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7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable

cracked.com — Scientists call it the Naked Photo Test, and it works like this: say a photo turns up of you nakedly doing something that would shame you and your family for generations. Bestiality, perhaps. Ask yourself how many people in your life you would trust with that photo. If you're like the rest of us, you probably have at most two.

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  • GaiaAP, on 10/10/2007, -5/+203Excellent piece of work. It hit home, thank you guys. Your points have been duly noted,
    • LucasVB, on 10/10/2007, -1/+59Probably the best thing from Cracked so far.
    • Wrathernaut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+23I really was planning on going out and doing things today, but instead I'm at the office.
      Alone.
      Seriously.
      But afterwards, I am helping an annoying friend with his car, so I won't be killing myself anytime soon.
    • UberMattMan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+42I wish I could digg it twice.
      • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -11/+23Just create another account! That's what I did.
        • spidoman, on 10/10/2007, -1/+30Love the fact that your comment has 2 diggs.
          • doshindude, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11not anymore it don't. *snicker*
          • DavidBGie, on 10/10/2007, -11/+4Don't trust anybody? You're smart. People in the Mafia learn that at a early age. The ones who don't aren't around to tell their story. Funny how common sense is something people have to read about on Digg. Parents these days are not up to the job.
          • KennMac, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9@DavidBGie

            I don't think you understood the point of the article.
    • verifex, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21You know that article was indirectly talking about digg very unfavorably. I'm really proud that there are still some great articles here every now and then around here instead of articles filled with meaningless drivel.
    • SuperWinner, on 10/10/2007, -0/+47Makes me want to build a log cabin and live in the forest... with only a t3 connection to sustain me.
    • quiksliver, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12I read this article on pointless waste of time about a year ago and I 100% agree with it now, more than I did then...

      my problem is, I KNOW i need new friends and new people to hang out with, but I have no idea how to go about doing that, and although this article full up tells us the problem, it does not give a true solution to the problem. Sure, its easy to say "get out and do something" but its about three fold as difficult to actually do it. I've tried joining teams and clubs, but rarely does the assosiation grow into anything more than "oh yeah hes person x from club y" kinda thing...

      another problem I found is that if you are in middle class when it comes to populatiry/coolness, you are pretty much screwed. Either you hang out with the "lower class" kids because they look up to you, or you become a bitch for anyone in the "upper class." And finding another "middle class" kid isn't easy etiher, because they usually associate themselves with either of the later groups...

      im really not whining or complaining, im fairly happy with my life but I really want to make it better, and although his article really opened my eyes, it didn't tell me where to start or anything
      • captinherb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Try reading "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi., it's a business book about networking but has some great tips about relationships in general.
      • atonement, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1lol the ***** you said about middle class is true. nerds are alright, but one cannot be sustained only by them although my brain automatically tells me that anyone "more cool" than myself is a tool so that doesn't help out either. we should do lunch (nope, now i'm creepy)
      • jin6655321, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Where do you live that "middle class" is a rare breed? What is your definition of "middle class"? I grew up in a middle class neighborhood and from what I've seen, middle class kids slum it to be cool with the "lower class" kids. Most lower class kids don't look up to middle class kids.
        As for offering solutions... an article cant really give you any solutions. It can give you vague suggestions and generalizations but there are specific reasons why you have a hard time making connections and an article written by someone who doesn't know you isn't going to be much help. Maybe you're the eager beaver guy who always tries to invite himself to gatherings. Maybe you're the annoying guy who brags about stupid ***** to impress ppl. Maybe you come across a little to desperate. Maybe you smell. I don't know and neither does anyone else on line. Like the article said, no one you know exclusively on line (like the author) can really give you any meaningful feedback because they don't know you, they don't interact with you. If you're seriously looking for answers, you're going to have to get it from someone in the real world, someone who's opinion of you isn't based on what you've told them about yourself.
        • hetzjagd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4He's not talking about socioeconomic classes he's talking about your Populars, your Losers (or nerds, or geeks, or freaks, whatever you want to stereotype them as) and then the people that fall in the middle of those two extremes.
      • primuspet, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Here is a suggestion:

