Many of us believe that there has been a "dumbing-down" of our society, and whether purpose driven or mere consequence of an ever-growing technological society, how can we identify that perception of a dumbing-down?

It occurred to me while pontificating the case of mental health and disabilities in another thread, that the dumbing-down is the lowering of expectations.

When our expectations are lowered, we accept lower standards. We accept lower standards in politicians, bureaucracies, utilities, education, qualification, everything.

So if I was to attempt to identify a dumbing-down, it would be in the lowering of our expectations in many aspects of our consumer driven, (dis/mis)-information based society...we expect things to break-down, and be up-graded. We expect our politicians not to live-up to promises, we expect incompetence and red-tape in bureaucracies. We expect to be treated like fools, and we are.

So then the question begs, how do we enliven our society's urge to demand better, expect more of our representatives, and fore-sake the apathy? How do we reverse the trend of the dumbing-down into a smartening-up?...and I can't resist...a Get Smart campaign! (No cone of silence permitted)(oh, and thank you Mel Brooks and Buck Henry)

Any thoughts?

'how do we enliven our society's urge to demand better, expect more of our representatives, and fore-sake the apathy?'

Why would you want to? Life is wonderful!

I for one embrace the 'dumbing down' of society. The funniest show on TV is A Current Affair. It acts as a mirror to our society over the last 20 years. Embrace it, luxuriate in it and you'll have a happy life.

I think the problem with people like you is that you want to control the world, and cant come to terms with the fact that you have no say and you have no power. Look for power inside your own spirit. Ignore the external noise of society, or like me, look on in a state of whimsical fascination.

For instance, I just cant resist clicking on any online news story that contains nudity, and I'm thankful that all our news is aimed at titillation, outrage, or else outrage at titillation. I herald The Sun as the ground breaking paper that started this irony-clad supercilious debasement of society.

'Cause let's face it, the tits on a woman's chest are infinitely more interesting and noteworthy than the pontification of the tits that run the world. This titillation and outrage is both escapism and profound social commentary wrapped up in simultaneously corny yet sophisticated humour appealing to all levels. And let's not forget the visual splendour, undeniable nourishment and exploration of the timeless beauty that is the naked female form.

I chuckle at those who put themselves somehow above this genuine exploration and celebration of our most base selves. I leave them to their self-flagellation by proxy, to their pompous disdain for the society they inhabit. Their finger of pity at this 'dumbed down' society should be turned inward, to look at why they wont let themselves join in the fun.

There are many layers to this 'infotainment' phenomena, and those who constantly knock it are not looking deep enough. By refusing to slide into apathy, you are choosing to live in captivity.

MindlessCruelty invites us to examine ways in which the dumbing down process takes hold. I like the fact that there is hint of the concept of consequence rather than necessarily, conspiracy. Social change is sometimes a 'natural' adjustment rather than a 'something we prepared earlier' conscious manipulation.

Perhaps in the information age there is an element of both, or perhaps one is an inevitable progression from the other and some opportunism at play.

Despite access to 'education', we have become bland and accepting of stuff where the opposite was often assumed - such as service. Examples such as those MC refers to in her/his opening post - we assume and expect goods and/or services to fail us at some point and we go on apathetically accepting this as par for the course. Planned obselescence is taken as the norm and goes to the heart of issues like sustainability, waste and consumerism.

We no longer expect our politicians to be truthful yet lack the fortitude to vote them out (both of them) as a wake up call. Like that film where everyone says I am as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Or maybe a bit like V for Vendetta - OK maybe that analogy was a bit OTT.

Will there ever be an era of great thinkers and questioners that emerged prior to electronic media. I don't pretend to understand why this access to information has had the reverse effect of what it (probably) promised.

Modern politics is akin to a media circus and maybe that is because we are saturated with it in the electronic media. You can't get instant gratification and replays from the print media. Where does spin begin and reality end?

One might take the whimsical view but ask yourself what are the inevitable consequencs of dumbing down?

