What modern invention/innovation do you wish had *never* been developed?

[Touchofevil]

Does reality TV count as a modern innovation? I personally don't think it should, but for those who do consider it to be, I'd like to include it on this list.... the dumbing down of society has increased 10-fold because of this drivel.

Reality tv is too often concerned with backstabbing, petty, mean spirited trash. And more often those involved need subtitles as their speech is unintelligible.

 

[m0nk]

Reality tv is too often concerned with backstabbing, petty, mean spirited trash. And more often those involved need subtitles as their speech is unintelligible.

In other words, drivel.

 

[sheeplady]

I regret the general homogenization of American culture and, I suspect, a similar process in Europe. No matter where I travel in the U.S. I see strip malls, big box stores, and franchises everywhere. I know each of those abominations has been listed in earlier pages of this thread, but I think they're part of a bigger process that really bothers me: the fact that slowly but surely our regional differences are being eradicated. In another generation or two it will be hard to tell a New Englander from a Deep Southerner.

Yes, definitely. When I travel south, I like to see the south as The South. I'm from the North, and I like the North. No one should be able to drive a thousand miles and not spot differences within a few minutes.

I also abhor the "redneck culture" which seems to have taken over as the "dominant" perceived culture in rural areas all over the U.S. and has replaced actual country culture. Redneck culture is this weird mix of some aspects of southern culture, country music, NASCAR, camouflage which seems to be part of some weird hunting culture, big wheels on pickups, consumerism, and is often tainted with racism, self-proclaimed ignorance as a virtue, and sexism. And even more infuriating is the fact that most of the redneck movement seems to be adopted by people who have never lived a day in their life in the country. They've become associated with most country folk so much so that people associate all the bad stuff with you if you say you are from the country.

 

[wahine]

It won't be too long that you travel Europe (or at least Germany) and don't see a difference to the US. Well maybe not tomorrow, but we're on our way there. So many people think everything from the US is "cool", "hip", "modern". They give up great parts of our culture, language and more. Ten years ago, there was no such thing as a mall in Germany, now they're everywhere.
How ridiculous that we even make up english names for things that already have english names, e.g. we call a cell phone "handy" (there is a German word, too, but no one really uses it). They also give US movies new english names, consisting of words that are likely better understandable to the average German, e.g. "Bring It On" has been released as "Girls United" in Germany.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

[video=youtube;KtCSZVhFRU8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtCSZVhFRU8[/video]

 

[LizzieMaine]

I also abhor the "redneck culture" which seems to have taken over as the "dominant" perceived culture in rural areas all over the U.S. and has replaced actual country culture. Redneck culture is this weird mix of some aspects of southern culture, country music, NASCAR, camouflage which seems to be part of some weird hunting culture, big wheels on pickups, consumerism, and is often tainted with racism, self-proclaimed ignorance as a virtue, and sexism. And even more infuriating is the fact that most of the redneck movement seems to be adopted by people who have never lived a day in their life in the country. They've become associated with most country folk so much so that people associate all the bad stuff with you if you say you are from the country.

YES YES YES A Thousand Times Yes.

This type of culture has *no* *resemblance* *whatsoever* to the northern white working class culture that I grew up in. None at all. We weren't hicks, rednecks, hillbillies, "white trash" or any of the rest of what working-class people today are presumed to be. We were honest, hardworking people who kept our houses clean, respected our neighbors, owned trucks only if our jobs required them, had no interest whatsoever in the sex lives of our neighbors, kept our religious beliefs to ourselves, treated the few African-Americans we encountered with respect, and would have danced naked in the streets before we'd be seen drunk in public. The only sports we knew anything about, or cared to know anything about, were baseball, high school basketball, and harness racing. Those who hunted did so to put food on their tables, not to wantonly kill animals or assert their masculinity, and they did so in red checkered wool jackets, not Terminator costumes. And we knew very well who won the Civil War, and weren't interested the least bit in re-fighting it.

When I see this whole "redneck pride" thing going on up here, the overblown trucks with the Peeing Calvins in the window and the rubber testicles hanging from the trailer hitch, the whole tobacco-spittin' yeeh-hawin' beer-swillin' Confederate-flag-waving thing and all the rest of it, I want to pull them over and beat them mercilessly with the collected works of Kenneth Roberts, Edna St. Vincent Millay, E. B. White, and Bud Leavitt. *This* is your heritage, you self-debasing buffoons.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Does reality TV count as a modern innovation? I personally don't think it should, but for those who do consider it to be, I'd like to include it on this list.... the dumbing down of society has increased 10-fold because of this drivel.