        Challenge yourself. Locate a book called The Secret Language of Success by David Lewis http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Language-Success-David-Lewis/dp/0881844675 . Read it, take some of the general principles to heart and then practice the techniques on real people that you come in contact with on a daily basis. Whether it be a coworker, a gas station attendant or the person in line with you at the DMV. You will be surprised by the way that people respond to the subtlest of non verbal communication. Some of those people will develop a rapport with you that could turn into a friendship. The odds go up the more that you practice.
    • Bkaufman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11I agree. I find my real world friendships to be mostly non-fulfilling. I want to go out and meet new people, but I really just can't figure out how to make a real connection to anyone else.
    • donwilson2, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Not too sure why this got over 3,500 diggs.
      • luciferin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Because over 3,500 people found it interesting any noteworthy. It's a rather simple concept.
    • JulioJuliopolis, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2"Here's why so many people are unhappy" "They are friendless" "They are isolated from reality" "Only in this environment could silly conspiracy theories suggesting that Bush and his cohorts did 9-11 flourish"

      You guys have no idea what propaganda means, do you?
  • daedalus779, on 10/10/2007, -2/+106Cracked is the Czar of lists.
    • Pritchard, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2It's because Voldemort controls the Dementors. Their evil mist takes the hope out of everybody.
    • carleethian, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1i am the czar of lists. go ahead and insult my listmaking ability all you want.
      just know you don't have criticizing power.
  • Vandelay797, on 10/10/2007, -3/+306fantastic read, my personal favorite line: "You don't wait for a girl to verbally tell you she likes you. It's the sparkle in her eyes, her posture, the way she grabs your head and shoves your face into her boobs."

    • ruthless34, on 10/10/2007, -34/+6BOOBS FTW ! ! !
    • GMorgan, on 10/10/2007, -15/+8What we need is a way to add boobs to your computer. Then a girl can emotiboob you bringing a more complete form of communication.
      • VirtualCtor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20It's more polite to look at their smilie.
      • chuckyc130, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14that still does not tell you it is not a guy
        • derek20cali, on 10/10/2007, -1/+18Neither does having boobs these days.
    • GeckoSlayer, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1must've been written by a digg.com'er
  • jaggerjack, on 10/10/2007, -10/+40David Wong has a bit of a penchant for telling people how to live their lives, but that doesn't mean that he isn't smarter than us and doesn't know what ails us. In much the same way, nedroid has a bit of a penchant for drawing simplistic things, but that doesn't mean they aren't the most fantastic drawings in all creation.
    • glowend, on 10/10/2007, -11/+10What a wortheless comment.
    • asskicker32, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9At the end of the day, arent all comments worthless?
    • atonement, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0it'd help if you could see who replied to you - but that would only fuel the desire to stay on the net, which is of course, a slow, painless death
    • IrwinEffect, on 02/23/2008, -0/+0Yeah David is telling us that our lives and our general outlook on our lives are messed up, which of course makes us angry. But does that mean that his is wrong? No, it doesn't. This was a great article and forces people to take a look at themselves and current society.
  • Goodbyeworld, on 10/10/2007, -3/+119dugg for the brutal truth
    • Rabbethan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Honestly, it's not that brutal, it's just honest enough to still be likable.
  • skyer, on 10/10/2007, -2/+162favorite quote: "peacefully dealing with people you can't stand is society"
    • GMorgan, on 10/10/2007, -13/+2I opt out of society in that case. Irritating people should not be encouraged by quiet acceptance. How else will they know they are wrong.
      • Jelfish, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Peacefully dealing with annoying people is the exact opposite of quiet acceptance. It's choosing to "opt out of society" that leaves annoying people in quiet acceptance. Also, if you find everyone annoying, chances are, you are the one preemptively annoying everyone else.
      • amadeusdemarzi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Or you could grow some balls and stop getting annoyed so easily. You are exemplifying the issue. :P
    • YoshoKatana, on 10/10/2007, -0/+24I love "Grow a damn plant."
  • hamobu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+23looks like we may have to pencil in time to deal with people.
  • ruthless34, on 10/10/2007, -33/+58 - the feminazis are up in the government, law making and education giving all men a hard time with their retarded arguments and anti-male *****.
    • bettytron, on 10/10/2007, -13/+3Hahaha yeah, women are gay.
      • ruthless34, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3Not all women, some of them are decent, caring human being (like my girlfriend) who understand feelings of men and their needs. Its mutual respect which feminazis forget.
        • Acglaphotis, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1Riiiiiiight....*cough*whipped*cough*
          • Touchy610, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7So, simply because one has something nice to say about their significant other, one is whipped? Don't you have homework to do?
          • Zeonix, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Or it could simply be his girlfriend knows exactly what she's doing. It's easy to control someone when they believe what they're doing is of their own volition.
      • charmander, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2that comment is pretty gay, actually
        • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4No, that comment was sarcastic.
          Your comment, on the other hand, was retarded.