Most of what we do comes from how we perceive, and then how we CHOOSE to react. However the result of dumbing down is the opportunity for manipulation and then for lack of control over our destiny.

Or not... as the case may be.

Dumbing down?I take different view how do we pay for better?
Motorists want American freeway style roads.
We ask for better education than far bigger country's.
Mental health is an issue we do not do enough but how do we pay the bills.
A thread talks of anti smoking moves to further take the glamor out of that habit, but we all pay the medical bills.
Health is now a cash cow do we have the right to regulate costs?
Transport and a host of things we could do better but we are a nation with only so many tax payers how do we fund more?
A cancer victim wants better treatment a person who has a mental health problem wants better but the very same people if well do not want to pay more tax's.

very same people if well do not want to pay more tax's.
Belly,
This attitude is particularly relevant in the left orientated Public Service where those who contribute the least get the most & vice versa. Where I live you can't get a seat on a plane to go south for the weekend because the homebound Public Servants have everything booked. When I suggested to some that Qantaslink should book returning public Servants only on morning flights so to free up seats for normal people, I was looked at with the most stoic expression. One actually replied "if we have to fly back in the morning we'd miss out on claiming our lunch allowance".

'Will there ever be an era of great thinkers and questioners that emerged prior to electronic media. I don't pretend to understand why this access to information has had the reverse effect of what it (probably) promised.'

pelican,

It's to do with the medium. You should read Amusing Ourselves to Death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusing_Ourselves_to_Death

I also think people over-estimate the thinkers of the past. Sure they were smart people, but they stood out more because everyone else was more concerned about putting food on the table and such. The 'bogan masses' have always existed, but people think it's a modern phenomena. The bogan masses just have more power these days, as they're cashed up consumers.

TV for example, it's not for you, it's for them. Well maybe it is more for you as you're female at least and women are more likely the ones making the majority of purchasing decisions

''the result of dumbing down is the opportunity for manipulation and then for lack of control over our destiny.'

That goes back to my point about wanting to control. Control is an illusion unless you really have some big bucks. If you want to be happier, turn off the TV or revel in it as I do.

You seem to be of the opinion one can be dumbed down just by watching.
Like by some osmosis you'll become the target audience. Maybe you fear you are the target audience and feel patronised, or maybe you fear for the target audience. Fear not for them, they are happy. It's all for them.

They are entertained, they are shown the way with shows like 'Better Homes Than Yours', they can enjoy vicariously the lives of the rich and shameless celebrities. They are thankfully distracted from their powerlessness. What more could one want.

In the meantime, you have access to dry policy documents, internet research and common sense enough not to buy into better homes than yours. You have the power to rise above the popular offerings. Or do you want to be spoon fed too?

individual,

I find it interesting you discount the 'User Pays' philosophy constantly encouraged by the right.

Belly,

I agree, especially with public transport. We just don't have the population density to pay for it. People want a train system like in Hong Kong or London, but don't want the population density that is necessary.

I find it interesting you discount the 'User Pays' philosophy constantly encouraged by the right.
Houellebecq,
Hm, I'm missing something here. Discounting user pays ? I am suggesting a user pays system in an everyday situation. when someone is in need then I suggest the rest of us help. I just can't see where user pays is being discounted by suggesting that useful locals take precedence over superfluous & over compensated bureaucrats.
Aren't I grasping your meaning perhaps ?

Belly, "how do we pay for better?"

If you live in Sydney and travel along the M7 motorway, it's costing just unbder $7.00 each direction, and that money GOES to America. I know as I get the exchange rates on my credit card.

So let's put some perspective on that...I/we pay hundreds a year in motor registration, out of every $1.40 of fuel, there's $1.00 of State and Federal excises and taxes, and I contribute another $100 per week to those coffers, along with a couple of million other people.

After the thousands per year we each contribute to government in the cost of fuel alone individually, we still pay an American company to travel on a road in the heart of Sydney!!

How do we pay for better? Get rid of the incompetent criminals that are stealing/misappropriating our taxes! That's how. Between fuel and tolls, I pay $627 per month to get to and from work. I can buy a new car or half a home for that money, but I pay an American company for the privilidge to get to and from work, in the most resource rich country on the planet. What's wrong with THAT picture?!?

