Past meets Future, but what does it think?

Wackymon

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So, awhile back, I stumbled upon this:
And it got me thinking, what would Charlie Chaplin think of this? What would people from the past think of how we perceive them now, and what we make of their creations, of our society? Because I honestly don't know how he'd react, since I haven't seen any of his films, or movies, ect, ect.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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I'm sure most of them would scream "witchcraft" when shown a cellphone, or a television.

At least that's how I like to imagine it.
 

Drakane

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The film originally released during the height of the Nazi party. I am not good at imbedding but the a link follows (I think):

http://www.nikolasschiller.com/blog/index.php/archives/2009/08/10/3574/

I personally think the above clip is in poor taste, auto tuning a very serious (though very satirical) film of the era undermines the message of the film.

That said, how he would react as a person and artist, no clue. Brilliance is in the mind of the beholder, and it does convey the same basic message.
 

tilmoph

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Once they get past the initial techno shock (which will a variable amount of time based on when in the past their from and their own social status, with men of learning adapting quicker than those governed by superstition), I think they will be disappointed. The optimists will see how little technology has actually improved the lot of the poor, how despite the all but incomprehensible advances in production, we still have hunger and homelessness, we still have people, good people, honest people, who can't make ends meet no matter how hard or how much they work. Out great medical science will astonish them; the number of people who die of or suffer from diseases, not because our science can't help treat or cure them, but because of failures in the distribution system will disgust.

Those of a more common temperament for their time will be disgusted by modern dress, will be appalled that we let a negro have the White House, will be baffled that we actually care about sparing as many Muslims as possible when we got to war against the terrorists, will faint from shock at how casual we are with mixed race relationships and children, and will be conviced the Devil has won when he sees the debauchery of the internet.
 
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"You're all backwards thinking fucktards, whose society is a crumbling mess of hypocrisy without morals. You completely disappoint us in every way, except for that one thing you have that is actually pretty fucking cool."

That is the reaction of any point in past, present, or future human history to any other point in history.
 

FalloutJack

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wackymon said:
Question!
Didn't one of his movies supposedly have a cellphone in it?

Also, Charlie hated the new mediums of film and movie-making being developed in HIS age. I can only imagine what he'd do to Michael Bay.

OT: There's enough people of the past who already lived to see a little taste of the future and hate it. Albert Einstein halted all progress of his work at the time of the atomic bomb being dropped. I imagine they'd be torn between awe and horror.
 

ThreeName

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philosophicalbastard said:
"You're all backwards thinking fucktards, whose society is a crumbling mess of hypocrisy without morals. You completely disappoint us in every way, except for that one thing you have that is actually pretty fucking cool."

That is the reaction of any point in past, present, or future human history to any other point in history.
Quoting for truth. There's really no other option once anyone has looked for a decent amount of time.
 

Zhukov

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"Your medicine is awesome, your soldiers are pussies, your women are running amok and yoOH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT IS THAT!?"
 

TIMESWORDSMAN

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I have fantasy about going back to the eighties, appearing among a group of nerds (preferably in the middle of a DnD campaign) and being like: "Hey guy's I'm from the future!"
And then they ask me questions, and I'd get to tell them how we can access the cumulative knowledge of mankind through glass panels in our back pockets, and how--

I just looked around the room I'm in trying to locate something that was technologically marvelous, and was to overwhelmed by the possibilities. Let's move on.

--And then they ask me: "Do you have flying cars and space travel?" and I have to say no, and then they ask me how time travel came about and the whole fantasy sort of falls apart. Stupid inquisitive fictional personalities.

Anyway, I think that thing with the phones and how we got all kinds a global cooperation and understanding (by contrast) would impress most people in the past.

Overall, I think the present is pretty cool, and since I've devoted my life to making a better future, I'm betting hard that things will be even better soon.
 
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You're society is a mess, you should be ashamed of you-Oh my god is this witchcraft? It has dinosaurs? Robots? That turn into tanks?!





Video games save the day again.
 

Hero of Lime

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I think the internet would be the biggest shock to someone from that time. An invisible network that can be used to communicate any part of the world in seconds and learn almost anything just by asking a search engine. All of the new technology would be incredible to them, but I think they would have lots of disappointments too, our modern cars for example, for all their improvements, have the same basic function as they did back then.

philosophicalbastard said:
"You're all backwards thinking fucktards, whose society is a crumbling mess of hypocrisy without morals. You completely disappoint us in every way, except for that one thing you have that is actually pretty fucking cool."

That is the reaction of any point in past, present, or future human history to any other point in history.
If we were to be given a glimpse of the world in about 100 years, we would probably say something like that too.
 

sageoftruth

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"Why the hell are you working in law? You were supposed to become a psychologist."

Also, "What made you lose interest in politics? Don't you still watch the Daily Show?"

"Glad to see you're still part of a chorus."

Going even further back,
"How did you make friends with people your age? I only feel comfortable around the teachers."
 

Thaluikhain

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philosophicalbastard said:
"You're all backwards thinking fucktards, whose society is a crumbling mess of hypocrisy without morals. You completely disappoint us in every way, except for that one thing you have that is actually pretty fucking cool."

That is the reaction of any point in past, present, or future human history to any other point in history.
Very much this.

A black person is the PotUS, and people can be openly gay. Now, there are some very severe caveats with those two, but still, it happens/ed. The horror...

For that matter, who gets to vote, and what people think of the rich.