Originally posted by shavixmirYou still talking absolute crap?
Or: [b]Cosmetic surgery: the new disease
I was reading a Dutch newspaper today and stumbled across some horrendous facts and figures I want to share with y's all:
England:
51% of women aged 17 to 34 would like cosmetic surgery (although a diet and a condom would probably be more useful)
1/3 of girls with size 38 think they're too fat. ...[text shortened]... Get your colostomy bag now! It saves on toilet paper too."[/b]
Here's a little Shavian analysis for the Shav... 😉
**This sounds better if you read it like Professor Henry Higgins would have said it...you know, from My Fair Lady by Bernard Shaw...hence the Shavian analysis? **
I like reading most of your posts and the knee-jerk, pseudo-intelligent responses that inevitably follow. I myself am a fan of pseudo-intelligence since it's easy to give a quick smarmy reply that at first glance seems based on some sort of logic.
However, if you want to understand why people are increasingly using surgery to improve their "look" you must take a longer view. Human society used to be based on hunter-gathering. It was a hard life and required long hours of work. "Image" was not as important as the more substantive issues of finding food and shelter. Over time, humans moved into cities and developed technologies which largely eliminated the time consuming drive for food and shelter.
Humans were then free to focus on other aspects of life. Being the biological creatures that we are, we focused on beauty. We began to define and separate ourselves based on who was better looking. (Art changed from depictions of battles and animals to portraits of individuals and gods and goddesses as but one example.)
Today we see the evolution of the pursuit of beauty. As our lives become more leisure oriented, trivial pursuits become increasingly prevelant. Idle hands etc....
The question shouldn't be whether or not this pursuit of beauty is right or wrong....it should be whether or not there are better things for us to pursue with our limited time and limited resources on this planet.
Now, I submit that not all of us even have the capacity to pursue other ideas. In fact, I submit that MOST of us today do not have the capacity for any other pursuit. We are born into a distorted mass media commercialized society that doesn't question this pursuit of beauty. In fact, it encourages it. "Go to the mall and buy that paint for your face...spray this chemical under your arm and women will like you better. What's the coolest haircut? What's the latest sunglass style?...Are pointy shoes still cool? What about the bowling shoe style?" All of this crap matters only to those who think it matters.
I submit there is no point in trying to change people that don't have the capacity for change. Let them be. "Mostly Harmless" comes to mind.
On the other hand, the biggest demographic of steroid users in the United States are highschool girls. They are trying to get the "cut look". 13 year olds on steroids just for toning?
What this boils down to is that individuals are now focused on their image and how that image is perceived by other people. While we hypocriticaly deny it and pretend we don't care what other people think, our society is now defined by what other people think of us.
As proof consider this...if we really didn't care what other people think about us, it wouldn't matter how we looked. How you look would be irrelevant. All that would matter would be what kind of person you are. But human biology cannot be overcome by most people in society. They are driven by their instincts and the mass-culture that has been imbedded since childhood.
Just pick your side and ignore the rest. Style over Substance should be the moniker of this century.
Now, where the devil are my slippers?
Originally posted by uzlessThat's a good analysis.
Here's a little Shavian analysis for the Shav... 😉
**This sounds better if you read it like Professor Henry Higgins would have said it...you know, from My Fair Lady by Bernard Shaw...hence the Shavian analysis? **
I like reading most of your posts and the knee-jerk, pseudo-intelligent responses that inevitably follow. I myself am a fan of pseudo-int ...[text shortened]... uld be the moniker of this century.
Now, where the devil are my slippers?
But, don't you think that the companies making profits from this malarky are partly guilty?
Originally posted by uzlessPersonally, I think the reason for the focus on youth and beauty goes a little deeper than thin-waisted Barbie dolls and mass media. I think it stems from a fear of mortality, and the fact that most people lead pointless, empty lives. The ideal of the "individualist" fostered by Western society has made people feel less a part of something bigger than themselves. In other words, when it's over, it's over. You're dead, everyone forgets...and the spot in your smartly-decorated cubicle gets occupied by some kid in his early 20's.
Here's a little Shavian analysis for the Shav... 😉
**This sounds better if you read it like Professor Henry Higgins would have said it...you know, from My Fair Lady by Bernard Shaw...hence the Shavian analysis? **
I like reading most of your posts and the knee-jerk, pseudo-intelligent responses that inevitably follow. I myself am a fan of pseudo-int ...[text shortened]... uld be the moniker of this century.
Now, where the devil are my slippers?
Originally posted by shavixmirI hold each person accountable for their actions. If we can't figure it out on our own then there is something wrong with us.
That's a good analysis.
But, don't you think that the companies making profits from this malarky are partly guilty?
A corporation is there just to provide a service that society wants.
If you want to impart blame, then blame society for wanting it in the first place.
Originally posted by rbmorrisI have serious doubts that the bulk of the population counteracts their fear of dying by getting tummy tucks. I also don't believe people have been tricked by the media into applying makeup. People want to appear attractive to other people, it's as simple as that. Commercials present products in the most favourable light possible so you'll buy them. If they don't have the intended effect (making you more physically attractive to the opposite sex, increasing your status relative to your competition, providing pleasure, providing self-confidence, etc...), you'll quickly stop buying them and move on to something else.
Personally, I think the reason for the focus on youth and beauty goes a little deeper than thin-waisted Barbie dolls and mass media. I think it stems from a fear of mortality, and the fact that most people lead pointless, empty lives. The ideal of the "individualist" fostered by Western society has made people feel less a part of something bigger than the ...[text shortened]... nd the spot in your smartly-decorated cubicle gets occupied by some kid in his early 20's.
I always find it funny that people talk about beauty like it's something we invented after television. Beauty has been around since people started mating.
Originally posted by uzlessI agree.
I hold each person accountable for their actions. If we can't figure it out on our own then there is something wrong with us.
A corporation is there just to provide a service that society wants.
If you want to impart blame, then blame society for wanting it in the first place.