We have more land than you can poke a stick at, but the price of housing is higher than New York, going by figures released just prior to the GFC. I mean, WTF?!?

It's about time the Autralian people woke-up to how we are being ripped-off blind by our own representatives. We are being made poor by poor representation. And we don't expect any better.

We accept the BS, and so we expect more of the same.

TBC...

There's a fundamental principle in management...expect what you inspect. This means if you expect your staff to wear poliched shoes, for example, that you occassionally inspect that this is the case. If you do not ever inspect their shoes, you cannot expect them to be polished.

I suggest that conceptually, it's the same for a community and its expectancies of government. We expect them to be liars and thieves, and so are not disappointed. We expect our technology to become redundant, so we will have to purchase (consume) more. Nothing is built to last, but to fail. And we are not disappointed, we just pay a few hundred dollars more for "extended warranty"...and we are still not disappointed with the waste of our monies and efforts, let alone considering bigger pictures of wastage of resources.

MindlessCruelty,
Unfortunately one of the frustrations about morons is that you can't make them understand. I share your dilemma.

Thanks individual.

I have to add...

We're so technologically advanced, that my new PlayStation platform with 12 month warranty, dies after 13 months. They used to take 3-5 years to die, but we can kill them quicker now and with greater accuracy, thanks to technological advancements.

We're so technologically advanced, that every phone company can offer us $350 of phone usage for only $49. WTF?!? They're either mathematical geniuses or benevolent societies for the cash-rich and stupid.

We're so technologically advanced that for some reason, my blank CD's that say they can hold 650 MB of information, can only hold 22 songs, each the size of about 5 MB. More strange maths.

We're so socially advanced, that a plumber gets $80 per hour and a Registered Nurse gets $27 per hour. Now that's a fair comparison of skill and responsibility levels, isn't it? Let's see, after income tax, superannuation, fuel costs, tolls, car costs and insurances and maintenance, that nurse only has to work for about 3 months to afford that plumber for an hour. Slight exaggeration and my own creative maths, but you get my point. No shite.:-)

I don't dispute your points Houlley. The 'thinkers' of the past do stand out and I guess it may also depend on how big the pond.

There is also the fact that as time marches forward there is very little in the way of new ideas - it has all been done before even if expressed in different ways or from a different perspective.

As I said previously the only thing we can control is our choices (forgetting the psychology behind why we choose for the moment and how it might be influenced).

You cannot become dumb by merely watching but I suggest that as MindlessCruelty states, it is about expectations. Generations that come after us may not have anything with which to compare, hence they are the product of the times as we all were and are.

There is something in that expression that you are the most FREE when you have nothing to lose. In addition it is not just about dumbing down it is about fear.

For example, the public service is a good example of putting up a facade of Codes of Conduct, Governance and APS Values but does very little when called to account. Usually it is because there is a wider motive to protect the reputation of bureacracy - even internal Security Awareness Training puts forward the view that it is 'our' job to protect the reputation of 'the' department, it is not just about confidentiality and security or Cabinet documents etc.

Many people sit there and accept that at face value without question. It is not the job of public servants to protect reputation at the cost of accountability. That is a form of dumbing down and all it does is reduce responsibility at the top.

This is parlty about expectations and dumbing down - some people choose to believe that stuff as if it is 'real' and in fact it is not even legally bound. It is up to senior bureaucrats and politicians to safeguard reputations by acting responsibly and honourably.

Pelican, you make good points and are on the same page.

Political Correctness (PC) is another form of dumbing-down, for it's about the creation of facade...things that look and sound good. It's like being surrounded by "yes-men" and that life is now a personality popularity contest. And it's compounded by being able to be sacked or sued for offending someone.

Now here's the killer...but we all know that the truth often hurts. So whatever you do, don't tell the truth, for that could offend. Tell what wants to be heard.

That's dumbing-down. And it's dumbing-down under the threat of financial violence.

