Why are we self-lobotomizing? You won't believe what I found out!!!
I’ll keep this short.
If it is too long, you may not read it.
You may immediately decide it’s TLDR material (Too Long, Didn’t Read).
If it doesn’t have the phrase “… and I Couldn’t Believe What Happened Next!!!” in the title, you aren’t likely to read it.
You may however, decide to comment on it, based on the title and / or the picture.
John White, MBA's recent article Before Commenting, Try Reading the Whole Story in the Huffington Post highlighted a recent April Fool’s joke well executed by NPR. Here’s an excerpt from his post:
Some of you may remember the epic April Fools’ joke, National Public Radio (NPR), pulled on its followers on social media? They produced a phony article with attached picture, and published it on their website. The “article” was titled, “Why Doesn’t America Read Anymore.” When clicking on the link to the article readers were greeted by this message:
Congratulations, genuine readers, and happy April Fools’ Day! We sometimes get the sense that some people are commenting on NPR stories that they haven’t actually read. If you are reading this, please like this post and do not comment on it. Then let’s see what people have to say about this “story.”
Sure enough, many people jumped straight to the comment section and were firing off. Many of whom were quick to defend their own reading habits. The irony was brilliant!
While the irony was brilliant, it was still lost on many based on the number of comments.
Somehow, the people, or powers in charge of collective culture have determined that rational thinking and logic are the opiate of the people, and as such should be neutralized by convincing people of things like:
- Life is too busy to be learning anything new. I’ll let the media decide what I need to know.
- The world is already screwed up and you can’t do anything about it. You’d be better off immersing yourself in buying something new, or getting lost in a fantasy world to keep your mind off the nasty things going on.
- Everybody has an equal and legitimate voice – unless they disagree with you or challenge your ideas. Then it’s okay to attack.
- Facts can get in the way of a good post. The number of ‘Likes’ is what really matters.
- Your partisanship trumps your own personal beliefs and values. You have no choice but to choose along party lines.
- … and finally, you are not being manipulated into thinking this way. It is your freedom of speech that lets you do and say what you want.
While we probably agree that these types of actions and behaviours are wrong, we seem to tolerate them.
Read the comments section of practically any news story and you will see that this is indeed a problem. Nobody seems to be challenging the trolls, the partisans, and the spewers of unrelated banter. You may feel you need to shower after reading the drivel and vitriol on these articles.
The powers that be are brilliant in the sense that they have convinced us to give up our power of reason and rational thought, and we think that is our own idea.
We as a society are being lulled into a dangerous place where logic and dialog is suppressed.
So in a sense, we as a society are self-lobotimizing.
So… where am I going with this? (and I better hurry up, or I’ll get smacked with a TLDR tag).
We have an opportunity here at beBee to not let it fall into the drivel trap.
It has been, and can continue to be a vehicle that:
- Propagates ideas,
- stirs passionate discussions around real (not fantasy) issues,
- allows cultural cross pollination in a way that we learn to appreciate differences, not fear them,
- and lets me write pieces like this one in the hope that some of you will actually read down this far and comment.
So… as a bit of a test to see if you’ve actually read this far. Find a way to incorporate the word “Vegemite” into your comment (in honour of my beBee friend Ken Boddie). You can say more than that, but let this be our little social experiment. 😀
I’m delighted to be on beBee, given the refreshing opportunity I have to connect with ‘free range’ thinkers, curmudgeons, brilliant writers, and some genuinely nice people.
_______________________________________________________________
Image: gawebdev.com
About the Author:
I'm the Chief Information Officer for Appleby College, in Oakville, Ontario Canada, where my team is transforming the delivery of education through innovative application of technology.
I'm convinced that IT leadership needs to dramatically change how IT is delivered rather than being relegated to a costly overhead department.
In addition to transforming IT in my role as CIO, I look for every opportunity to talk about this... writing, speaking and now blogging on BeBee ( www.bebee.com/@kevin-pashuk ) , LinkedIn, ITWorld Canada, or at TurningTechInvisible.com.
