/lit/ - Literature

http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html

You want to protect your exclusive knowledge of the techniques of production from the massification of the production process produced by the industrial revolution? Shit dawg...

>in monastery hospice
>goodwife with young wench sitting across from me
>wench begins to wail incessantly, so a nurse gives her a little scroll
>she begins to turn at the pages
>goodwife says "It's not a book sweetie it's a scroll"

>the child didn't know what a scroll was

I find myself increasingly attracted to becoming a Taborite with each passing day
but actually that story is pretty upsetting

>>3826215
>In meadhall
>barmaid with child seated by the hearth
>child begins to utter devilish moans, so a patron gives him a runed tablet
>he tries to unroll the inscribed clay
>woman utters "it's not a scroll sweetie its a slab"

>the babe didn't know what a slate was

I find myself increasingly attracted to becoming a stone scribe with every passing day

>>3826215
>>3826232

I suppose it doesn't sound too bad when you put it that way, but still...

>>3826236
Nah. There's truth to your statement. I'm much more inclined to physical books after hearing that illegal e-books/e-books that have lost copyright can be remotely removed from your reader.
(http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2009/07/why_2024_will_be_like_nineteen_eightyfour.html))
Print copies feel like the best medium to me.

>>3826232
>in agora
>pederast with student standing by a stall
>student begins to cry out like a barbarian, so a rhetor recites a poem
>he begins turning the rhetor around to look for the inscription
>pederast admonishes "it's not a slab sweetie it's a rhetor"

>the student didn't know what a rhetor was

I find myself increasingly attracted to Socrates with every passing day

>>3826232
>>3826236
>>3826215
The primary difference here is that while stones to scrolls to books were new ways to convey text and stories to readers, they had one thing in common: Their single mode of existence was displaying text.
Printing became more efficient and miniaturized, sure, but the content contained remained relatively the same.

With digital tablets, a developing child has an entire world at his fingertips. Music, videos, pictures, stories, games, etc are all accessible to him in one singular device. There's no focus required in using a tablet, as soon as one thing about the tablet bores you, you convert it's utility into something more interesting and instantly gratifying.

We're moving towards and information and entertainment barraging culture guys. One that disallows us to focus on one task long enough to complete it to the best of our capability. Did none of you read Infinite Jest?

>>3826275
Or shit, at least watch WALL-E

>>3826249
Touches on that too. Our culture is beginning to shift towards one where you don't truly own of your actual belongings.

>>3826273
>>3826232
>>3826215
10/10

>>3826215
>implying they'd waste precious ink and paper on some wailing child

>>3826208
But Benjamin, I thought you'd died!

>at the reservation tour
>beta with epsilon sitting across from me
>epsilon begins to grunt disturbingly, so a tourguide gives it some mescal
>he tries to swallow it at once and starts regurgitating
>beta says "it's not soma eppy it's boozeliquor"

>the epsilon didn't know what liquor was

I find myself increasingly attracted to becoming a savage with every passing day

>at the reservation tour
>beta with epsilon sitting across from me
>epsilon begins to grunt disturbingly, so a tourguide gives it some mescal
>he tries to swallow it at once and starts regurgitating
>beta says "it's not soma eppy it's liquor"

>the epsilon didn't know what liquor was

I find myself increasingly attracted to becoming a savage with every passing day

>>3826187
I understand what you're saying, but this is as dumb as older people being upset about book stores because they couldn't get access to literature.

Maybe the kid is just a reader the reads books on the common media of the time, that's not a bad thing per say.

>>3826187
>>3826215
>>3826232
>>3826273
>>3826404
For you all

>>3826273
hugeOrsonWellesclapping.gif

>>3826535
I was hoping that would happen.

>>3826273
I'm fucking dying

10/10

>>3826535
Oh boy. I can't wait to post this to reddit.

>In automatic medical care unit waiting box
>robot with young child sitting across from me
>child begins to wail incessantly, so the robot hands the child an ipad with a picture book
>he asks why the screen isn't floating and see through
>robot says "It's not a hologram sweetie it's an iPad"

>the child didn't know what an iPad was

I find myself increasingly attracted to becoming a luddite with every passing day

>>3826654
You have killed the joke and I'm no longer pleased.

Today /lit/ was funny.
Bravo

>>3826535
nice

The proper term is *Neo-Luddite*, and the reason why OP is so disgruntled is because he's a contrarian and thinks that Ipads are the bane of our existence. I don't think a child that young should have so much accessibility to media, but that's way it is, and I'm not going move to Montana and make mail-box bombs because of it.

>>3826409
>per say
the rest of what you sed is also dumb

>>3826949
iPads are arguably worse than books since they consume more non-renewable resources and are produced by heavily exploited workers.

I think that's poor parenting.

I have an iPad but don't use it to read, if a child doesn't know what a book is then I am guessing there are no books at home.

>>3826275
Isn't the same thing true if the child is in a room with a book, a computer, a home entertainment system, some cds, dvds, and some video games?

“If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution… ?” An age where the old can be compared side by side with the new and “all men are searched by fear and by hope;” when the great accomplishments of the past cannot predict the endless “possibilities of the new era?”

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."

Quotes are from Emerson's "The American Scholar."