          Hope that clears everything up.
        • oogee, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1somehow you managed to offend "*****" . . . hmmm . . . can't put my finger on it
      • Keah, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1WOMEN are GAY? That comment made absolutely no sense.
    • Pilomotor, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0Did you even read #6?
  • BowieX, on 10/10/2007, -1/+49Noble and brilliant.
  • wittyname, on 10/10/2007, -1/+149Dugg for the chart of "things people have called me online."
    • Keah, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Lol, yeah, that part gave me a chuckle. Seems like nowadays the word "FAG" is the most popular insult, there's an endless amount of sentences you can use it in. >_>
    • omnirusa, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2fag
      The graph grows eh?
  • twrife, on 10/10/2007, -1/+175Actually that is a pretty good read. Of course, I, like just about everyone else who reads this, will still be on their computer in an hour, doing the same stuff.
    • PAStheLoD, on 10/10/2007, -0/+26Yeah, but it's the subconscious knowledge of this, that matters. Maybe next time you will think twice if you say "no, thank you" or something.
    • Epik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Sad but true. But I agree with PAStheLoD as well, I'm sure this will benefit most of us somehow. Maybe not today or tomorrow but I'm still glad I read the article.
    • thefinger, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Agreed. I read the thing and I'm still rooting around online.
  • blueracer6, on 10/10/2007, -2/+198Dugg for cracked.com putting it all on one page for the first time.
  • KotoOni, on 10/10/2007, -33/+1Yes, that is bad and all. But will it blend? That is the question.
  • xerigen, on 10/10/2007, -49/+2Another guy who just can't get over the fact that the 70s and 80s are over. Stupid article.
  • asdfuiop, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6The picture of the guy playing the lute made me LOL
  • Pilomotor, on 11/12/2007, -2/+37Seems like it's been trimmed down a little in the transition to Cracked. A line from the original that really stood out for me was "You can line up for yourself a spread of your favorite liquor, your favorite video game, your favorite movie and your favorite sex act, and the sum total of them won't give you the same kind of lasting happiness you'd get from helping the cranky old lady down the street drag her garbage to the curb."
  • se7n, on 10/10/2007, -5/+15"You don't wait for a girl to verbally tell you she likes you. It's the sparkle in her eyes, her posture, the way she grabs your head and shoves your face into her boobs."

    ahahha
  • carpespasm, on 10/10/2007, -2/+92poor sad bear. that was some seriously sad *****. poor guy....
    • Ekwoya, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6i really hoped for a happy ending picture of the bear at the end ......
  • Namco, on 10/10/2007, -1/+68Makes me feel ashamed for having a level 64 WoW character. I should get out.... and cosplay!
    • meez, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12Tier 5/6 cleared black temple, that's when you should really start worrying.
    • offwithyourtv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Well, the flamboyant transvestite in the article does have a lot of friends....

      [Nothing against cosplaying. I've done it too. And I've seen many a dude dress up as a girl.]
    • specialK16, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1*checks urbandictionary.com

      meh... thought it had something to do with transvestites.
    • moskaudancer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Well, at least it's a way to meet people. Go for it.
      I cast a +5 charisma spell...
    • Scaryclouds, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Funny thing is people mock cosplayers, yet the real losers are the guys with 3 lvl 70 characters in WoW. At least the cosplayers are out here meeting and actually talking to people face to face.
  • adacas, on 10/10/2007, -1/+49jesus he just described my life after getting the internet. damn this cursed but juicy bit of technology.
    • Stevethegreat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Oh a sad Panda.

      Anyway, what we observe nowadays is the dissolution of contemporary societies. First families got smaller, then the friend circle became smaller, then marriage -and as a result family itself- started to loose credibility and now people are left with 1-2 close friends at most and in close contact with very few family members (even none at times). Of course this is not happening to United States alone, it's happening all over the industrialized world or at least the part of it which entered the informational age.

      If you really want to see at the matter seriously, you must understand that this is not a worse reality than the supposed one, in fact it is the only logical one. Higher apes and humans as a result built communities for utility and most importantly for survival. In other words we connect to people so that we can survive, a man can be easily eaten by a bear but like ten of them is actually a danger to the bear herself. Friendship promotes the welfare of the party while erotic relationship forwards the growing up of the new-borns. However by the time we started to take more and more our survival for granted the less and less we were relying to the community, people start becoming lonelier and lonelier. It's not even sth that started today or "at this age", it is happening from the time the first structured societies came into existence (some thousands years ago), we can only see the peak of it nowadays and as we approaching the real dissolution things happen progressively faster, we can even observe them down to one generation even.

