It feels like the problem with this is the assumption of a straight arrow labeled ‘progress’. I’ve come to prefer discussing social change in the terms of genetics; social groups interact, influencing ‘traits’, and social groups that persist for too long without outside influence inevitably face a situation that forces them to either break into smaller groups or collapse entirely.
It’s just a personal hypothesis, though, and I haven’t done anything close to real research for it.
“In brief, science looks at human beings with reference to the horizontal axis of history, whereas religion looks at human beings with reference to the vertical axis of morality.” -Dr. Mustansir Mir
Maybe imposing a vertical, binary, moral dimension (good or bad) onto a distinction that is in itself amoral/’horizontal’ (globalization vs. regionalism) is why this issue is getting so needlessly confusing.
Ah Dorothy. From my perspective, it seems as though you are surpassing yourself with ever-increasing frequency. I love the way Cat ignores Girl’s point utterly, focused exclusively on whether he will have an opportunity to fire off his gun, then seizes his chance at the very first opportunity, only to find that his own arsenal is as empty as Girl’s. His body language is perfect.
I do cultural/linguistic preservation work with aboriginal tribes in North America (as my full-time job). I’ve met several last-speakers of their languages.. Most aboriginal languages will be dead within 25 years.
I’d say that there is most definitely a “moral” dimension to these issues – people who have been run over by “progress” end up suffering quite a bit – for generations.
It’s easy to think there’s no morality to progress so long as you’re on the winning side. Try thinking that when “progress” took your family, culture, and language away. You’re now a wandering ghost in someone else’s story… Suicide rates in most of these groups are up to 100 times the national average.
But what do we care anyway? Mac has a new tablet coming out! Sw33t!
Coming from a country predicated on globalization (New Zealand) I’ve always been a bit mystified by the fight against globalisation. I mean we love it so much that we won’t even listen to local musicians until they are popular somewhere else.
Verafides – I wrote this cartoon after watching Travellers and Magicians and thinking about Bhutan. I don’t (ever) know any answers, but there is something to be said for the Meiji Restoration school of accommodation, and allowing progress in while keeping cultural influences at bay. It at least forestalls the steamroller of modernity in some aspects.
Yeah, I’m with Verafides. My immediate reaction to the word “good” is “no such thing,” but we aren’t really talking about some kind of religious morality here. We’re talking about the observable suffering of humans in a preventable way. Even in a strictly materialistic universe, we can, from our small and temporary perspective, safely describe that as “bad.”
March 16, 2010
Lost? The best maps are the ones you make yourself.
March 16, 2010
Clearly further enriching the elites of the world at the expense of everyone else is progress.
March 16, 2010
It feels like the problem with this is the assumption of a straight arrow labeled ‘progress’. I’ve come to prefer discussing social change in the terms of genetics; social groups interact, influencing ‘traits’, and social groups that persist for too long without outside influence inevitably face a situation that forces them to either break into smaller groups or collapse entirely.
It’s just a personal hypothesis, though, and I haven’t done anything close to real research for it.
March 16, 2010
“In brief, science looks at human beings with reference to the horizontal axis of history, whereas religion looks at human beings with reference to the vertical axis of morality.” -Dr. Mustansir Mir
Maybe imposing a vertical, binary, moral dimension (good or bad) onto a distinction that is in itself amoral/’horizontal’ (globalization vs. regionalism) is why this issue is getting so needlessly confusing.
March 16, 2010
Progress’ definition as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends on your view of it. And on what you decide to nitpick.
IMO, the good and bad mostly balance each other out; it’s the repetition that is the problem.
March 16, 2010
the last frame is my favourite… I need a ‘cat with a message gun’ in my life sometimes…
March 16, 2010
Then Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri show up in a row boat and deliver a copy of “Multitude” which makes Girl feel much better.
March 16, 2010
Ah Dorothy. From my perspective, it seems as though you are surpassing yourself with ever-increasing frequency. I love the way Cat ignores Girl’s point utterly, focused exclusively on whether he will have an opportunity to fire off his gun, then seizes his chance at the very first opportunity, only to find that his own arsenal is as empty as Girl’s. His body language is perfect.
March 16, 2010
Psssh, “progress”.
We’re just going in circles, chasing our own tails, until one day we finally catch it… and realize just how stupid we’ve looked doing it.
Amirite?
March 16, 2010
I do cultural/linguistic preservation work with aboriginal tribes in North America (as my full-time job). I’ve met several last-speakers of their languages.. Most aboriginal languages will be dead within 25 years.
I’d say that there is most definitely a “moral” dimension to these issues – people who have been run over by “progress” end up suffering quite a bit – for generations.
It’s easy to think there’s no morality to progress so long as you’re on the winning side. Try thinking that when “progress” took your family, culture, and language away. You’re now a wandering ghost in someone else’s story… Suicide rates in most of these groups are up to 100 times the national average.
But what do we care anyway? Mac has a new tablet coming out! Sw33t!
March 16, 2010
Coming from a country predicated on globalization (New Zealand) I’ve always been a bit mystified by the fight against globalisation. I mean we love it so much that we won’t even listen to local musicians until they are popular somewhere else.
March 17, 2010
Verafides – I wrote this cartoon after watching Travellers and Magicians and thinking about Bhutan. I don’t (ever) know any answers, but there is something to be said for the Meiji Restoration school of accommodation, and allowing progress in while keeping cultural influences at bay. It at least forestalls the steamroller of modernity in some aspects.
March 17, 2010
I wish I knew where I was going. Oh wait, no I don’t!
March 17, 2010
Yeah, I’m with Verafides. My immediate reaction to the word “good” is “no such thing,” but we aren’t really talking about some kind of religious morality here. We’re talking about the observable suffering of humans in a preventable way. Even in a strictly materialistic universe, we can, from our small and temporary perspective, safely describe that as “bad.”
June 4, 2010
They’re all still concepts exemplified under capitalism, just different manifestations playing out….
June 7, 2010
And the moral of the story is… progress is lame propaganda to excuse for west to rape third world any way they like!
September 26, 2011
There are some serious messages in this i can’t wrap my head around in this hypnogogic state. I promise to reread.