So there I was the other night, watching my old, worn 1991 copy of Mad Max when it occurred to me how stupid people “in the near future” are made out to be: filthy, illiterate, violent, and just plain dumb.
Even though post-apocalypic visions (whether dystopian or utopian) often picture those with some degree of steampunk technology to be the “bad guys”, they are all invariably unwashed and inherently stupid — with the notable exception of their leader: he’s the well-spoken one. He’d be overtly sadistic, have a wicked sense of humour and may even quote Sheakespeare or Yeats.
And yes, I’m still getting rid of dated media. It was fun to watch those two movies again but away goes the VHS tape… wheeeh, into the trash!
A snippet of a conversation from Wizards, the other movie on the tape:
Fairy Child: Why can’t we fight and win, Mommy?
Fairy: Because they have weapons and technology. We just have love.
Awwh… how sweet! Speaking of technology and stupidity and perhaps a little prophecy thrown in for good measure: how about some sneakers with a built-in MP3 player? How daft would you need to be to “use a lit match or open flame to check fuel level”?
Although contenders for the Darwin Awards are still being considered for their annual prize as 2007 draws to a close, the time is generally ripe for most media outlets to compile and publish their picks of the best or worst items of the year. The latest MAD magazine has its “20 Dumbest People, Events and Things”, there’s “CNET’s worst tech products of 2007” and of course, in case it’s not blindingly obvious that a “Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used as a writing instrument for signing checks or any legal documents”, wackywarnings.com have released their list for the year.
There’s obviously some subtext to all of this.
One of the more irritating pitfalls (or interesting benefits, depending on your inclination and mood) of having a few websites out there is the amount of feedback or fan mail one tends to receive. Other than the usual pre-gurgitated adverts for viagra or a harem of Russian brides to use it on, there is real email, actually addressed to you — the webmaster or forum owner — from real people… really thick people.
This gem arrived a few day ago via the HMVHumourList attachment dumping grounds:
Subject: for the good mannijer
that.s very fany groub
While we’re on a roll, here are two anonymous ones from 2003. Let’s put them up for posterity before killing those, too.
Subject: Request from formmail
Betreff: hello
Text: your a dickSubject: Request from formmail
Betreff: this is good
Text: need more porn
Technology and stupidity strange bedfellows make.
Image credits: Scans by hmvh DOT net