i'm was wonderin *dot dot dot *

[superawesome]

Okay, i saw this movie today called 'How to create an american' (good luck looking for it), i am not going to go into detail on whats it about but the end of the movie almost made me question my self and others in fact, the ending breaks the 4th wall by having the main character address to the audience this message about how this generation is doomed i think he's right when you think about here is his mesa:
" You are all the same. You waste your life on the most irrelevant things. You talk on your cell phone about who's going out with who. You waste time on the fucking internet, arguing over whats cool or whats utter shit in your eyes but can't shut up about it. You mindlessly indulge in thing to make your miserable life seem better. All of you fat/skinny annoying little fucks who grow fat but blame someone else for it. All of you deserved to be in the holocaust, all of should've been on the planes and in the towers at 9-11. But most of all, you retarded species who run around like poultry deserve to die...'

[superawesome]

In my opinion i think the main character was right a little bit, for example most of us are just wasting our lives in some rediculous way, so what do you guys think? Pro or Con?

[Samsa Gregor]

Originally Posted by superawesome

In my opinion i think the main character was right a little bit, for example most of us are just wasting our lives in some rediculous way, so what do you guys think? Pro or Con?

Fantastic! You have learned a truth that so few do these days. There is no given point to life. There is nothing that we can do that will stop the inevitable end of our life or of the universe. We have to make up our own rules regarding life and its boundaries. For this reason was religion created, for this reason, science. Both futilely struggling to understand the nature and reason for the universe, one through making up a mythology that encompasses all of us and saying "God has a plan" to stymie their existential feelings; the other desperately studying, making hypotheses, conjecturing, proving and disproving one another in their unceasing thirst for knowledge.

But take heart, young lad. Though the incessant fueling of our base desires may seem crude and meaningless, one must realize that this, as in all things, had a cause and will have an effect. Nothing ever done in life has no consequence, it is where those consequences lead us that the ultimate "point" may be found.

[Sephie]

Con: Most of us are wasting our lives in wonderful ways.

[tetsumi]

This is a case of a person giving us a viewpoint from only one direction. By which I mean, they are only giving us one side of the evidence. You can take this in two obvious directions- 1) while you argue about all of the frivolous ways that humanity is frittering away its valuable time, you could also argue about all of the remarkable advancements that have been made in the areas of science, culture, human rights and equality for all. Personally, I kinda think most of that stuff is a load of crap, or at least the part about equality for all and human rights and such. But seriously, we are much more self-aware as a species now that we have ever been before. We are aware of our effects on the world around us, and our interactions with each other.

The second direction (...2...) that you could take this in, is that the person you quoted is making very broad statements about things that humanity does pretty much across the board. Generally humanity wastes it time on the internet, generally humanity gossips on the phone about things that don't truly matter, and (I agree on this one, for the most part) generally humanity is made up of worthless bags of shit who should have died awhile ago. However, comma, forward slash, back slash, hyphen...sorry...individuals are quite different than the overall blanket stereotype. There are a great deal of people out there who on an individual level try to better themselves and the world around them.

Not to blow my own horn, but as an example, instead of wasting my life away, I joined the Marine Corps and fought in Iraq. I had a combat job, and I'm quite proud of the things I've done for myself and for the country. Whether you like the war or not, you would fall short in accusing me of wasting my time with the internet and cell-phone gossip. My time in the service may have jaded me toward mankind, and is why I tend to look at some "McDonald's" patrons and wonder, "Just what the FUCK have you done with your life?"...but that is neither here nor there. Either way, my point is this- People, as a group, are generally fitting of stereotypes. But individually, people tend to surprise you every time you turn around. There is never just one viewpoint, and it is frequently the ones you don't have presented to you that are the most revealing.

[TrunKated]

Yes, I agree it is humanity's natural condition to "fritter away" a good deal of its time. And it has always been like that. Before the interwebs, cable TV was king, before that plain network tv, before that radio and movies, before that plays, and before that, cave painting to skip some time. There are a couple of things that have worried me lately about the current teenage generation. Their music is not rebelious. It seems to be that the favorite teenage music was parent-unfriendly for the last 50 years, or maybe more. Now I see kids thinking their parent's favorite music is creepy. Then they listen to and adore music that turns out to be covers of John Lennon or Modern English. I know I am generalizing. But where is the new punk, the new death metal, the big new insult to our ears? R&B and HipHop are nice but they are tame and pop-like.


Another thing that worries me is the over-use of cell phones. I've seen studies saying they are safe and studies saying they are dangerous. But I know of some strong personal anecdotal evidence.

[Beno]

Don't you know everything can give you cancer in this day of age?

[TrunKated]

Originally Posted by thejakeman

A FASCINATING fPOINT, PERSON WHO IS NOT ME!

Right....

Originally Posted by Beno

Don't you know everything can give you cancer in this day of age?

Actually, no. That's a saying that is bantered about so you don't have to think or make any effort to try to be healthier. Some things are actually anti-cancer, like raw broccoli. There are a lot more.

[TrumanGrace]

I have a hard time figuring how it isn't a colossal waste of time to bitch and moan about what random people are or aren't doing with their time, so the movie just screams hypocrisy to me, especially since it means they spent money to whine about it.