There was such a thing as "reality radio," although it wasn't called that, and the difference between that and today is, in a nutshell, the difference between then and now. The people who appeared on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour were *always* treated with the utmost respect on the air, and were never, ever subjected to ridicule by the Major, no matter how poor their performance. He was always kindly and encouraging and respectful to the guests -- there wasn't the slightest hint of sarcasm or irony in the way he presented them. "We The People," "Vox Pop," "The Goodwill Hour," even smarmy old Mr. Anthony, all the programs in that vein treated their guests with respect and dignity. And the producers of such programs would be horrified to see what they've evolved into today.

 

[sheeplady]

When I see this whole "redneck pride" thing going on up here, the overblown trucks with the Peeing Calvins in the window and the rubber testicles hanging from the trailer hitch, the whole tobacco-spittin' yeeh-hawin' beer-swillin' Confederate-flag-waving thing and all the rest of it, I want to pull them over and beat them mercilessly with the collected works of Kenneth Roberts, Edna St. Vincent Millay, E. B. White, and Bud Leavitt. *This* is your heritage, you self-debasing buffoons.

I get really upset about the confederate flag and confederate pride when it comes from a northerner because most of the time it's thinly veiled racism. If you're from the north with no connections to the south you really can't understand that part of southern culture. Even among generations of southerners the flag is controversial. It's appropriation for a northerner to fly a flag they have no connection to and get to decide they know better what it means than a southerner.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

There was such a thing as "reality radio," although it wasn't called that, and the difference between that and today is, in a nutshell, the difference between then and now. The people who appeared on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour were *always* treated with the utmost respect on the air, and were never, ever subjected to ridicule by the Major, no matter how poor their performance. He was always kindly and encouraging and respectful to the guests -- there wasn't the slightest hint of sarcasm or irony in the way he presented them. "We The People," "Vox Pop," "The Goodwill Hour," even smarmy old Mr. Anthony, all the programs in that vein treated their guests with respect and dignity. And the producers of such programs would be horrified to see what they've evolved into today.

Although the drunks, brawlers, juvenile delinquents, domestic sqabblers, bums and outright crooks as heard on Night Watch and Unit 99 aren't terribly unfamiliar to modern ears - the language was less salty and of course edited for broadcast, but otherwise the attitudes and evasions demonstrate that human nature doesn't change quickly. It also demonstrates that Jack Webb's ear for reality, at least in the radio Dragnet, wasn't far off the mark.

There is at least one Night Watch pre-broadcast outtake with a drunk lady swearing and arguing with the cops for hassling her husband.

 

[vitanola]

YES YES YES A Thousand Times Yes.

This type of culture has *no* *resemblance* *whatsoever* to the northern white working class culture that I grew up in. None at all. We weren't hicks, rednecks, hillbillies, "white trash" or any of the rest of what working-class people today are presumed to be. We were honest, hardworking people who kept our houses clean, respected our neighbors, owned trucks only if our jobs required them, had no interest whatsoever in the sex lives of our neighbors, kept our religious beliefs to ourselves, treated the few African-Americans we encountered with respect, and would have danced naked in the streets before we'd be seen drunk in public. The only sports we knew anything about, or cared to know anything about, were baseball, high school basketball, and harness racing. Those who hunted did so to put food on their tables, not to wantonly kill animals or assert their masculinity, and they did so in red checkered wool jackets, not Terminator costumes. And we knew very well who won the Civil War, and weren't interested the least bit in re-fighting it.

When I see this whole "redneck pride" thing going on up here, the overblown trucks with the Peeing Calvins in the window and the rubber testicles hanging from the trailer hitch, the whole tobacco-spittin' yeeh-hawin' beer-swillin' Confederate-flag-waving thing and all the rest of it, I want to pull them over and beat them mercilessly with the collected works of Kenneth Roberts, Edna St. Vincent Millay, E. B. White, and Bud Leavitt. *This* is your heritage, you self-debasing buffoons.

And so we come back to one of the malign effects of air conditioning, combined with the Kinescope.

