Ebony & Irony: Irony Hits You Like a Punch In the Face
Today’s quote of the day greeted me on my iGoogle home page, and I was immediately hit with its in-your-face irony. Like a punch to the face. In a fun sort of way.
Computer games don’t affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.
- Marcus Brigstocke
Uh, sir, many of us often times find ourselves in darkened rooms, drained of emotion, of all mental capacity. Our society does encourage popping pills as therapy to stem the tides of social and mental disorders. And our mainstream music stations are rampant with overwhelmingly similar, regurgitated styles that nothing is truly original anymore. On another hand–yet in the same vein–some of the biggest hits of the last couple of decades featured simple chord progressions, repetitive melody lines. I.e., Nirvana, Weezer, Rhianna (oh boy, talk about repetitive and simple melody!), and even decades back.
And we’re slowly yet surely starting to become aware of this netherworld of netizens on MMO games like World of Warcraft and social games like Second Life, which spawn Other Lives of people who refuse to fully embrace living in THIS one, the real world, with real face-to-face interactions. People marry in WoW and in Second Life, causing obsessions which often lead to addiction and, sometimes, even violence. (Hey, the first ever internet addiction clinics were for people who were too obsessed with WoW that they forgot that the physical, interactive world still existed outside of their computers.)
What do you mean the kids aren’t alright? Sure they are. Or they aren’t. Either way, they’re all a-Twitter about it. They’ll tell you everything they’re feeling in every sordid Facebook status update, down to the steamy, emo details. They’ll photo whore their every activity on Yfrog or Twitpic or DailyBooth.com. If they’re feeling depressed, you’ll be sure that they’ll be atop the timeline of the #depression trend topic.
And parents, where are they? They’re busy on their crack berries themselves. So there’s Wii and PSPs to occupy their kids. Don’t mind when their five year old gets brain cancer when he’s fifteen. At least he had something to do when he was a kid, right?
I’m pretty sure videogames and all digital media are inedibly tied to our new society. These devices and programs are the new way to entertain and communicate, and they are here to stay.
I can’t rid myself from Twitter and my 30+ tweets a day. I’m not going to try.
love that quote : )
It’s dripping with irony, and yet funny as shit at the same time. That’s why I love it, too!!
Obsessed with twitter! My finger will be hitting refresh on my crackberry all day when it should be on my mouse. I’m obsessed with my iPod. I thought I lost it a few days ago and immediately went to apple to see which one to get next. Luckily, it turned up yesterday.
Although I admit that I am a technology whore, I am not too thrilled with the iPad. It definitely does amazing things but I’m not fond of the Kindle-ness of it. I’d match rather read books on paper. Sit at Borders/Barnes and Noble all day and have my nose stuck in a book. Who wants to work 8hrs in front of a computer, then go back home to stare at another screen to read a book? With that I’d rather stay old school.
Thank you for writing this Mae, you rock!
Me, too. I am so obsessed with Twitter. I find myself having to calm down, though… I almost Tweet too much!
I see how my brother grew up with every new gaming device in comparison to my egg carton (I kid you not) and my puzzles. Needless to say he’s got the attention span of a rock, LOL. I’m bringing my kids (when they come) back to the stone age. I’ll skip the egg carton, but back to the basics.
Tear myself away from? Right now it’s Cinnabons and cookies. I can’t. Stop.
Oh love the ring!
I’m almost feeling you on that, but I think that because of who I am, I doubt my kids will have a technology-less up-bringing. However, I am a firm believer that my children will not possess cell phones or lap top computers until they have the money to pay for and maintain them themselves. Same thing goes with cars, videogame systems and any other technology. The computer will be in the family room, and we will only have one. The TV will be in the family room or in the living room, and we will only have 1. And there will be strict rules as to how much time can be spent on them… unless pertaining to homework.
Books. Books and dolls and art and science toys and going outside will be the suggested fare for entertainment starved kids in the Lu house!
Oh i like the ring. Where is it from?
Hmm. i don’t really know what i’m addicted to. Also i would love to just sit and read for hours. =)
I actually have an outfit post in the next article where I tell you about my ring.
Okay, if you must know, I got it from Modcloth.com :) They’re sold out though, now. :(
Oh I agree in every way.
I was just talking to a friend the other day about how the generation who is growing up right now does not have to wait for their media. They don’t know the value of anticipation, all they have to say is, “Mommy hanna montana!” & they can watch it instantly on Tivo or online. I remember having to wait to watch a program (Gundam / DBZ / ANIMANIACS / POKEMON) and being super stoked the hour before it came on. My 5 yr old nephew is super stoked, but is impatient because he can get what he wants, when he wants.
I am addicted to Twitter and Gowalla. Super fun. Oh and TEA