On the surface it appears like it is just good fun but in reality the subliminal message is hard to avoid and very cleverly uses the propaganda that reaches out to children's accepting, unquestioning minds. — david plumb

Holy infantile conditioning Batman, he may be on to something here. :chin: :smirk:
I never knew that what made people think that the Flintstones was a pure and simple kiddies program. It is one of the best examples of subliminal conditioning that I can think of. Watch any episode and you will find messages about how adults are supposed to behave. It contains violence, sexism, crime, child rearing advice and lots of other stuff all nicely wrapped up in a kiddies TV show.

But no one counts Fred or Barney as gods.

Look at it philosophically, i.e objectively for a moment, and notice the rise of the god like celebrities, action heroes, sporting icons etc. — david plumb

What freaking god like characteristic does the kartrashian clan have?
What godlike quality does does David Beckham have?

They are in no way worshiped as gods.

After laughing in the Christ film I now understand why you have such a problem recognising the subliminal reasoning behind the super heroes. — david plumb

I doubt that you understand, because I don't have a problem recognizing subliminal reasoning that does not exist. If it did, you would be able to provide some sort of evidence of its existence. You would pint to a new temple being built to house the Spiderman cult, or the secret sect of Hulk worshipers.
But the only thing that you could possibly point to is a bunch of that go to Comic-Con events dressed as their favorite scifi character. While I agree that some of these people do go beyond reasonable obsessiveness, if you ask them about their hero being a god you will probably be laughed at.

Superheroes do not, have never, and never will take the place of gods because the do not serve the same purpose in any society. If you read a bit of history you will find that heroes and gods have lived side by side for a very long time. Some of them were heroes because they defied the gods, other because they fought for the gods, and some even stepped in to help when the gods would not.

Hominins were obviously much more able than housecats in both of these areas, dimensional awareness and linguistic expressiveness, but excelled most with dimensionality. — Enrique

Could you please demonstrate this by jumping around and walking in dangerous places as cats do. I think that while cats do not have the ability to tell you about dimensionality, probably because of your lack of understanding their communication methods, they are certainly better adapted to spacial perception than humans.

Their spatial reasoning could craft effective tools of many kinds, they could figure out how to catch most available prey and adapt clothing to varying climates, essentially utilizing wilderness environments technologically such that a correlated decline in biodiversity throughout the hominin range is revealed by paleontology. — Enrique

Spatial reasoning? How does that help with the development of tools?

Their phrases and maybe sentences, while probably not a humanlike train of thought that can spout fluent and complex verbal reasoning for hours, must have been more detailed in its expressiveness than housecats and somewhat syntactical, for they had the facial physique for humanlike speech. — Enrique

Most of speech is not in the facial physique but in the throat, a person can still speak even without the lips and teeth. Monkeys have similar facial physique, but I have not heard many of them speaking.

It is subsequent to this that the first evidence of ecology appeared, particularly cultivation of the Amazon rainforest, and eventually civilization. — Enrique

How are you using the word ecology here? I am not sure exactly how the first evidence of it could appear.

Oh it’s real... but I confess that I plagiarized a bit from a movie that I watched the other day. — praxis

Real, from a movie. :chin:

:smirk: OK, I believe you.

I seriously doubt that any of that is real, but it makes for a good ready. :rofl:
I would have just said that his knickers were showing.

And anyway you fool, you're obviously supposed to be focused on his ass. — Hippyhead

Her ass might have attracted my attention, but I was actually more interested in the technical part of the animation. I have experimented with the programs you mentioned, but never had the time to actually do anything with them. Maybe after I retire.

:lol: :lol: I remember going to see that, we laughed so much they actually asked us to leave. That was one hell of funny film.

I remember sitting in the pub later an discussing the guy asking his daddy WHY he had to die while all the while implying that he had known about the whole plan from the beginning.

Thanks for the memories.

An excerpt from a chapter I'm writing on the origins of human consciousness. — Enrique

Before you say anything else, you should define what you mean by consciousness. Because the rest of your writing does not follow the title of the thread. Do you think that consciousness came before speech? Did they not have consciousness before they spoke?
Was speech the first method of communication used by the "hominins"?

I would certainly be interested in the research that backs up your statements about this, would it be possible to see some of it?

The hominin mouth, throat and mind became reconfigured for the expressive artistry of primordial speech. — Enrique

Artistry? How did you reach that conclusion? The way you say this is as if the body just suddenly changed and speech appeared. Did cavemen actually practice the art of speaking? Exactly what is the difference between a homo sapiens speech apparatus and that of a ape's? There is actually little difference, mostly in the tongue, what is different is the neuron-control system of those body parts.

What God movies have you been watching? I remember watching one where this guy was literally crucified and asking God for help. He didn’t help. — praxis

I remember that one, the guy hung there there for a day and died from it. Most of the others that got the same treatment stayed alive for days suffering. What a wimp.

