".
No. No, you can't see the skatepark I promised but you did get to see an old cunt falling off a BMX for no apparent reason at all.
But they don't like surprises. They can't process what wasn't expected. It needs to be presented as what it is, and it needs to stay true to that.
Then somebody posts a video of a one legged BMX rider. Julian Molina. Seriously good rider. Can't pedal, obviously... he only has one leg, but he's right up there in the skills stakes and fearless as hell with it. Attempts and fails a 20ft drop and lands face first. Gets up, grins. Ready for more.
It's seriously impressive stuff.
I comment "Pfffft.... try doing that with *two* legs and then we'll see how good you are" adding "Goddam freeloaders with their cheat codes"
The next thing I know I'm getting DMs from people telling me he can't try it with two legs because he only has one leg... and actually it's much *easier* with two legs, not harder... and I shouldn't mention that he only has one leg anyway because I'm othering him... and it's all very well saying what I said on the internet but they bet I couldn't even ride as good as he does with my two legs... and by the way he *isn't* using a cheat code his friend just gives him a push to get him up to speed but that's not classed as cheating if you can't pedal.
Seriously guys, come on. I'm joking. They may not be *FUNNY* jokes and I'm not suggesting anyone ought to be amused by them, but, we mustn't forget how to recognise jokes and abstractions, even really shit ones.
It's like communicating with a crowd of 1st generation helper bots.
I don't know what's caused this but the trajectory we're on, we're going to end up in a VERY literal world where people can only say, and process, information that fits a template.
And I worry about the poets. It's going to be a struggle for them in this new paradigm.
- "memories like summer clouds passing through me, softening my heart in rain" Dude this poem sucks! if a cloud rained inside you you'd basically drown instantly.Horp
- Here's Julian Molina...
https://youtu.be/UxR…Horp - In the interests of balance, here is Alfred Molina...
https://youtu.be/WnL…Horp - This is King Alfred....
https://youtu.be/YSC…Horp - This is King Julien...
https://youtu.be/vYH…Horp - Dude the poets will be finenb
- Internet is just chock full of this shit. It’s mind numbing.monospaced
- I thought ‘cheat codes’ was fucking funny! I wonder if it’s something to do with how sarcasm doesn’t translate to text...monNom
- The 90s was the era of irony and sarcasm in comedy. But then email came along. You can’t do that kind of comedy over email, so comedy changed.monNom
- The younger generation grew up in a world of email. They were oblivious they were missing the joke. They just thought people were being mean.monNom
- That explains so much. What if the special snowflakes are all triggered because they don’t ‘get’ sarcasm? What does it look like when you aren’t in on the joke?monNom
- next level is when the helper bots start calling you a NPC.uan
- That would never happen on QBN.palimpsest
- I feel youSimonFFM
- It's their world now, evolve or die.robthelad
- how big is the chunk ? did u run any numbers on this compared to the previous generation or is this just fantasy talk ...neverscared
- the boomer and his far out generalisations ....C'est la vieneverscared
- ^ hahahaHorp
- Ooh, rub 'the lack of nuance genie' and neverscared appears. how odd.Nairn
- It's a generation cosplaying autistic.i_monk