Originally Posted by TrunKated

Actually, no. That's a saying that is bantered about so you don't have to think or make any effort to try to be healthier. Some things are actually anti-cancer, like raw broccoli. There are a lot more.

The point of the saying is that there are many studies that have shown a large number rather common things have a chance to cause cancer, and it can be any number of things, from being outside (even a little bit) to cooking meat on the grill.

And some studies turn out to be flawed due to the proportions they give providing an unrealistic expectation or the warnings overblown. That's where the saying comes from, because studies have linked so many banal things to it.

Of course, it's pretty hard to say that things cause or prevent cancer directly (or, more accurately, a type of it), they just have a chance of affecting the probabilities that it will occur.

For cell phones, the majority of studies have shown no affect or minimal affect on it, and the World Health Organization said the same thing. Others have said they couldnt' find any, but warn that the 20 year or so time frame wasn't enough yet, so it could very well change. A few have said the effects are significant, although those same ones are criticized for other reasons and the general consensus is that it's not a major effect.

Some places have set out precautions against it even with evidence being contrary at this point. However, some of the suggestions may even be worse, which is why I'm always skeptical to see groups advocating it when they sell hands-free headsets (which may amplify any radiation). Of course, if people want to use it less because of fear of cancer, the more power to them. Maybe it would stop people from using them while operating potentially lethal machinery.

[TrunKated]

Originally Posted by TrumanGrace

I have a hard time figuring how it isn't a colossal waste of time to bitch and moan about what random people are or aren't doing with their time, so the movie just screams hypocrisy to me, especially since it means they spent money to whine about it.



The point of the saying is that there are many studies that have shown a large number rather common things have a chance to cause cancer, and it can be any number of things, from being outside (even a little bit) to cooking meat on the grill.

And some studies turn out to be flawed due to the proportions they give providing an unrealistic expectation or the warnings overblown. That's where the saying comes from, because studies have linked so many banal things to it.

Of course, it's pretty hard to say that things cause or prevent cancer directly (or, more accurately, a type of it), they just have a chance of affecting the probabilities that it will occur.

For cell phones, the majority of studies have shown no affect or minimal affect on it, and the World Health Organization said the same thing. Others have said they couldnt' find any, but warn that the 20 year or so time frame wasn't enough yet, so it could very well change. A few have said the effects are significant, although those same ones are criticized for other reasons and the general consensus is that it's not a major effect.

Some places have set out precautions against it even with evidence being contrary at this point. However, some of the suggestions may even be worse, which is why I'm always skeptical to see groups advocating it when they sell hands-free headsets (which may amplify any radiation). Of course, if people want to use it less because of fear of cancer, the more power to them. Maybe it would stop people from using them while operating potentially lethal machinery.

Hey, a buddy of mine died from brain cancer. He was a heavy cell phone user. I need it for work, but I use it very lightly and generally keep it at some distance. And there are plenty of studies indicting cell phones as dangerous.

But make up your own mind (if you have any left after all the radiation).

[TrumanGrace]

Originally Posted by TrunKated

Hey, a buddy of mine died from brain cancer. He was a heavy cell phone user. I need it for work, but I use it very lightly and generally keep it at some distance. And there are plenty of studies indicting cell phones as dangerous.

But make up your own mind.

My grandfather drank like a fish and ate a very poor diet and he lived well into old age, so by your logic, drinking heavily and eating poorly don't aren't bad for your health. I knew adults growing up who lived into 90's and 100's who smoked several packs of cigarettes a day, so by your logic, smoking doesn't have adverse health effects. Sorry, personal testimonials don't work when there is a body of evidence addressing a subject.

I gave what I believe to be an accurate assessment of the consensus view which is that while there are studies that have resulted in scientists saying there is an effect, the majority of the studies say otherwise. Some that have stated that there are have been criticized for various reasons. Hell, I even pointed out that scientists have said the 20 or so years some of the studies ran for may not be such an accurate measurement of long-term affects and the consensus could very well change, but you apparently stopped reading (or at least stop comprehending) at me stating that most studies showed no correlation and decided to throw out your dead friend example.

You can believe whatever you want, but at least try to read what people post before you respond. I never said that it was definitely busted, I said the consensus right now is that it's not dangerous to be using them.

I rarely use a cell phone either, most of my work is done on a land-line so I, at most, take maybe 5 calls a week on my cell phone and I only ever talk for more than 10 minutes a week on the off occasion that I have to do an interview on my cell phone (it's an awkward setup for my job, so I avoid it if I can).

[Eviscerator]

Really? What could be more of a waste of time than making a movie about people who waste their time, for people who waste their time, and likely would respond with the same apathy.

This movie wasted your time, made you doubt yourself, and for little to no reason. The Cosmic Joy is on YOU.

I don't really feel my time is wasted. This is entertainment and stress relief.

Besides, you learn all kinds of interesting facts in Flame and Bullshit, and that alone is often worth the price of admission.

And then...I get exposed to viewpoints like this. What is the person that made this movie doing with their life that makes them so holier than thou? Where's the suggestion on how to alter, what should people be doing instead? Shouldn't you be happy that the ignorant, and often stupid masses are just idling away their time instead of doing something constructively idiotic? O_O;