James Burke and his late 1970s series Connections must be to blame for why the Professor and I always feel compelled to link up random comments about small seemingly innocuous “things” with their place in the far larger scheme of things. All those little bits of our world that we have become accustomed to, that we attribute or ascribe, that we deny or decry, sometimes have far different origins and infinitely more complex backstories than we take the time to consider.
Bringing such thoughts to others’ attention inevitably gets us into trouble. There seems to be a really fine line between revelation and lecture where offering up an alternate explanation for why things are often comes off as just plain pedantic. In real life, physical or verbal indications give one a relatively good idea of which direction the conversation will be going but in the virtual world context is variable and tone is highly subjective. Sometimes we are left unsure of just how much more to say or even whether to pursue the thread.
Our interactions on social media can be problematic for no good reason and bring to mind that uncontrollable kid with no censorship filters at the luau running around arms flailing, screaming “Why? Look at that! NO!” and then crawling under the table howling “Impossible!” when you offer an answer. Entering into such “discussions” becomes a fire-walk of promethean proportions. Meanwhile, his parents are otherwise occupied or (un)concerned and the guests are casting sideways glances at each other. We are left with the impression that maybe it is better just to drop it and help ourselves to some of the better libations. But doesn’t someone have to say something?
What to do, what to do…
ACROSS THE BORED 
I loved that show. Thanks for the reminder—of him and the random connectivity of life.
Ω
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You’re welcome – I think I’m due for a Connections marathon! Ah, the beauty of YouTube…
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Indeed someone does have to say something. Otherwise we’ll all end up living in some corporately manipulated la-la land with brains like mush. So keep making those ‘connections’. It was a great series by the way. Pity there are not more of that ilk- a good antidote to entrenched positions and restricted viewpoints.
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We’ll just have to keep the curmudgeon banners flying high! I find people really touchy when it comes to becoming informed…
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All the more reason then…though I agree it does not feel good to upset people. But then so many seem to lack self-awareness, as if they got stuck in their development somewhere, or else were overwrought by some dogma or other. It’s then very painful to be offered another ‘reality’.
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I’m constantly amazed at how people come to odd conclusions or draw inferences from only one piece of the puzzle. It can be hard to know how much to say or even whether to keep such discussions going (especially where social media is concerned). Like I said to someone else recently – how do you go about such things without coming off as preachy…
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I suppose the old story tellers were on the case. One way to inform without overt preaching was to tell a tale that exposes the problem. Time for some creative anecdotes perhaps?
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So true – nothing like a sense of humour to soften the blow…
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