Will Self questions the rituals of our digital life
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- As English National Opera prepare to stage a new opera by Nico Muhly, we've asked writer Will Self to reflect on some of the issues that arise from the work.
And he's worried. In fact, Will Self is very worried.
The Opera: Two Boys
Loosely inspired by actual events that occurred in an English industrial city, Nico Muhly's new opera is a cautionary tale of the dark side of the internet.
On May 23 we'll be holding a live debate at the London Coliseum. Book your place at www.insideopera.com
www.eno.org - Zábava
few people know, but Will Self was the subject for edvard munch's "the scream"
Interesting to hear this now. Never a dull word with WS.
What powerful philosophical thought!
@gaiasun All I meant was that what he's talking about here is dark, but only specifically towards some of the inherent structural barriers that internet operates within, on a social level. The conversations taking place in these comments are exactly what Will is talking about. I could say any number of slanderous things here and there would be virtually no social repercussions to sustain. That's not a dark view of humanity overall, merely a dark view of the internet's structural issues.
Some people are more readily nauseated than others. I happen to like the visuals. Gives me eyes something to do as I listen. Makes the listening easier. But then I have ADHD...
Isn't it kind of sinister that we're watching this on the internet and some of us would have little chance of viewing it other than on the internet? Or, maybe not. :)
PS - If context is important to this talk's interpretation then someone from ENO should post what that context is.
Not only do I agree with most of his opinions and conjecture but judging by the comments I think that it hits some nerves.
Very interesting indeed. Although I confess I find Will Self's level of intellect and vocabulary sometimes hard to follow.
Same, but I don't think that's uncommon. I sometimes wonder if he deliberately tries to lose people for self congratulation or if he just sincerely likes to make a habit of uncommonly used words to expand his vocabulary/for fun. Obviously he is very intelligent but I know people just as intellectual who are able to articulate ideas in a way that everyone/most could easily understand, and I think that's a very special trait in itself.
Work experience production team. Apart from the sound guy, he did a fine job.
He doesn't say it's necessarily religious, and faith ritual is not what he is talking about. Religion is not the only psychological use of ritualized behavior. It's repetitive, goal-directed, and uncritical, but it does not need to have anything to do with faith.
The packaging jostling with the content for attention; a symptom of our times.
@gaiasun The internet can be used for a lot of good things, but what Will and another are interested in is the entire picture of how we might be affected by a social apparatus that has no social policing. This isn't a dark view of humanity, just a look a what the internet is and how it is shaping us socially, in good ways and in bad ways.
That's pretty spot on. I've enjoyed a few of Will Self's books but framing, camera work and text highlighting in this video don't help it the slightest.
So he's worried that we will inadvertently train ourselves to be little egoists? Valid, but doesn't take the existence of Anonymous into account. I would call that a sort of collective imagining.
@gaiasun In the end, for me, the video sheds some light on wanting to fulfill the desire to instill a level of humanity in web-based social exchange that would correspond with the social responsibility required in the physical world. I'm just not sure you could call the veiled anonymity inherent in web-based social exchange part of our intrinsic nature.
Fair comment
Pompous yet very true!
@Volterator No, I think that what he meant to say was 'Cor, I think that the director of this piece is a twat'
I am inclined to agree when the fundamental aim of a talking head VT should be to allow the watcher to focus on the subject matter , not be distracted from it with pointless panning, zooming and changes of format.
@gaiasun I dont see the point of thinking about what he's saying here as "half truths." If you can show me "truth" anywhere, I'd be much obliged. Obviously everything he's saying is speculative, but I agree we're social animals, and he's fulfilling that intrinsic nature by sharing what he's got on his mind. Perhaps he's guilty of over-intellectualizing a natural process, but that assessment is entirely subjective.
@MikeBlackney Pretentious I'll give you, but if it's incoherent why did I follow every line of reasoning he laid out? I think what you meant to say was "Cor, I think that Will Self is a twat."
skip to 0.29
Well put, and he does give some substance to his argument. However, let's be clear, this is another old man "worrying" that another new form of media and technology is going to in some rather vague way corrupt or damage the youth (as, to his credit, he himself acknowledges). We've been here before.
A decade later, he wasn't wrong!
The only way to listen to this video is without watching the visuals, the silly and highly distracting zooming in and out and all about, and constant changing of shot, which are just too much and make one nauseous.
and pretend its radio.
What planet does he live on?His talk concerned itself with the wicked side of human nature, and its weaknesses, but failed to comment on the cooperative, collaborative and self-regulating nature of various communities constituted by willing, thinking, caring 'cofreres'. I have used the internet since 1999 and my experience is NOT represented by Will Self.
I think one phrase from his talk can be used to represent his narrow mindedness: see 5 mins 30 seconds... Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans - ha!
I imagine it would be nearly impossible to find a more incoherent or pretentious video on CZcams.
What a verbose and longwinded ramble about nothing in particular. Plain English is the language of intellectual debate. This man's a dilletante and his arguments are puffed up with high sounding words. His phrasing is convoluted but his ideas are obvious and unoriginal.
He's a yokel's idea of what a smart person should sound like.
Dilettante*
keep working on your charisma will, I like this guy but he needs to use the common language and stop acting like a smart arse, Lesley Thomas the famous writer said, when I am writing a book I go to my dictionary and look up some words that people don't normally use, because I know they will need to look them up, that amused him, telaesthesia..... telugu....timocracy........ go on, I dare you, look them up........... heh heh heh, if you learn the meaning of just one new word in 365 days you will have a bigger vocabulary, the trouble is nobody will be interested in your smart chat, because its boring
I've heard this argument before, using elaborate language is snobbish and makes you non relatable. Having an extensive vocabulary is not boring, in fact it's quite the opposite. It colours your speech with a dynamic range far beyond the layman in order to describe a story or create imagination and interest. Maybe you find this way of talking and philosophising intellectually intimidating, which is why you felt the need to share your opinion? Calling somebody a 'smart arse' because they might talk differently to you is blatant prejudice. What would be the difference if I chastised somebody because they had a very weak vocabulary?
The Awoken fuck off, your just stupid
cuddly bear *you're not your ;-)
bawbag !
I think self's way with the english language is great, as he uses it so to be specific and descriptive to absolute point. The reverse - using general everyday words - would I think leave the listener, more lost in what Self really actually is trying to specify in his meaning.
The only way to listen to this video is without watching the visuals, the silly and highly distracting zooming in and out and all about, and constant changing of shot, which are just too much and make one nauseous.