oo4. ♙ accidental video

[escapedpandora]

[The feed starts up black, and then you can see that the black is actually a nose nudging at the camera... and as the nose moves further away from the camera, you can see a puppy, looking happy and licking at the NV with tail wagging. It looks like it's on a desk filled with books, in a brightly lit room

Comments

Voice:

[makes_asteroids]

Because people are fickle, at least in terms of why governments change.

Studying political science or history?

[makes_asteroids]

Yes, a bit. The World Trade Organization has lofty goals - and while it does improve the lives of those in some countries, too often it serves to introduce dangerous and pollution causing manufacturing to countries not equipped to handle the clean up, while allowing the cost of labor to go down. This makes things cheaper but at a cost - namely lack of jobs in one part of the world, and dangerous conditions in another.

Yes, multi-lingual. I know...a fair dozen or so myself.

[escapedpandora]

So it keeps the... [He's looking through his notes.] First world countries first world, and third world countries third world?

[Oh, boy. All these terminologies are going to take a while to sink in. But it's the next part that has his really impressed.]

A dozen? Um. Wow. Not just a doctor, then, huh?

[makes_asteroids]

To a great deal yes. Progress comes but often not in a way that can sustain a nation.

[He chuckles] No, not just a doctor. But I've traveled a lot.

[escapedpandora]

And another something that seems counterproductive. [He gives the type of world-weary sigh that only teenagers can give, too exasperated with the everything.]

Travel, too? To... a lot of these nations, then?

[makes_asteroids]

It is and it isn't. If you take a group of people who still go into combat with wooden bows and arrows and give them semi or fully automatic weapons...they end up killing a lot of their own people. Same with illness - modern transit and food production can spread illness far faster than it can be treated.

Oh yes. All over the world really.

[escapedpandora]

[Thinking about that, it makes a lot of sense.]

So the answer is to... slow it down? Vaccinations first, then food and water, and probably let education catch up before anything else.

How are the different cultures, then? Are they really as different as the books say they are?

[makes_asteroids]

Water then food, but yes, that's the best way. Education needs to come first but people won't care if they are dying from illness, exposure, or starvation.

Bless my soul, yes sometimes. People are people - in our core we are all the same - but the cultures...yes they can be as different as possible to be.

[escapedpandora]

I think the idea of so many cultures is great, even if it seems terrible to work with-- haven't really been away from home until... well. Just a little before I got here. And the place I did go didn't have anyone there, just historical stuff.

[makes_asteroids]

It is great, until someone decides theirs is better than others and tries to enforce their own on others.

But all in all...it makes the world a more interesting place, and leads to many great things.

[escapedpandora]

Cultures, maybe... I can't see wars making the world an interesting place, though. As interesting as cultures are, it seems really dangerous if it creates so much conflict.

[makes_asteroids]

Sorry lad, there is...an old saying 'May you live in interesting times' which is commonly regarded as backhanded curse - it sounds like a blessing but in reality not. That was what I meant.

It can be dangerous. But great advances are only made when people do not limit themselves into thinking as everyone else does.

[escapedpandora]

'May you live in interesting times', huh? I'll have to remember that one. Guess there's no harm in wanting to live out a quiet, normal life, then.

I'm guessing different cultures lend to different methods of thinking... I guess I just wish that wouldn't include being afraid of those different methods of thinking.

[komikbookgeek]

No harm in it at all. [He actually sounds wistful.]

They did, and yes, that would be wonderful. Sadly humans have not evolved passed "My people are better than your people".