I want to delete my account. — Konkai

Why would you want to delete your account? If it is because you don't want to come here any more then just don't come. If it is so that you cannot come here when you want to, then it useless because you will just make a new account.

People that want their accounts deleted are mostly drama queens that think someone will try to talk them out of it. Good look with that.

I will give you my piano
One of my legs
And my wife — Mayor of Simpleton

I for one definitely decline to try and prove it, I have 2 legs and I wife already. And I am tone deaf.

My definition of a closed mind, Mayor of Simpleton, is a mind that has made its mind up and then closes that mind to anything that may challenge the closed mind. — david plumb

So you are very closed minded in your belief the the superheroes of today are the equivalent of the gods of yesterday. Without any evidence to prove your point.

Celebrities are also the new gods, they perform the same cultural, psychological role . — david plumb

This is why I asked you to provide some sort of evidence. What are your reasons for thinking this? If they do not perform the cultural and psychological roles that I listed, what do they do?

You, know kinda like Catholic purgatory, it's better than hell. — Hippyhead

Do you base that on personal experience? :rofl:

Maybe I am the only one to think this, but Hippyhead appears to have more of a chest that a lot of the chicks I know.

But at least the people watching appear to be wearing masks.

A closed mind is a good thing to lose — david plumb

Maybe it would be a good idea to lose yours then, you seem pretty convinced that you are 100% right and no matter others say you will still be right.

If one were to say that superheroes have or are taking the place of gods one would have to show some sort of evidence to back up the statements. Thus far you have failed miserable to do so.
The fact that they are popular, even among religious people, does not make then a god. If that were true then Elvis, Humphrey Bogart, and Obama are also gods.

For any being to take the place of a god would mean that it would have to fulfill the requisites of that god.
1. would have to been responsible for the creation of everything.
2. would have to be the guiding force behind the destiny of mankind
3. would have to be the moral compass of mankind's morality
4. would have to be the object of devotion/ worship of humanity

In the space below please list the Super Heroes that fulfill at least 2 of the above.

If so, then these current movie gods resemble the Greek, Roman and Norse gods. — Mayor of Simpleton

Some of the characters are actually based on them, Thor, Loke.

Great choices for a moral base no?

We all have a moral base, we all need a moral base and when these morals no longer exist then evil occurs. — david plumb

So the evil of the world is now caused by the super hero movies? How does that make sense?

And the good behavior of these heroes is set as a moral base for the people that don't believe in a god?

I am beginning to think that you are making less and less sense with each post you make.

And please learn how to quote properly.

If the people are so stupid that they are substituting comic book super heroes for gods then I ask again, why do they imitate and try to be super heroes but have never imitated nor tried to be gods.
Yes some old time rulers turned themselves into gods, power trips, but the common everyday man on the street does not do it, why not?

When you are young this can cement itself in your mind and unless you are brought up in a religious family these super heroes substitute a God that you know little about. — david plumb

How young are you talking about?
If you see superman when you are maybe 5 to 10 years old you have little idea about what a god actually is. This is actually true for a lot of adults as well. What you would do is play at being him, as many kid falling of roofs trying to fly. You see him as someone to imitate, you try to act like him.
While, as you said, this can cement itself into their minds but they eventually realize that they can never become him or call on him for help because he is just a comic book or movie character.
God on the other hand can be asked for help any time you want to, and occasionally it comes.

The reality is that the bare bones of the God question is simply as a protector and no more to most people. — david plumb

Your reality. With so many millions of people throughout the world worshiping gods who are the creators of everything not many view their god as a simple protector.

To reach the masses in the government needs to then society has to be dumbed down and dismantled in a Derrida way which is what has happened. Popular culture now is dominated by celebrities ( God substitutes again). — david plumb

You maybe right about the leaders wanting to dumb down the majority of society, but the movies are only a very small part of that. If that was to be a criteria for calling something a god, then a smartphone has a greater impact than super heroes.

If you do not hold sacred the christian god, why do you capitalize the word?

I doubt if the audience being targeted are going to critically analyse the differences between Gods and super heroes. — david plumb

Not much analysis necessary. I doubt that they are watching these movies looking for a god substitute anyway.
Most of the people that are influenced by the characters in these movies want to be like the heroes, they want to be more than their pitiful human life lets them be. The rest are just looking for entertainment.

To this audience the super heroes replace the need for God/Gods and thus continue to negate the need for religion , much as the Frankfurt School intended. Dumbing down of culture is everywhere. — david plumb

If someone has a need for a god they will worship one, but not many superheroes are believable gods even for the dumbest. They might hero worship them and even try to act like them, but how many people really try to act like a god?

The fact that lots of people watch these superheroes does in no way negate the need for religion, more over it proves the need for them. People need something to look up to, to guide and inspire them. If it was just a continuation as you state, then it would definitely point towards a need for some sort of religion.

