What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

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coberst
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by coberst »

“What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?"

‘Narcissism’ is a word that I have encountered often in the last few years. People who study such matters describe our (Western) culture as being narcissistic.

Apparently we have become a narcissistic culture because our focus has concentrated on the self to the exclusion of “the greater good”.

When I examine the list of characteristics detailed in “Narcissism”: a grandiose self, foolish fantasies, craving fame, rage combined with bluff and bluster, shallowness, etc. I find that, of course, this is modern wo/man. http://it.stlawu.edu/~jwhorr32/page8.html

The media is blamed/credited with having a large hand in creating this narcissistic culture. I suspect McLuhan is being shown to be more and more prescient every day; the “Media is the Message”.
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

I never understand the fascination with reality TV, I don't watch any of it. Why do you want everything to be shown, and who wants to watch it anyway?

Give me a nice book to read....................:-6
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

My kids put that show on-it's creepy!

The American culture became narcissitic in the 1950s, when everyone wanted to keep up with the Jones.

It increased during the late 70-80s with the beginning of the Me Generation.

It has become the SUV/Hummer generation that exists now-vroom, look at my power and my speed. And gas guzzling, wasteful habits.

Yes Coberst, it is time for them to relearn what is important in life. I do not understand them, being a child of the 60s.
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

Oh, everyone does want their time in the limelight, that's true six.

Sometimes it is good for self esteem.

Sometimes it is over the top and too much of a good thing and all...............

Don't give in to the media-those pulp magazines at the supermarket counter provide laughter at reading their headlines before I see the chashier hand me the bill, but I never pay a penny to buy them!
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

:wah: Santa is innocent!
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anastrophe
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by anastrophe »

as with all generalizations, this one too is faulty.



narcissism tends to be normal, healthy selfishness taken a couple of notches further than other people consider seemly.



there's no way to do an objective study of the prevalence of narcissism, since it bumps into subjectivity on two levels - the researcher and the subject. *is* society more narcissistic? is it a reaction to/rejection of increasing legislated communitarianism?



one person's perception of narcissism in another person may be that persons projection of their envy, feelings of inadequacy, or for that matter, their committment to the ideology that community trumps the individual.



bill and melinda gates give massive amounts of money to charity. while doing so, they enjoy having their names and faces splashed on magazine covers, tv celebrity spots, etc. does their narcissism trump the good that comes of the billions they distribute to further education, economic development, healthcare in impoverished regions, etc?



just mumbling out loud.
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

That is a good point, floppy-they were scoring brownie points and not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Is that not so with many things today?

Tax deductions for charity gifts is a good example.
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Accountable
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by Accountable »

It's like I said before. There is no unselfish act. Like Floppy, I get a real charge out of helping others. It doesn't take away from the good resulting from the act.
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Accountable
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by Accountable »

SnoozeControl wrote: If I might be allowed to whine for a moment... I thought I was doing something nice and ANONYMOUS, but now I'm told I was just attempting to buy friends.



You know that expression "No good deed goes unpunished"?



Whine over. You will now be returned to your previously scheduled programming.The only person that truly knows your motives is you, and that's all that needs to know.
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Uncle Kram
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by Uncle Kram »

ArnoldLayne wrote: I think people enjoy the process of making other people happy. Do we do it for the satisfaction it gives us, or do we do it solely to make others happy. Would we do it if it gave us no pleasure.



To put a simplistic spin on it. Don't we just love the effect of a group of people laughing at at a joke you told ? Doesn't that process give us great pleasure ? Would we bother telling jokes otherwise ? I doubt it. The self gratification is an essential part of the pleasure giving process. What horrible, insular, depressing people we would be otherwise, obtaining no pleasure from our actions


You're right Arnold. My Mom is the ONLY altruistic person I know. Everyone else is giving to get something


THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PUN
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chonsigirl
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What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching?

Post by chonsigirl »

That is because mother's will do anything for their children.

:)
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