>>3826207

>first sentence
>How intellectuals are going to be divided into literary and scientific ones that don't comprehend each other
>written in 1984

Pretty on the mark

>>3826207
Is that really by Pynchon?

>>3826187
This story is pull shit and you fucking know it.
It's like comic fags and their "nice sheldon t-shirt".

>>3827146
Actually, the article he's referring to which originally stated that was written in 1959.

>In a bad trip from mixing acid with molly and bourbon
>God and a rotten artichoke are floating somewhere behind me
>Artichoke begins to whistle a bunch of blue odors so god buries it in oatmeal
>artichoke begins to sing peter paul and mary
>God says "It's not satan, hamlet it's tuesday"

>the artichoke was clairvoyant

I find myself increasingly attracted to Alicia Keyes with each passing day

>>3826275
>Books
>Convey text

What is the purpouse of Slitz?

>>3826187

Luddism isn't about your petty frustration with mothers and iPads, you troglodyte. It's the rejection of the military industrial complex and a struggle for laborers rights (primarily their right to not be replaced by a machine).

Hey OP check out the writings of EF Schumacher (not a luddite btw). Though I don't think I consider myself a neo luddite, I agree with many of their points and I think that small scale, local and more 'human' technologies are better than large, complex and industrial ones. I'm reading Bill Mckibben's Eaarth (yeah I know, I don't really like the title but good book) - and it has really gotten me thinking about the unsustainability of our civilization and technology in general. All in all, I think our modern technology obsessed civilization is a serious mistake. Ipads are just one more symptom of our instant gratification techno culture.

>>3827349
Fantastic

>>3827145
I'd say not quite, though the example you described is something I would consider far from ideal for the developing mind of a child. All I'm trying to convey is the importance of teaching our kids the value of focusing on one task at a time, instead of jumping through a massive set of distractions throughout the day.

Can't tell you how much I wish I had the discipline to sit at my computer to write, and then do nothing but that. I'm not at that point yet. I find myself constantly being distracted by social media, online image boards, useless youtube videos; and I didn't grow up with an iPad.

>>3828423
Funny, I recently started writing a book. My first attempt and the only thing that can distract me from doing this are the things I have to do daily regardless of what I would rather be doing. Such as work, school, feeding my cat's, studying, etc. When I get into a good groove I cant stop and the words just flow. But I grew up very poor and did not have a lot of the gadgets and stuff that people my age grew up with.

>>3828507
Some days are better than others. But I'm getting into heavier narratives within the plot now, and I'm looking for ways to procrastinate so as to avoid the challenges before me.

>>3828535
Well I can understand that. We all procrastinate from time to time.

>I only like 19th century mass production
That's not being a Luddite. That's being a hipster.

>>3828563
and probably mushy and sticky at this point considering the papier mache tendencies

what an awful parent

>>3828639
We don't even know how hold this kid is. Makes perfect sense if he is 2.

>>3828691
how would that make perfect sense?

>>3828755
If someone is 2 he hasn't learned how to read and therefor doesn't use books. But he may have dicked around with his mom's iPad because that's what every little kid does with something flashy.

Doesn't this imply there were no books in his child's home? I mean, as a kid, you're curious about everything. If there'd been a bookcase, the kid would have asked what the books were. Not to mention that as a kid, having your parents read you stories is a big thing. These parents haven't read bedtime stories for their kid, or any other story, and apparently don't have any books at all in their home.
That's upsetting.

>>3828891
>>3828691
This.
Don't get your fedora in a twist, OP.

>>3828954
>>3828691

OP here, surprised this thread is still going.

The child looked to be around 4

>>3828907
>omg this toddler doesn't know about vinyl has he never heard music in his life!!??!@?!

>>3828969
Summer strawman troll. You clearly have a strong grasp of irony.

>>3828969
lel

>>3826278
That's partially because we believe in this idea called Intellectual Property. Which is stupid regardless of the technology.

Ideas are not seperate bubbles that people come up with. Ideas are the result of influences and working with those influences.

Case in point: Led Zepplin is considered one of the best rock bands ever by a lot of people who know their stuff, but at the time Led Zepplin was accused of knocking off other bands because they had straight up liften lyrics and rifts from their influences.

>>3826187

Also

>>reading on a Ipad

>>3829122
For children's books it's great though, with vibrant pictures and all and perhaps even interactive parts. inb4 haters, pop up books were great as well.

>>3826249
I'd rather take the chance that my illegal (free) ebooks get deleted (which they wont and they are backed up) than spend a lot of money on the words of dead people.

I want to be able to read even if there's no way to recharge any batteries.

>>3829130
Isn't that more like an interactive story than a book? You could argue that a choose-your-own-adventure book is no different to a text-based RPG, but I'd disagree.

>>3830957
You tend to spend more than a month at a time away from sources of electricity on a regular basis? Or are you a survivalist?

>>3830991
Those motherfucking e-readers have that kind of battery length now?
Also yeah, I am a survivalist.

>>3826187
You are a fucking liar!

>>3831057
I charge my kindle maybe once every two weeks of heavy use.

>>3827126
Maybe he meant for each say.

>>3831057
Two to four weeks depending on how much you read. They're glorious.

Being a survivalist seems like no fun at all.

>>3826278
WALL-E man, what a film