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Is technology doing a great favor to humanity | 53 comments (53 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 1)
But I have all the same technology at my home and choose not to spend so much time on it. There's alcohol here, too, but I don't drink 'til I pass out every day. (That sounds a little harsher than I meant it, and I DON'T mean it harshly).  My grandchildren have all the games and computers, etc., but their mom (my daughter) regulates their time on it with a very heavy hand. They read together every night. April of every year is named "Screen-free April."  

It really is "how you choose to use it" or how your parents choose for you.  The people who choose the way that's more work and more trouble (enforcing the rules with their kids and themselves, for instance) have better outcomes than others, is my guess. Yes, I agree that the advertising is awfully seductive, which is why parents ALSO have the burden of refusing to let their kids have all the soda and potato chips they want, but the ones who go to the trouble have the better outcomes.  jeebus, I sound prissy.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Wed Nov 14th, 2012 at 10:25:50 AM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 1)
Wife of Bath:
I sound prissy

But right.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Nov 14th, 2012 at 11:20:54 AM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 1)
In recent years, I met or read about multiple people who were disabused of their delusions about untarnished traditional country life by visiting some isolated traditional village community and noticing that people are drinking waaaay too much.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Nov 14th, 2012 at 01:20:58 PM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 0)
See, if they had to do an honest day's work in the field (factory, office), they wouldn't have time to get drunk (go to the nickelodeon, waste their time online).

You tell that to the young kids today ...


-----
sapere aude

by Number 6 on Thu Nov 15th, 2012 at 04:16:24 AM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 0)
In the villages, the drinking too much part usually comes during celebrations (weddings) and in the autumn and winter when there is not much work to do; and it's not just the youth. One particular story that stuck in my mind were the older women who'd get 'secretly' drunk everyday while their husbands and sons were working out in the fields.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Thu Nov 15th, 2012 at 06:45:48 AM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 0)
Honestly, yes people drink a lot in rural areas, I suppose everywhere, but I can only speak about Serbia. They get bloody drunk during weddings and other celebrations and yes they drink daily, (but most people not so much), cause where ever they go to visit they are served with "rakija" (plum brandy). And mostly man would get drunk. But...it is nothing comparing to this binge drinking that we can see here in Australia and there are a lot of young women that would get drunk to the point that they end up in ambulance or jail. It's pretty horrific (remember that photo that I posted?).
I am very sad to report that for new generation of young "villagers" in Serbia it's not alcohol abuse that is spreading...its drugs...and serious drugs like heroin etc. I am awed that even at those villages drugs are available at their door step and so many young people are using them. Where the hell it comes from is beyond my comprehension.  
by vbo on Thu Nov 15th, 2012 at 09:55:22 PM EST
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Re: Is technology doing a great favor to humanity (none / 0)
No, you are perfectly right in this but I applaud your daughter and others who had guts to enforce the rules with their children, because it is hard. In my time as a parent we were at least able to enforce rules up to the age of 15-17, but today children are either spoiled or simply more powerful (for some unknown reason) and that makes things much harder. As I am bickering about generation of my children ( now in their 30s)that I observe largely ,  being spoiled , having unrealistic expectations , being irresponsible etc. I just wonder what's going to happen with generation of my grandchild that I observe largely now...I call them little tyrants and do not know why this is happening to today's parents. Now there are exceptions but generally parents are not able to enforce rules that much. I can see how it works with my granddaughter that only recently accepted rules like brushing her teeth before bad and bad time on school days only...without making an argument every single day, ha-ha.  I see other parents are complaining about argument thing and I suppose they just give up at some point. It's a bloody battle that goes every single day for years so I feel for parents greatly.    
And with computer it was probably convenient at some point to have children on a computer instead of entertaining them all the time. When I was a kid we were playing outside with friends and neighbors every day, every minute possible except for homework time and dinner time. Today children need to have a play date to see their school and other friends and this mean that parents need to sacrifice their time ( so it is not possible during working days and on weekends is rear cause parents need to make some family time too and lot of house work needs to be done). And today children need to be entertained at all times or they are bored so computer seemed as good solution...until it become addiction.
That's my observation about children...With adults and computer addiction things are more serious :)
by vbo on Wed Nov 14th, 2012 at 05:47:39 PM EST
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Is technology doing a great favor to humanity | 53 comments (53 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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