      Of course the answer is NOT to return back to the aged contemporary societal system. People actually need to be an individual first and foremost and would only sacrifice this need if danger was afoot or a disaster was happening, it's not an accident that when something bad happens people come close again, I've experienced it first hand in the place where I live recently. What we really need is a new societal system built around the new needs of humans and not only around the survival of the specie (we have already achieved it to the max) or the propagation of the best genes (the societal value of gossiping), but something to prevent people from mental death (boredom, nihilism). Or like someone once said, a person to stay alive needs to avoid both biological AND intellectual death, if he loses one he actually loses both, in the first case he's food for the worms in the second food for his body.

      Fortunately I think there are people who saw this coming, in fact they were living it already firsthand although others did not, they were the only people who saw society bare as it really is, those people we call today as moral philosophers. My understanding is that the only way for our society to avoid intellectual suicide is to include some years of philosophy (not just the theory of it, mind you, but the kind Plato taught in the Academy) so that people start to learn to think. As soon as people won't understand that logical thought is what differentiates us from beasts they'll continue acting in an animalistic basic way in the very complex and incomprehensible (for them) human society, intellectual suffocation can be the only result for such people.
      • kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You are on point man.

        The other thing is people are finally waking up. In terms of enlightenment.

        This is really one of the first time in human history were the average person isn't kept in the dark about why there is a war with this country, and why we don't help certain allies.

        OR why do politicians act the way they do. We entered an age of confusion, and left a moronic age.
  • jasoninoakland, on 10/10/2007, -13/+5Explains why big-city people seem to be more at peace with the world while suburbanites, sheltered in their massive SUVs and McMansions, are obsessing about Democrats, terr'rists and Europeans.
    • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17Yes, also they make retarded generalizations about people based on where they live.

      Oh wait...
      • jasoninoakland, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1The original article is a set of generalizations. Grow a pair.
        • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Neat! Thanks for not making sense!
    • painkillr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7pffffttttt.... Oakland is a big city? yeah ok MC Hammer
      • jasoninoakland, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Yes it is. What suburban ***** are you defending?
        • painkillr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5i live in manhattan you presumptuous *****
        • adeadwaffle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Ooooooooo burn.
          (Hey i'm just trying to be your annoying friend :) I could save your life)
  • fudgeigor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8I Concur Wholeheartedly.
  • NoBlueSpoon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+29I visite 4chan, I would trust no one with that photo test.
  • gmprunner, on 10/10/2007, -3/+74People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise.

    I forgot who said that, but it's so true.
    • Lister169, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15W. Somerset Maugham
    • vrillusions, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Similar quote, forget source: People are quick to complement, but long to critcize

      Noticed a couple times. First I lost a bunch of weight, people were like "oh, you look like you lost weight, good for you!" Well then 6 months later I gained most of it back. No one said a word. Most recent case is I was being spontaneous and decided to shave my head just to see what I would inevitably look like in 20 or so years and I've lost count of the number of people that have said "wow, you look really good bald" to which my reply was "so, I didn't look good before" and it's met with silence usually.

      Ironically... none of my online friends are aware of either...
  • rockinrimmer, on 10/10/2007, -15/+3Did anyone else notice what he said "I didn't speak to him for six months. He sent me a letter, I mailed it back, unread, with a dead rat packed inside." How retarded is that? I mean seriously pathetic! All because of his chili.
    • omglucifer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14I know, that's so true, it was pathetic! He should have pinned a note on the rat saying "You're next!" That would have been waaay more effective than just the dead rat alone!
    • Georgery, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5No, he didn't actually do that. He was making a joke. David Wong does that, interlaces serious articles with humour to lighten the mood. I don't think anyone would really actually send someone something back with a dead rat inside. Though the results would be undoubtedly hilarious.
  • ChineseRoom, on 10/10/2007, -3/+14I would trust Noone with that photo.
    • Epik, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4That's kind of, uh, the whole point :p
      • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8No, "Noone" is his best friend's last name.
      • ldkronos, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4"That's kind of, uh, the whole point"

        No, I think you missed ChineseRoom's point. I probably have 2 friends I COULD trust with such a photo. However, zero is the number I WOULD trust. I mean, even if I had an identical twin (who you KNOW can be trusted because it's as much his reputation on the line), I still wouldn't trust him with such a photo.
  • xman00, on 10/10/2007, -1/+87The problem is not that we don't have to put up with annoying people anymore (how many times have you ever thought about striking up a friendship with the dill hole who talks on his cell phone during a movie). That's a symptom. The real problem is mankind's reaction to the increased population density occurring throughout the world. The human psyche isn't normally equipped to deal with a tribe of more than few dozen people. The result is that people form virtual sub-tribes within the larger mass. The resulting increased anonymity causes people to behave in ways that would be socially unacceptable within their smaller virtual tribe. For example, the rude lady who cuts in line at the department store. Had she known any of the people standing in line, she would probably have never attempted this behavior because of the danger of getting herself ostracized from her tribe.

    While I don't agree entirely with the article's suggested root of the problem, I do agree, however, with the article's suggestion. We need to actively engage strangers and plug ourselves back into the real world. Here's a great example from personal experience:

    I grew tired of online gaming (repetitive, boring, empty), so I decided to take up playing a tabletop war game (D&D Minis). The difference between the two is like night and day. I get so much satisfaction playing face-to-face against another opponent. Most gaming stores have tournaments on the weekend, so everybody meets, drinks soda, eats Cheetos, whatever, and has a grand ol' time. Whether it's D&D or book clubs or pottery classes or or scuba diving or whatever excites you, I can't recommend enough to people to turn off their computers/iPods and embrace the real world. Keep the PC and the Internet as tools for enhancing your reality, not as substitutes for the real world.

    • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11By the same author:

      http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/monkeysphere.html

      Basically exactly what you're talking about.
    • macweirdo42, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9I agree. Reminds me of back in college, I was part of this close-knit circle of friends. However, due to various reasons (moving, disagreements, etc), the group split up. I'm still friends with most of the members of the group, but it's just never been the same. You'd think I'd be fine, I didn't lose any friends, I should still be just as happy, but I lost something great, and it felt just as bad as if I had lost them all as friends.
      • yakuzablitz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Bloody hell, that comment feels like my own, seeing as it perfectly describes my life as well. The exact situation has happened to me and I feel such a great sense of loss when I think at how the members of my group of college friends interact today. Even when we all got together for a friend's wedding and had fun, I still felt more nostalgic than anything else. :(
    • llamabread, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Warhammer 40k is also a great way to get off internet games. I haven't bought a PC game in 6 months!
    • Iwantawii, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20In college, I lived in a rental house with 5 other people and we never got close. Most of the time we'd "heyhowsitgoin" and separate into our rooms and do our own thing. On one particular night, the power went out for about 15 minutes from a storm. We all gathered in the living room with candles and talked about everything. Laughs all around. I felt like I was 8 again sitting in a tree fort with friends at 10pm. Then blink! The light flicked back on. Everyone stood up and went back to their rooms!

      Point being, even the most anti-social person out there still has this ability to connect on a real level. They may have just lost their confidence in approaching people where their body language will contradict their words. Old habits can be changed.
    • MoosaofND, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I had and anthropology professor inform us that the number of people you can see in about a minute of walking down a crowded NYC street surpasses the number the average human would encounter in their entire lifetime in pre-historic times. There is a lot that is very unnatural about the way we live.

      Very good point about anonymity in public leading to bad behavior. We don't have the same kind of accountability for our actions that we would if we knew the main people we interacted with on a personal level. I'd say it plays a huge factor in crimes as well. I don't know anybody who doesn't have a(n at least slightly) different standard of behavior for themselves with family and friends, as opposed to with strangers.

      I had never thought about the "being forced less often to deal with annoying people" aspect before though. That's a brilliant point. Anyone with a natural tendency to avoid others decreases their tolerance/ability to deal with adverse personalities and then is worse off/becomes more reclusive. I'd say in tribes, you would still be forced to deal with adverse personalities, though not, as you pointed out xman00, people being downright rude because they are in a sea of strangers.
  • saucercrab, on 10/10/2007, -1/+26Awesome article. I'm sending the link to all my friends.
  • eviscero, on 10/10/2007, -10/+1"You don't wait for a girl to verbally tell you she likes you. It's the sparkle in her eyes, her posture, the way she grabs your head and shoves your face into her boobs.You don't wait for a girl to verbally tell you she likes you. It's the sparkle in her eyes, her posture, the way she grabs your head and shoves your face into her boobs."

    This man speaks truth!
  • Economist35, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3"Outrage manufactures word-of-mouth." so true
  • jedmed, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Along with xman005's comment about population density, that's some really great insight. Now let's get busy and change things.
    • manachar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Not knocking you, or anyone else who points out that it's time to stop talking about what doesn't work and start actually making a change, but do you have any idea how to actually change things? I know I'm stymied, and from the looks of things most of digg is too. How can we reclaim our lives, our friends, and our sense of happiness?
      • Iwantawii, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7This may sound weird but I'm gonna throw it out there. What if we find intelligent life on other planets? Or they find us. Suddenly we would all be from Earth. Not North Korea, Canada, or Africa. Just Earth. We'd be united in a whole new way.

        Or what if it was discovered that in 3 weeks a big comet was heading towards the Earth and it was estimated that 99.9% of all life would be vaporized within seconds. The U.S. would damn sure pull out of Iraq, people playing WoW would go be with their loved ones, and we'd have nothing to do but watch the sky fall. That could unite us too.
        • moskaudancer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4That is *exactly* why we need NASA; besides their contributions to science and industry, I mean. Finding life on other worlds really would bring us together in a way that nothing else ever has. Of course, the same thing can also be said of tragedies, such as natural disasters, and, of course, the WTC attack. I guess the only good thing one can say about such disasters is the fact that it forces us to realize that we are all human beings, and we share far more in common than we have differences.
  • XSDX3R0, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Wow, that really started to get me thinking...
  • ASSHO, on 10/10/2007, -16/+5Buried for inaccuracy: drive on the 101 in California on any given day of the week, tons of annoying people you have to deal with.
    • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13Except that you're not interacting with any of them. You're inside your insulated little cocoon, listening to your music, in your own little world.
    • Georgery, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Comment buried for being petty *****.
  • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -11/+5Hey, did anyone else notice that he said something about a girl shoving your face in her boobs? I liked that part it made me smile.
    • moskaudancer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1No, actually, no other diggers noticed that. Thanks for putting that out there, though, I'm sure we all appreciate it! =)

      Dugg for making me gigglesnort
  • djvchris, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10Without a doubt one of the best written "life as we know it" articles on digg. Very thought-provoking; bear pictures are great, too.
  • Virak, on 10/10/2007, -3/+44Except none of this makes me miserable because I'm already an antisocial ***** anyway.
  • ccxftw, on 10/10/2007, -0/+35One of the best articles I've ever seen on Digg.
  • danlovejoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8People have been taught to be fake and pretend to be "perfect" long before the Internet. Now, it's just A LOT easier to to do. IMO, They way to dig yourself out of the naval gazing hole is to focus on helping other people.
  • burnerjack, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5The graph is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. He's probably right though, we're dweebing out to the point of losing our humanity.( Not me or you, of course, just those others) A really cool book I read a long time ago was amazingly intuative, as it was written I think in 1888 or so called Cybernia(?). The whole of the population were "living" underground ( surface was too polluted ) in front of videoscreens and keyboards and their "Bible" was a book of keycodes that controlled your very well being. A fantastic read then (1972 maybe) and probably mindblowing now.
  • neonoodle, on 10/10/2007, -19/+7What a load of crap. The author is a luddite with rose colored goggles 'membrin a time that he wasn't alive for and talking about how it was so much better than now. These types of people have been around since cavemen were scribbling LiveJournal blogs on the cave walls. Maybe the meaning of "friend" has changed in the past 60 years. Before, a friend was someone who you knew and talked to a few times a year. Today, the word is a lot more meaningful since we know and have an opportunity to know a lot more people in our lifetime than our grandparents ever dreamed of; so we consider a friend as someone we have a close personal bond to. We're more miserable now because we're waking up to the fact that the world is a ***** place. News spans all over the globe and not just your little town where the biggest problem is the raccoons stealing crap from the shed. Quality of life has drastically increased and that means it takes a lot more to make people happy. We're not happy living in ***** anymore because "Hey, at least we have our health." We care more about the health of people living thousands of miles away from us. We care about the welfare of animals. We care about a lot more crap that our grandparents ever did because we're more aware of the complicated relationships happening in the world.
    • GeyserShitdick, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Someone didn't actually read the article!
    • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Not enough of it, anyway. Actually, I think the article was dead-on, and I think the writer is probably about the same age that I am (mid-30s). I remember having three channels, having no internet, and having a social existence that was based entirely on real-life friends. And I still have real-life friends who I never speak to on email or text-messages.

      I wonder how many friends neonoodle has that would pass the Naked Photo Test. Care to tell us an honest answer, neo?
    • iNCULUS, on 10/10/2007, -7/+0I hope you die in a Fire, Noodle.
  • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -1/+53What pleasant surprise. I'd have never expected Cracked.com to produce an article that was largely unfunny, but incredibly relevant and honest and rewarding to read. Best thing I've seen on Digg in ages.
  • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -6/+10so am i the only one who photoshops myself into bestiality pics? i think i have my face on a tubgirl pic somewhere around here...
    • burnerjack, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Remember Dolly the cloned sheep? Yeah, I put that smile on her face. Yep, she's all mine and I'm tellin' the world! " The truth will set you free...." She says I'm Baaaaaahhhhhhd
  • searob1, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17Materialism and instant gratification have decreased our tolerance levels. If we don't like something, we buy something else. If we don't like someone, there are plenty of others and other places to live. In disaster situations, we're forced to put aside our petty differences and work together. Anti-racism education treats the symptom and not the cause, the natural ability to group ourselves into people most like us.

    Parents aren't doing their jobs in teaching values to children, and that leaves teachers caught between a rock and a hard place. If they dare teach values, some parents complain that it's not their jobs to 'parent' children. Children need to be taught values somewhere. Tolerance of others that are not like us is one of those values that needs to be taught to everyone.
    • Epik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9"Treat others as you'd like to be treated". Man, our kindergarten teachers were smart :)
    • kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6thank god I was born in 1988.

      Experienced the 1990s... Kids today have to live in this ***** storm of a world.
      I'm not a very materialistic person even though I have more stuff than the average 19 yr old. IT doesn't define me.

      Plus it took me years to acquire all of it.

      I don't go shopping all of the time. hell the last time I went shopping was like 2 years ago. With my girlfriend, and her friends. wow 17... the good ole days lol XD..

      I think the main problem isn't materialism because that has always freaking existed please refer to the 1920s. It has been predicted in the stars by many other civilizations even the Chinese and Mayans. That this time period is one of confusion. And I think we are seeing an end to this time period of confusion. More, and more people are becoming conscious. People are starting to look at, and question why they are told to goto college, and then get married and get a 8 to 5 and have kids and die at an old age.

      This is starting to get questioned, and many other traditions. This isn't like the mid 20th century with tons of revolutions going on out int he open. This is more of a revolution for the consensus. It is a silent one, and really it just means that for the first time in a long time. People are waking up. Once you are out of your self disillusioned world you find a world much more grimmer than that.
      Between now, and 2012 something big is going to happen, and I think it'll be for the better.
      I pray about these things, and think about it very often.

      For once though I am glad we are in a time period were we are starting to question religion. And I'm a christian saying this.

      It is something that should be healthy. Religious institutions just don't dominate us anymore.
      People are getting educated.
      We are in an economy were even people with MBA's are having a hard time finding jobs.

      In the end the 21th century has a whole new set of problems, and we are just now waking up to see it.

      We left the 20th century mode, and we are entering something monumental.
    • Bkaufman, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1 You are insane.
  • tfstone, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13dugg for being a great read and so true. now back to my computer.
  • Rockonthelawn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21Excellent article. I can relate to a lot of it. In the In highschool I was a complete computer nerd with tons of online friends. Since starting college 4 years ago ive come to realize for my self most of the points in this article. Since then I have been using technology less and less and have started actually talking and interacting with people in the real word. Stopping using instant messages and actually calling people has done wonders for me.
    • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8I guess it shouldn't surprise me that someone would digg down a comment like this. NOTE TO THOSE WHO ARE CLICKING THUMBS-DOWN ON ROCK'S COMMENT: You need to push away from the PC for a minute and go look at yourself in the mirror.
    • KingGorilla, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5High five for living life and not rating it on Digg. I am a sad sad little man.
  • jerichobp, on 10/10/2007, -4/+29The internet may be making us antisocial, but I hate people, so its the best thing thats ever happened in my opinion.
    • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -3/+12I pity you. And I don't mean that as an insult.
    • KingGorilla, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9You should move to Hawaii. There are these creatures. They look exactly like people but are tons nicer!
      • Epik, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Yeah, till you try surfing on one of their beaches :(
      • dunderballer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0That's hilarious
    • psbpv3o, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1You are a person..
    • psbpv3o, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1You are a person..
  • UnknownVariable, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16This article is extremely well written and very thought provoking. It's the truth, summed up in an easy to read and digest article. Kind of makes me think "Wow, holy *****. I need to log out of Digg, get outside, and go do something already." Like the article points out, I'm also one of the people who have little to nobody to confide in, and those I can, are "online friends." The group of nerds I'd hang around before disappeared to play World of Warcraft, and many other friends I had in highschool simply disappeared into the working world after graduation.