 

[W4ASZ]

Well, air conditioning was pioneered by Dr. John Gorrie prior to the Civil War, and pretty much perfected by Willis Carrier by 1930.

How modern is that ? How does it connect to the rise of Cartoon Southerners ? :beer:

 

[lolly_loisides]

Well, air conditioning was pioneered by Dr. John Gorrie prior to the Civil War, and pretty much perfected by Willis Carrier by 1930.

The temperature here is predicted to exceed 43c (107f) today. I *love* air conditioning.

 

[W4ASZ]

The temperature here is predicted to exceed 43c (107f) today. I *love* air conditioning.

I heard that temperature forecast on Radio Australia early this morning, my time. Ouch ! Drink plenty of water and don't stay long in the sun. :eeek:

 

[Stormy]

Designer handbags

 

[John in Covina]

Designer handbags

That makes me think about the concept of having items that simply blast a logo at you to say i bought (famous designer) item. There was a shift that lead to that and the idea of a girls wearing sweat pant that have something like "juicy" embroderded across the butt.

 

[LizzieMaine]

To say nothing of the pretentious dolts who buy a suit or a coat and leave the label on the sleeve for all the world to see.

 

[vitanola]

To say nothing of the pretentious dolts who buy a suit or a coat and leave the label on the sleeve for all the world to see.

It was once considered risible.

 

[Gregg Axley]

As a connesiur of nice clothes, I agree that having the tag for the sake of showing everyone what brand you have, is tacky.
None of my clothes have the tag on the outside for all to see.
I buy for quality, not for approval.
Then again, many don't work this way....

Onboard computers for cars. At some point the whole "computer on wheels" gets frustrating. At the same time it becomes alarming when you realize with one click, the manufacturer can shut your car down (ala Onstar).

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I agree 100%. It is so rampant here that you hardly see folks that are anything but, and honestly, they give the rest of us country folks a bad name. It wasn't but 15 years ago that I knew nobody like that, and I grew up on a farm, now they're everywhere.

If you wanna fly a Confederate flag, because you know what it actually means, and you feel a connection with it, more power to you. I saw a thing on TV once and they interviewed a bunch of kids that were flying them and they just said "It's about being a hick, a redneck." NO. People fought and died in a war for what they believed in, don't make it into some stupid stereotype. Just as bad as the people that think the Civil War was fought over slavery. It was a factor, but not the whole war. Pet peeve of mine.

Also have a deep hatred for these jacked up trucks with a glass pack, or maybe dual glass packs on it, and they think they're racecar drivers. I am friends with plenty of people like this and I just roll my eyes. They all drive identical extended cab, short box, 1988-1998 body style Silverados, typically maroon, and argue over whose is better. Really?

And then, their convoluted idea of what a redneck is is even more ridiculous. I see these kids get out of their jacked up trucks, where they've got subwoofers bumping some ghetto tunes by Jay-Z or some such, and they're wearing an American Eagle T-Shirt, saggy jeans, but that's okay, because the saggy jeans have a Skoal ring, and they're wearing a camo hat with a fish hook on it, and some CAT work boots, so you know they're SOOOOO Hillbilly....... Please.

I also abhor the "redneck culture" which seems to have taken over as the "dominant" perceived culture in rural areas all over the U.S. and has replaced actual country culture. Redneck culture is this weird mix of some aspects of southern culture, country music, NASCAR, camouflage which seems to be part of some weird hunting culture, big wheels on pickups, consumerism, and is often tainted with racism, self-proclaimed ignorance as a virtue, and sexism. And even more infuriating is the fact that most of the redneck movement seems to be adopted by people who have never lived a day in their life in the country. They've become associated with most country folk so much so that people associate all the bad stuff with you if you say you are from the country.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think the deep-down issue is a society that seems unable to define itself except by cheap symbolism -- it's been so saturated in consumerism for so long that it's forgotten what identity really means. For this generation, identity seems to boil down entirely to accoutrements. Don a certain combination of clothes, listen to a certain kind of music, and presto -- you are a (fill in subcultural definition as a shallow substitute for actual identity.) But there's no "there" there.

And yes, before the but-but-butters start in, there were flappers in the twenties, alligators in the thirties, and hepcats in the forties who fell into the same sort of thing. But they were the exception rather than the rule. Today it's the rule rather than the exception.