We aren't mind readers, tell us the context, is it a regional spelling?

Is art imitating reality or the other way round?

It wasn’t like this when the Matrix was produced - but maybe the Wachovski brothers were prescient

Maybe you can start by asking the right questions

It’s hard. I think people get sucked into the matrix. I had a friend who was a really interesting person. Had well thought out beliefs and we used to talk about philosophy, politics and science.

Eventually she got a high paying, high stress high finance job and eventually she had no time to really think about things. Instead it was easier to repeat talking points she saw on the news and spend what little time she had enjoying her money. We still keep in touch but she actively isn’t interested in our old subjects as they’re too stressful to think about. It’s a fair point.

My coworker is reasonably decent engineer and intelligent person. His motivation in life is to just make money to feed his addiction to video games, gambling and drugs. We’re friends outside of work so I encouraged him to break away from his vices but to him there’s not much in the “real world”. It’s not entertaining, optimistic or fun so he plugs in after work.

I have a lot friends like these. The funny thing about the cave allegory is that in modern times the world outside of the cave is much more chaotic, hateful and scary.

Yes, it's hard, I agree. I suppose this is why we venerate Socrates. For our part though, we need to be alive, to understand this unity of being and, to paraphrase Forster, live in fragments no longer.

The transhumanist/effective altruism types really do a great service in making me chuckle. I wonder where that attitude comes from, lack of community?

Narcissism

Don't worry Thomas, you just need to "get older" as our patronizing interlocutor suggests

I'm not too worried about their opinion. I just want to do what I can to show people the reality of the situation. Fox News doesn't get to maximize the engagement of its audience and minimize the engagement of its critics.

Ok good, keep up the fight and I shall too, it only dies in silence

And fox news as the boogie man will continue to live in your heads.

"Fight the good fight" ffs.

I think I pretty clearly laid out how this "boogy man" has directly impacted my life. That's a reality that very much exists outside my head.

What's the alternative? To do nothing? You my friend are a cynic, but your existence proves that you're probably less of a cynic than you let on

Don't alienate the "other side", it drives them further away.

Shake hands, understand why others feel the way they do. You don't have to agree, but it helps.

I need to do this myself, but I don't walk around angry and blame "the other side"

I think when dealing with 'the other side' so to speak, a good many of us (me included) are against the forces of shear ignorance, scientific illiteracy, undo/thinly veiled racism, and a general disunion amongst men (a war of all against all). I certainly wouldn't put you in this category, but you must admit your original comment came in hot, which instinctively makes people put their shields up. I hope we can all be like the Buddha, but for me, it's exceedingly hard to embody

Ah yes, the "don't talk about politics" approach. The one fundamental/procedural union of all with all, the thing that wretches all of us out from tribal/segregated animal existence. The biggest decision tree impacting our planet and the universe at large. That thing? Yeah just ignore it, if dad thinks killing the gays should be part of the law and I don't...well ya know, let's just lobotomize ourselves psychically so we never have to broach the truths of morality, ethics, justice, and never discuss the two paths humanity and walk down. Very well. Leave it to the others, what do we know anyways, it's not like we can do anything...

This made me giggle

Change in the firmament of free ideas and free association, surely that's better than the alternative

Please indicate your sarcasm for I fear parent might take you literally