The two biggest influencing factors to most peoples beliefs are mass media and the education system. I used to be very concerned about how STS these two systems seem to be (I live in north america, maybe its not as bad in other regions) but more and more I've realized that if someone really wants to change then they will break out of the societal mould that was created for them, I did. I used to want to design some kind of perfect STO mass media and education system but when I think about it all that would do is make it easier for people to choose STO as a polarity but you can't turn people into "ethical" beings if at the core they still want to be - for lack of a better word - sheep. I remembered how Ra said on Venus alot of the population still wasn't polarizing because they saw the STO entities as patronizing or something along those lines, so some wanderers came to share wisdom but ended up starting an organized religion and became STS harvestable. So if we didn't have MTV, Kesha, rap, violent movies, clubs, bars, etc. there'd be alot of people who would feel out of place or unhappy.
I used to be uber strict about the media and food I consumed, and the people I socialized with (e.g. no one), but back then I was actually being more STS than STO without realizing it, much like a religious fundamentalist (and I feel that vibe, perhaps mistakenly, with some members on this forum).
I'm bringing this up because I like some Lady Gaga songs music-wise, I think they're catchy, but the lyrics are about the sinkhole of indifference at best, and STS at worst. I used to think lyrics could influence people subconsciously but on further analysis I don't think its true. And when I read the lyrics for Blah Blah Blah by Kesha I was just disappointed by how empty some peoples lives are who live like the character she describes in the song.
i wrote out a reply to this earlier but my laptop started to misbehave before i submitted it
i'm with you on the mass media thing but don't think it's necessary to opt out completely, rather to cultivate an objectivity and an ability to distance oneself from the media consumed. i see education as really important in learning this skill - the way media studies is now taught in most high schools in the uk, teaching kids how to recognise agenda setting in the media and how to actively examine content. i think this is a good thing. i did a degree in media studies and i found it very valuable - not least because it dissuaded me from the journalistic career path i had embarked upon. i think it was much easier for the media to control the masses when there were fewer media channels, the relatively recent fragmentation of the media means that attempts to control and agenda set are generally much more obvious. the 24 hour news channels being by far the most obvious and of all media outlets probably the most toxic
however people will always naturally gravitate towards media which reinforce their subconsious beliefs and view of the world - media consumption is an active process, an ongoing series of choices
(01-02-2011, 04:12 AM)turtledude23 Wrote: [ -> ]The two biggest influencing factors to most peoples beliefs are mass media and the education system.
I think that this is somewhat true up until a certain point, that point being when people become aware of what they believe rather than believing it without question. And parents also play a big role in what people believe.
I'm also not so sure that things like Kesha and Lady Gaga actually mean anything... Personally I like both of the artists but I don't care about or pay attention to the lyrics; I just enjoy a party song!
On the strictness of media, food and associates, I think that those are more personal choices than indicators or gauges of polarity. I personally choose to eat only the most healthy food and won't give in to offers of less than that, but that could belong in any of the STS, STO, or indifferent categories:
An STS entity might realize that unhealthy foods won't aid its quest to polarize and will most likely bog its physical and energy bodies down, hence it might choose to only eat well. Many people simply want to try to live happier healthier lives, which could easily fit into the indifferent category. And an STO person might be of the mindset that eating only certain types of food, for example vegan or vegetarian, would be best for the planet and its inhabitants (perhaps because of factory farms).
I think that you may be inadvertently
preaching to the choir on this one, though it's definitely possible I'm wrong.
Love and Light, a message from a part of You to you!
I didn't mean being strict about diet is STS, I didn't realize I wasn't being clear. I meant I approached everything with such strictness that I think I was being STS then.
Anyways I think I found a constructive way to deal with the fact that I like some of the contemporary "brainwashing" music. I think anyone who's heard Love Game by Lady Gaga and who finds Ra's academic speaking style funny will enjoy it. I call it Detailed Translations of Contemporary Music - Volume 1:
Quote:Let us partake in a mutually enjoyable activity, [Let's have some fun]
For this musical fugue I perceive as pleasant, [This beat is sick]
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation [I want to take a ride on your disco stick]
Let us partake in a mutually enjoyable activity,
For this musical fugue I perceive as pleasant,
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation
I wish to place my lips on your face
But the accuracy of my trajectory is questionable
It is a complex system and of mediocre intelligence
My buttocks was squeezed by an attractive suitor
I assume he wishes to participate in an activity
Wishes to participate in an activity
An activity which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
An activity which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Embrace me and catalyze within me the feeling of the emotion I consider love
I wish to touch your physical frame for 60 seconds
Alas, 3 seconds is enough for the portion of my mind which generates to emotions to vanquish my desires
Let us partake in a mutually enjoyable activity,
For this musical fugue I perceive as pleasant,
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation
Do not think more than I would deem necessary instead withdraw your penis
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation
Let us engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Do you desire love or large-scale social prominence?
Are you currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
Currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
X2
I am on a mission,
And it involves a great quantity of touching.
You have indicated your interest,
I am educated in sexual intercourse, I assure you.
And now I find myself desiring this activity immensely,
Desiring this activity immensely.
An activity which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
An activity which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Embrace me and catalyze within me the feeling of the emotion I consider love
I wish to touch your physical frame for 60 seconds
Alas, 3 seconds is enough for the portion of my mind which generates to emotions to vanquish my desires
Let us partake in a mutually enjoyable activity,
For this musical fugue I perceive as pleasant,
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation
Do not think more than I would deem necessary instead withdraw your penis
I wish to use your penis as a mode of transportation
Let us engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Do you desire love or large-scale social prominence?
Are you currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
Currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
X2
I observe you gazing from across the facility with a smile on your mouth and your hand on your exclamation
The allegory pertaining to us is that such a scenario always begins in an identical fashion with a young male human being and a young female human being and an exclamation and an activity involving 2 or more participants
And an activity involving 2 or more participants
And an activity involving 2 or more participants
And an activity involving 2 or more participants
And an activity involving 2 or more participants
Let us engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Engage in a game which involves the concept of the human emotion called love
Do you desire love or large-scale social prominence?
Are you currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
Currently participating in the fore-mentioned activity?
X4