Win government by what wants to be heard, not by what needs to be said and done. That's dumbing-down under the guise of democracy.

Houellebecq,
Come to think of it, yes the right is an advocate for user pays & rightly so. Morally I believe it is more appropriate than the left's others can pay.

User pays, others pay, dumbing down, living well. Really its all BS. We love the stupid life we have, if we didn't there would be a revolution. The communists and right wing fundamentalists have tried oppression as a way to dumb people down and it failed. So the west have used consumerism and media and to this point it's working brilliantly. I think it was John Lennon who said in one of his songs

"Keep you doped with religion, sex and TV and you think your so clever and classless and free but your still F#*kin peasants as far as i can see. A working class hero is something to be.

I get where you are coming from MC.

As for user pays - the Left isn't about 'others pay' it is about we all pay fairly for services.

We are all user pays - we all pay tax - and for that we have a mutual interest in ensuring health care, schools and other public services. I would rather we all pay for healthcare rather than in the US where healthcare is not easily accessible to the poor.

Many things work well with user pays - taxes are not a bottomless pit, but essential services should not be at the whim of a profit incentive.

The communists and right wing fundamentalists.
nairbe,
I think today's people would understand better if you said national socialists !

individual,
Dosen't really matter what you call them, it is about extremism or fundamentalism.
Our society and political system is stable and for that we should all be thankful. Our overall or average Aussie attitude has moved right if you like over the past 30 years quite a bit but this really only reflects the international trend. For many reasons this has been good for our societies with much larger wealth being held by the average Australian but i still can not help but feel we have also lost much of our compassion and understanding of each other and those we share this planet with. John Howard always made me cringe when he spoke of the Aussie way. He really didn't have a clue what that was. Since the Johnny clone(Kevin) and now Big Red took power the feeling hasn't changed. We are loosing our identity or rather it is changing and it has nothing to do with immigrants it is all based in our greed and selfishness. Bit like the family business, one generation builds it up( our founding fathers), the next exploits it(The post war dreamers) and the third destroys it(the baby boomers or the "ME" generation) We seem to be well into the third generation

nairbe,
fully agree !

nairbe,

'We love the stupid life we have, if we didn't there would be a revolution.'

As I alluded to earlier. Don't fear for the 'dumbed down', for they are truly happy.

I think Lennon was over rated. He's the 60s version of Michael Moore; Making a mint on the back of slamming the very system that made him rich. Nice work if you can get it. Rage Against the Machine have done pretty well out of that caper too.

Regardless Huxley pre-dated that lot and was much more on the money.

'Our overall or average Aussie attitude has moved right if you like over the past 30 years quite a bit but this really only reflects the international trend. For many reasons this has been good for our societies with much larger wealth being held by the average Australian'

Hahaha. You don't think people have moved to the right BECAUSE of much larger wealth being held by the average Australian do you? Duh.

More people in this society are out to protect what they have. We're worshipping at the church of Bunnings.

The point in all this of course is 'what are you gonna do'? You'll have to have a financial meltdown or a lot more bush fires to create community spirit or the necessary hardship for a revolution. Even then, I think you'll find the populace more interested in Grief Porn via Tracey Grimshaw.

As Billy Corgan once penned... Despite all your rage you are still just a rat in a cage.

Actually, I think The Rodent had the answer to all your questions MindlessCruelty...

'Relaxed and Comfortable.'

Who wouldn't want to be relaxed and comfortable. I only wish he could have added in Cosy somehow, then he could be considered a true genius. Though he was showing the way in that Australian tracksuit.

Nothing beats being cosy. And I'll fight to the death anyone who threatens my cosiness by trying to 'open my eyes' pft. Look at us both. I'm cosy, and you're cosy, and you want to mess with that?

There might be something to this ignorance-is-bliss perspective but only while one lives within that comfort zone. Or where dumbing down is still within the acceptable range in an opulent society.

Human beings are more than that though, and conditions can deteriorate not necessarily to the point of revolution but you only have to look at a different measure - the rise of cynicism - to know things are a bit askew.

