Curtisdeltablues, thanks a billion, dude, I think this has the makings of a really good conversation. First off, I love wherever I am to death. And I am profoundly at home here in Ff, but I fucking miss China where I was equally at home. The fact is that I see this place going down the fascist road to hell that I have experienced once in my life first hand already. Now, in a rabbit warren, this experience would be considered essential knowledge for survival . I'm pretty good at reading the road signs. I am a fourth generation refugee. I'm genetically programmed that way, I can't help it. And then, like it or not, I got an amazing education---there is not doubt about that. Now, if I say Americans are a bunch of stupid assholes, I probably mean exactly that. And one reason I am so good at recognizing the indisputable and scientifically established fact that Americans are a bunch of stupid assholes is because I am for friggin sure one of you. It's true I'm not a citizen, but you can think of my status as a kind common law marriage. Jefferson, would have accorded me citizenship a thousand time over, and I am truly sorry Bush is not so inclined. I also believe that every weakness is the other side of a strength. If this weren't true, it would be impossible to get through life.
I love that you love my questions. Of course they have answers. Not only do they have answers, they have an infinite number of possible answers you could spin and then argue for successfully and support with studies. Another thing you can say about Americans is that they have studies about everything including studies of studies of studies. In a world like this, of course a good rabbit knows how to cover her tracks. Did the rest of the world notice that Americans have a relatively short attention span in some legitimate manner that you would recognize as being legit? I think they have. But see, a kind of heart to heart recognition of one human to another, a recognition beyond time, place, and condition, necessarily precedes the super-scientific studies. The studies are the stories we invent when we can't seem to trust another's knowledge and love. There are studies, and you can find them on the Internet. And oh, by the way, I must confess to abysmal stupidity when it comes to the Internet, as some of you have correctly surmised. I have kind of just discovered it. Don't forget that not only am I senile as hell, I'm also a recovering technophobe who was basically raised in 19th century Germany. Bombing somebody back to the stone age is one of those expressions that is an excellent example of anagoge. The war literally bombed the place back about a hundred years. I do not blindly buy into bashing anyone, you abominable troll; bashing is much more successful if you can actually see the target. I am so very happy that flaming evil is allowed here. Thanks again, dude, for giving me the benefit of the doubt. a curtisdeltablues <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: --- In [email protected], Angela Mailander <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "There are no statistics" is not a statement a careful student or observer would make. He or she would say instead, "I am aware of no statistics." Consider me not careful when responding to your post. Good point. As it happens, there are numerous studies on attention span, including cross cultural studies. > > To judge my statement on attention span a prejudice is itself prejudicial. "Prejudice" means "pre-judgment." You cannot know if I am making a pre-judgment until you ask what my judgment is based on. Is it based on merely informal observation? Hearsay? Ethnographic studies? Excellent questions all. So do they have answers or was this a sophist trick to cover your tracks? > > Whether a short attention span is a good thing or a bad thing depends on a number of different variables. As I have already indicated, it can be a very good thing. Letting go of the past is a necessary component in any kind of creativity. And, presumably, we wouldn't want the whole planet populated by a bunch of stodgy nineteenth century German scholars. I'm not qualified to judge if there is (or is not) a genetic component predating the present age that would make for a relatively shorter attention span among Americans. That consistent behavior over a large enough population will create a genetic predisposition, however, seems a solid enough hypothesis. TV certainly doesn't foster a long attention span, and neither does an educational system that is largely based on objective tests. The statement about attention span was a general statement > based on > > > stats. Statistics predict tendencies in systems---never > individuals. > > > That Americans have a short attention span is something the rest > of > > > the world kind of knows about us- Did the rest of the world come to their conclusions through their careful review of studies too? When you make blanket statements about how Americans are "fill in the blank" compared to the rest of the world, I think you are buying into America bashing. But hey I could be wrong, I'll be fascinated to hear about all the cross cultural studies that you alluded to that formed the basis of your opinion rather than just the prejudicial "winging it" that forms the basis of what the rest of "the world kind of knows about us". Good distinctions Angela. I look forward to being proven wrong if I am. I could be misreading your claim of studies as a baseless bluff when being called on a personal prejudice. Let's see. > > nablusoss1008 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: --- In [email protected], Vaj <vajranatha@> wrote: > > > > > > On Oct 31, 2007, at 10:49 AM, curtisdeltablues wrote: > > > > > --- In [email protected], Angela Mailander > > > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > > > > > The statement about attention span was a general statement > based on > > > stats. Statistics predict tendencies in systems---never > individuals. > > > That Americans have a short attention span is something the rest > of > > > the world kind of knows about us---my guess is that this has > something > > > to do with the fact that we watch more TV than anyone else. Kids > in > > > other countries tend not to have attention deficit disorder to > the > > > extent our do. But that can't be the only reason.> > > > > > > There are no such statistics, this is just prejudice and ethno- > centric > > > snobbery. I have lived in other countries and people's attention > > > spans cannot be summed up by country. With your deep knowledge of > > > where this leads I am surprised that you would embrace a negative > > > stereotype about a certain culture's cognitive abilities. You are > > > buying into a perspective that other countries use to take shots > at > > > the US. "Well they may be the richest country in the world but > they > > > have short attention spans." > > > > > > I actually had heard this, it was about 10-15 years ago from > > professionals in that field. In fact, one of the theories as to > why > > they were so high in America was partially genetic, as the > tendency > > to want to leave another country (i.e. Europe) to go to another > > country may stem from ADHD -- so that people who settled here have > a > > higher percentage of attention deficit via the type of people who > > tend to want to move to a young, wild country. In any event, that > > what was being bandied about back then. So basically the early > > settlers here included a high percentage of ADHD people and we > now > > pay the genetic price for that today. > > > > But it was just a theory. > > Benjamin Creme mentions something like that in describing the Rays > of the USA. But for him it is a posivtive tendency of exploration > now being materialized in the american dream of exploring more and > more of the universe finding new "frontiers". > http://www.shareintl.org > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