I also shoot things... with my camera. Check out my photostream at www.flickr.com/photos/kwpashuk
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Comments
Neil Smith
5 years ago #84
Ali Anani
5 years ago #83
I missed reading this buzz and I appreciate that my friend Edward Lewellen tagged me . I must admit this topic touched my heart. I wrote a presentation on slideshare titled Comments with NO Moments (I meant momentum, but I was playing with words). Kevin Pashuk- I couldn't agree more with you. I had my own experience. Somebody commented on a buzz of mine and his comment was completely out of context and not related to the buzz. This happened because he assumed from the title that I was commenting on the topic he assumed in his comment. This isn't a trustful act and is misleading to the author bee as much as to the readers. This is a hidden deception. Comments have a higher value, which, Edward highlighted superbly in his comment. The exchange of comments with Edward and many other great bees have taught me a lot and exposed many areas where I lacked working knowledge and insights that were "foreigners" to me. I have been humbled by many author mates, but never to the level that dear Edward has done. I appreciate your words greater than I can express. Thank you
Ali Anani
5 years ago #82
Ken Boddie
5 years ago #81
Jim Murray
5 years ago #80
Kevin Pashuk
5 years ago #79
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #78
Michael O'Neil - thank you for the clarification. Always good to hear info from a good source.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #77
Thank you Franci. And thanks for sharing on Twitter!
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #76
Thanks Lada. Gerald Hecht is certainly one of the more prolific pontificators in the comment department.
Lada 🏡 Prkic
7 years ago #75
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #74
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #73
Thanks for resurrecting this post Wayne. (I'd eat less meat if I thought a Veggie might satisfy my hunger.) If this makes no sense to you... read the post.
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #72
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #71
don kerr
7 years ago #70
LMFAO!!
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #69
Don Kerr... I figured out your problem. You are a Canadian... You need a Robertson screwdriver! You may need to be Canadian to understand this one...
don kerr
7 years ago #68
I only had a Philips screwdriver on hand. Won't that work?
don kerr
7 years ago #67
Aren't you kind of busy bailing out your town?
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #66
#118 I thought this procedure was done with a knitting needle?
don kerr
7 years ago #65
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #64
Thanks Praveen Raj Gullepalli, he's not a big fan of vegemite... he's a transplanted 'Down Underer"... Perhaps you could send haggis?
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #63
Thanks Harvey Lloyd. Emotions are a critical part of life... joy, fear, love, etc. make us humans who we are. They can also be manipulated by others. I may be alone in this but I have found in my career that any decision made purely on emotion usually did not end up well. My advice is to enjoy the emotive experience, but don't hang your thinking brain on the fence and let others decide on your behalf what is important.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #62
Harvey Lloyd
7 years ago #61
🐝 Fatima G. Williams
7 years ago #60
ha ha Gerald Hecht first of all I hope and wish you are safe and get all the help you need. Thanks for staying safe, you had some of us worried here but being helpless about a situation is cruel sometimes. Coming to the wine detail, I think it was the Jacob Creek's Classic Riesling 2002 :) I noone slipped any Vegemite in my wine so be calm my friend ( giggles)
Lada 🏡 Prkic
7 years ago #59
Gerald Hecht, neither do I maybe because of a self-lobotomy. 😊 But I'm glad you like it.
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #58
Kevin Pashuk's term somewhere in my post below. I've been very forgetful lately and I'm referring to life in general. So, now I will add another one for fun, I vegemite more in the winter than summer for sure!
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #57
Sarah Elkins
7 years ago #56
Sarah Elkins
7 years ago #55
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #54
Gotcha!
Mamen 🐝 Delgado
7 years ago #53
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #52
Thanks Don Kerr. If I ever need to borrow some sandpaper, I know who I can call. I second your list of writers that you mentioned.
🐝 Fatima G. Williams
7 years ago #51
Lisa Gallagher I'm confused now or I don't know if it's the wine ( Winks)
don kerr
7 years ago #50
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #49
Lisa Gallagher... I'll give you a hint. It's in the post. :)
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #48
So what is WRT? I'm too confused today ;-) Friday's will do that.
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #47
I was curious about that too Mamen Delgado, is there a hidden joke or am I that slow, that i just don't get it lol.?
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #46
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #45
Thanks Name... WRT Vegemite... Those who seek, will find. (Just like life) 😉
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #44
Gotcha!
Mamen 🐝 Delgado
7 years ago #43
Mamen 🐝 Delgado
7 years ago #42
🐝 Fatima G. Williams
7 years ago #41
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #40
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #39
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #38
You are an astute observer Edie Edgar. We know if the comment stream goes off on a vegemite tangent that... well, never mind. I'd hate to give away my ulterior motives in writing this post.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #37
I agree Renee Cormier. Social Media can be a vehicle for Social Change as long as there's an appropriate cause. Social Media can also be the world's biggest time waster given the deluge of drivel that plugs the channel. I tend to stay far away from much of it, but will occasionally get sucked into the vortex of banality. I have to say that not much social change is happening when I do so.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #36
Good grammar Pascal Derrien... Better your way than "I rather read your article THEN eat vegemite for breakfast..."
