Re: virus: Re: Punishment and reward

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Fri, 21 Jun 1996 02:02:24 -0500


Tim Rhodes wrote:

> > > Hollywood tends to churn out bad but high-grossing movies rather
> > > than good movies because they realized that people prefer not to
> > > think.
>
> This is wrong. People avoid challenging movies not just out of a desire
> "not to think", but from a fear of feeling stupid, of not "getting it".
> An understandable fear if you walk into the theater without enough
> background knowledge to decode the imagery.

It is the background knowledge that really gets you, yes. That's why
I'm (trying) to read all the classics. The Greek Myths. The Bible.
Alice in Wonderland. Moby Dick. Walden. Lord of the Rings. A tale of
Two Cities. 1984. Shakespears plays. etc.

> This is an insignificant distinction, I know. But whenever anyone uses
> the <"They" do X because "they" don't like to think> meme format I can't
> help reading it as, "people who do X are stupid. I don't do X. Therefore
> I'm not stupid."
>
> Flawed logic at best.

I got a good laugh out of this one! Thanks!

ERiC