The heirs of our world! :rofl: — Gus Lamarch

And may the gods(all of them) have mercy on us all. :cry:

The current Hollywood super hero films - are they simply a continuation of the Gods theme that has been around for thousands of years? — david plumb

No, not really. The gods were not just the guides of human destiny but also the creators of humanity. The super heroes do not claim anything like that.
That part would go to the alien forefathers groups.

When you are young you have a lot of energy, and little experience of how the world works. Adding to that you are, just by virtue of not having had a lot of time to build up a something in the world, usually not in a situation where you stand to lose much... and so among the youth the conditions are right for developing a culture that wants to change things. — ChatteringMonkey

Have you noticed how old the youths are today? You see "kids" of 30 acting they just got let out of school.
A lot of them still live with mom and dad even.

You are welcome, let me know what you think about his way of seeing art.

I always thought Tolstoy's ideas were a good place to start.

Once you're addicted to the spice melange (French for mixture/medley) in the Dune universe you're in a bit of a pickle. Withdrawal is fatal. — Nils Loc

But they say that the benefits are worth it. Good books the originals by Frank, read them many years ago. Then the son wrote another bunch which I read most of.

I don't know what you are referring to. — god must be atheist

You say you can't name names and then you name names. No contradiction at all, right.

Or you think having a Jewish and a German conglatulatory exclamation is a contradiction, when said side-by-side? I really don't know what prompted you to say there is a contradiction there. — god must be atheist

Never even noted that part, why would it be a problem though? Come to think of it, why even try to complicate things by introducing something like that?

No, I am not egoistic.
I is just a phrase I have to repeat often in my job.

. I can't name names, — god must be atheist

Congratulations, mazeltov, zum Wohl. — god must be atheist

Sort of contradictory don't you think!!!!

This might not be a really deep song, but when you are 15 and your brother is waiting to see if his draft card comes in the post it fits something deep inside.

Yes, every word counts, and no extraneous effort needed to make them get your point. Same with stand up comedians -- if they need to use more words to make the audience laugh, they've already failed. — Caldwell

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?”
― A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

The look on the other guy's face is saying more than the trumpette. :rofl:

Jeeezz, what area of the twilight zone were you trolling when you found that? :yikes:

:gasp: :worry: :shade:

I can't even remember my own number, but that is probably because I am not in the habit of calling myself to often.

Depends on the animal. A rabbit is probably closer to innate. — schopenhauer1

So if a simple rabbit knows these things without learning them, why are humans so dumb? Surely we should have a lot more innate knowledge than them because we have much better minds.

If you mean innate knowledge of what to do, no. The ability to deduct, inference, predict, may be different in us due to linguistic-minds that allow for higher degrees (or degrees at all) of constant deliberation and decision-making. — schopenhauer1

So the poor rabbit has no idea about why he should not build his house in a certain place, just that he should not do it. It would seem more reasonable that he could know about the places to build house, then review the piece of ground to see if it fits the template. That would mean that he had to compare his ideas to the information about the ground and come to a conclusion, which is reasoning. Just because his ideas are not in a language that we can understand does not mean that he cannot make deductions.

However, with these greater degrees of freedom we have, we are still (mainly) driven by certain necessities (survival, comfort, entertainment). — schopenhauer1

The same as any other animal.

So here we are with this highly deliberative/deliberating brain that must contend with unmovable circumstances. Thus you have a gap in this particular human animal, not seen in the rest. Here is the existential gap. — schopenhauer1

What are these unmovable circumstances that you talk about? Are any of them socially constructed by chance? I cannot think of anything in nature that humans alone have to face.

Why do you say this? — dussias

Because I am sick of people insisting that they know the right way to live, that they know the purpose of life, that I should do things their way, that they know how I should die peacefully.

All I want to do is live MY life. And I do not want to fight everyday to do so. Why should I go down fighting instead of loving?

Where do you live? — dussias

2,357.30 km (1,464.76 mi) west by north of you. If you cross the Caribbean you will come to my front door. I too live a reasonable life, though things are getting harder all the time.

When you say "being allowed to live" I can only agree with you if you live in a really shitty situation, where you are controlled to an important extent. — dussias

It does not matter where you live, or in what situation you live as long as no one tries to control you. That is what I mean by being allowed to live.
I know lots of poor people and some that are beyond poor. But most of them do actually prefer not to work to hard to change things. The really sad cases are the ones that are stopped from doing something like getting an education because they have to work just to eat and there is not really a lot of work right now.

Do you know about life in North Korea? Cuba? — dussias

I have one ex-student studying in South Korea, they have told me about life up north. Several ex students have studied in Cuba, medicine in Cuba is exceptional.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=encyclopedia

What would you have instead? — dussias

Err, just being allowed to live would be OK with me.