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #35
Thanks Randy Keho, I've never eaten Vegemite (not even as a dare) and based on the feedback, am not likely going to regret going to my grave having never actually tried.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #34
Thanks Lada Prkic for taking the time to comment (meaningfully). Comments like yours add value to the discussion.
Pascal Derrien
7 years ago #33
Randy Keho
7 years ago #32
Lada 🏡 Prkic
7 years ago #31
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #30
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #29
I'm not sure how you read it while swimming Gerald Hecht, unless you are referring to the unfortunate situation in NOLA these days.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #28
You are another 'free range thinker' Mr. Paul \. I remember that post and highly recommend it to others.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #27
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #26
Thanks Lisa Gallagher for the thoughtful reply. I do agree... Drivel is in the eye of the beholder. I've often said that if we were all alike, we would all buy the same type of car, or house, or shoes... but the diversity of life shows there is a diversity of choice.
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #25
CityVP Manjit
7 years ago #24
There is the option to delete and resubmit - I have done that here and at LinkedIn - it is a matter of copy, past and re-edit.
Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸
7 years ago #23
Kevin Pashuk we already know it. Don't worry. Thanks
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #22
Thanks Franci Eugenia Hoffman. The poem is great but I think I will pass on putting it on my toast any time soon.
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #21
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #20
What a coincidence Aaron Skogen. We had a rehearsal dinner for my son's wedding last night and didn't make it home until after 1 am. THANK GOD FOR COFFEE!!!! This post was written this morning under these conditions. I may regret it tomorrow. Cheers, and get some rest.
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #19
No, not necessary, but thanks for the offer!
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #18
You are welcome Wayne Yoshida. Would you like me to send a message to your wife letting her know that I think you ARE sane?
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #17
Thanks Kevin Pashuk. Always good to know / get verification of my sanity. But, for others . . . .
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #16
I knew you implied that Wayne. Unlike finding bottles of ketchup, I'm pretty astute in figuring out what people are trying to say. This is a good opportunity to refresh our request Javier beBee for a 'Doh!' button to edit our comments after we post them.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #15
I'm reminded Aaron Skogen of the scene in "When Harry met Sally". After reading your comment, including all the cleverness, I thought "I'll have what he's having..." Brilliant!
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #14
Kevin Pashuk - and all -- I need to clarify the last item on the list: It should have been: Now write **only** your name and date at the top right corner of the page. . . .
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #13
Thanks Mark Anthony have created the online version of the "Inklings" - a society for authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who met and shared, and most importantly, critiqued each other's work. More on the Inklings here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inklings
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #12
Thanks Deb Helfrich. I agree that the definition of drivel is more complex than that of pornography, but like pornography, I may not know how to describe it, but I know it when I see it. The ability to tailor your own feed in beBee around those you have affinity with is precisely what is needed. If I'm seeing posts and getting comments and engagement I feel are 'drivel', I have the options to not engage, or mute those postings. beBee is more like a fine buffet restaurant, where I choose what I want to consume, rather than my Mother's kitchen, where the only choice we had was "Do you want it? or not?" We can (and should) move away from the number of views and 'relevants' as our key indicator of engagement, and look to value the engagement based on the conversations generated in the comments. I should not feel guilty if I mute a user, or feel dismayed when someone mutes me. After all, this isn't summer camp where we all have to get along and sing Kumbaya, but rather a collection of kindred spirits and shared passions. Like the real world, I won't become best friends with everyone, but I will become connected to some.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #11
Thanks Wayne Yoshida. You have to admire teachers who can get the point across. I agree, we should deploy that test as part of the standard curriculum.
Wayne Yoshida
7 years ago #10
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #9
I knew I could count on you Brian McKenzie to actually read the post - another beBee 'free range thinker'.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #8
Ahhhh.... Now can you help me find the ketchup Phillip Hubbell.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #7
Okay Phillip Hubbell... you made me go back and read my own post again.. Cat meme reference? I must have developed a blind spot for that reference. Perhaps it's hiding in the same place as the ketchup bottle in the fridge which I can never seem to be able to locate without my wife's help.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #6
And you Aurorasa Sima are doing exactly what I love about 'free range' thinkers. You disagree with my little test, so you have found a way to not do it, but at the same time engage. I do agree with your observations, and also am sad about how our 'value' in social media engagement is measured by meaningless metrics. It's even sadder that some people feel there personal value is based on this fabricated nonsense.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #5
Thanks for the 'Happy' song Joel Anderson
Joel Anderson
7 years ago #4
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #3
I'll take that as a legitimate comment Dean Owen.
Dean Owen
7 years ago #2
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #1