X-Message-Number: 18097
From: "Mark Plus" <>
Subject: Re: Wrong-headed futurology about "progress'
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 09:15:01 -0800

John Grigg wrote,

>Message #18092
From: "john grigg" <>
Subject: Re: Wrong-headed futurology about "progress'
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 06:27:08

[snip]

>Mark, when do people really NEED anything(like a Segway scooter)??  I admit
to being enthralled with Kamen's brainchild.  I just think a bicycle in many
ways eclipses it! lol  And the pricetag at three grand is way too high for
the very people who might need it most.  We will see the initial consumer
models as toys for yuppies to put under the Christmas tree. lol

My point is that people in developed societies tend to show some really 
irrational priorities, especially when it comes to their very lives.  When 
basic subsistence is easy to come by, some people thereafter indulge in all 
sorts of "quality-of-life" fantasies that seem absurd in light of our 
pending doom.  I doubt, for example, that there are many people wandering 
through the ruins of Afghanistan these days seeking psychotherapy for their 
depression, low self-esteem and inability to find a "soul mate."  One of the 
beneficial aspects of 9-11 was to shake us out of our illusory symbolic 
dreamworld, at least briefly, and confront us with the realities of life and 
death.

I still don't see what problem Kamen's invention is supposed to solve.  The 
stairs-climbing wheelchair he invented several years ago made sense, but 
people who are capable of walking, roller-blading or riding a bicycle (all 
of which give Americans much-needed exercise) would derive no advantage from 
something like "Segway."

Sincerely,

Mark Plus

Stay informed about the battle for Enlightenment-based civilization.  Read 
"The Objective American Daily":
http://www.objectiveamerican.com


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