    I suppose this is yet another explanation to myself of why I can't wait to get into college. I need the social aspect that comes with school and classes. I want to be in a dormitory with those "annoying friends" the article discusses. I need to make something of myself, socially, preferably quickly.
    • Epik, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Good luck, man.
    • TBoneFever, on 03/14/2008, -0/+2I graduated from college last year. After college, it goes back to the way it was before. Friends disappear. It's really depressing. In college, I had 40+ good friends, after college I have 2-3 at the most. Maybe it's just me.

      P.S. - Cubicles are awesome!!!
  • Lnomis, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Dugg for "That's another Old World inconvenience, like having to wash your clothes in a creek or wait for a raccoon to wander by the outhouse so you can wipe your ass with it."
  • Vicujozobenaxod, on 10/10/2007, -1/+25Good article. I must say Digg is the perfect example of the outrage machine in #6. It's enough to make a sane person sick.
    • Calcularius, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3SHUT UP! ***** YOU!

      naw, i'm just kidding... LOLZ
    • ohgr, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1o.0
    • shimishurri, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0All of you shut up, you ***** bush supporters. This is just a maddox rip-off. DW also caused 9-11.
  • ArN5, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6I wish Happiness was seen for what it really is, just the programming to make us survive
    how it drives us like robots.... we don't need it, we know what makes us survive so why do we need happiness then...
    what an outdated tool.....
    • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10Good lord, what an empty and mirthless outlook you have. What's the point of doing anything? Why do you bother even coming to Digg? There's nothing here that is essential to keeping you alive. Aren't you basically here for amusement, and by proxy, seeking happiness?
      • ArN5, on 10/10/2007, -6/+0Im Not Emo if thats the impression i give off i just mean why depend on it, happiness is a road block to me why let it control you when you can control it and be able to do ***** most Humans wont be able to do, stuff that makes most humans crazy cause of the system were so use to, of give and take,to give things purpose, the universe isnt like that thats why ideas like god exist the feeling that we have a use to the universe a purpose.that maybe in the end if we give enough we will get enough. and the human mind right now cant tolerate ideas that are disturbing and "inhuman" like that, but were going to need to to survive
        • kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2yea, but that's not happiness you described. That is just suburbia.

          I've never lived in the suburbs, but my current internship is out int he burbs. There is no culture, and yea it is as you say ... They are robots..

          When I go to my internship. Besides my coworkers(all from the city) ... We all notice the unnatural behavior of suburbanites.
          Suburban lifestyle in my opinion hinders a humans ability to emotionally , and culturally grow.
          • bamapachyderm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Read that monkeysphere article linked above.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3"I wish Happiness was seen for what it really is, just the programming to make us survive" ... funny, there are countless organisms that survive without the emotion of happiness; if we didn't have happiness, we'd continue to survive. it seems your comment is utter *****. take your emo drivel elsewhere.
      • ArN5, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0uhhh that was my point..we dont need happiness and im not Emo because i dont really feel pain or happiness learned how to in a way make them conscious parts of me and not so much a subconscious uncontrolled part i just do ***** as i tell myself to do so in means of helping out humanity
        • moskaudancer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5That's medically and scientifically impossible. Normally I am open to new philosophies, but I draw the line at something that is obviously complete *****. Unless you're Mr. ***** Spock, you simply do not have conscious control of your emotions. That's the entire point of emotion, anyway, to provide feedback to your brain as to what helps and hinders your survival.

          Besides, if you can never be happy, and enjoy being happy just for the sake of being happy, what's the point of living anyway? We'd all be a bunch of soulless zombies with no purpose, no direction in life.
    • macweirdo42, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Remember kids, if you want to slit your wrists properly, it's down the block, not across the street.
    • tybris, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Welcome to life. Seeking wisdom is a commendable way of spending your spare time on the strive for survival as it is a unique capability of the human mind, but to make this temporary experience as enjoyable as possible don't forget to stimulate your hormone production. There are many ways to produce various hormones, such as taking challenges (adrenalin) and mating with females (endorphin, oxytocin), but you will find that you will know most of them instinctively. To make your stay worthwile we recommend that you do not try to surpress your instincts.
    • stevieweavypoo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Haha. Sad *****.
    • gbro, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Soundtrack to your post:

      Darren Hanlon - Happiness is a Chemical
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1x-JOp9t_U
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