The demise of democracy starts small and builds momentum - if you can identify some weaknesses early why not make a noise about it. The dumbing down process is part of it and we see it in our tertiary institutions where education has been replaced with corporatism.

I wonder if the North Koreans think their situation is normal with nothing to compare since access to external media is banned. My head and heart say probably not.

Ignorance is only bliss when essential human needs are met.

The old story about the Russian style of government where they promise nothing and give a bit as a juxtaposition to lower expectations, only makes the leadership appear better by comparison rather than competent in any other sense.

Houellebecq, As a matter of fact, not only am I cosy, but I'm snug and cosy. But that's only my physical disposition however, while my mind is tortured both by disparities and the tenuous nature of being snug and cosy, in a world decaying in ethical, moral and social values while actively seeking new lows of mediocrity.

Pelican, you're again, on the money! It could be said, our level of bliss only indicates our level of ignorance. A few years ago I was listening to some late night radio, and they were playing some bands that had no recording contracts as yet...home-grown budding talent. I don't remember the name of the song or the band, but there was one line..."If you're not angry at the world, then you're just not paying attention!" It sums-up my sentiments rather well.

Your example of Russian communism and it all being relative to what you are aware of, is poignant. It is precisely what I've been talking about with expectations.

It's awkward for us baby-boomers to watch what we fought for be dwindled away without a whimper, let alone die in a blaze of glory....such as free university. The relative implication for me, is our collective expectations have changed, from my generation of fighting for it, to this generation of accepting to pay to go.

We didn't buy the BS of the Vietnam War, and there were many, many protests to get the boys back home, and is how Whitlam won office. No-one speaks of getting our boys home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Just so long as it's only one or two that die, and only every couple of months, that's okay. It's not even an election issue. No Party has mentioned it, and no reporter asked about an exit timetable (and not just the use of the words "exit" and "timetable").

So, if I seem at odds with the world, it's only because I am. I used to live in a community that expected more.

Information technology has made us mute from the lack of quality information. We are bombarded with BS. Distractions.

Mindless,

'from my generation of fighting for it, to this generation of accepting'

Hahahaha!

Don't you think the fact that you do have to pay for university has something to do with those very baby boomers and their votes?

Ah, those altruistic boomers, those rebels.

Perhaps that's where all this self-flagellation is coming from. Well founded guilt from the sell-out generation, thinly masked by an outward protestations shrouded in impotence.

'It's awkward ..' I bet it is.

'my mind is tortured both by disparities and the tenuous nature of being snug and cosy, in a world decaying in ethical, moral and social values while actively seeking new lows of mediocrity.'

Not a glass half full kinda guy huh. Better watch that tenuous nature fear, I've heard dreadful stories about those boats that keep on coming.

'It could be said, our level of bliss only indicates our level of ignorance.'

Or the reverse. Actually I think it's more the personal level of power you hold. A man who has power in the micro level of his life doesn't need to berate the 'other' he finds to be mediocre.

'Information technology has made us mute from the lack of quality information.'

I believe more in the Information-action ratio...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information-action_ratio

pelican,

'you only have to look at a different measure - the rise of cynicism - to know things are a bit askew. '

It's an inevitable result of media literacy. It's impossible to even be honest now, the boy has cried wolf too many times. People today have such a thorough understanding of selling techniques. The ignorance and bliss were back at the very first Colgate commercial.

'why not make a noise about it.'

Noise is the end of the ambition. I see no evidence of a noise that is designed to lead to any action. And the noise comes from those self-flagellators, as the rest, the critical mass, are alright Jack!

'Ignorance is only bliss when essential human needs are met.'

As they are. As is my point. With wonderful Home Theatres for all!

Now that's Entertainment!

BTW Mindless,

The 'boys' in Iraq are career soldiers on a decent wage, the Vietnam guys were conscripted. Bit of a difference.

Try to conscript the Gen Y demographic and you'll see a bit more interest in such things.

I do apologise for denting that baby boomer superiority you got going there.