Social Dilemmas (and music!)

 

Greetings blogsters!  It’s been over two months since my last post.  I’m not on the success track outlined by blogger gurus (optimally it would be 2-3 posts per week).  But this is this, so I am happy about that. I hope you find here something funny, useful, goofy, or just of interest to you.

As long-time readers know, I often write about my uncomfortable moments, so here I go again. We’re still in the plugging-in phase of our lives here in Salem, learning the layout of the city and arranging to meet new people, perhaps find some new friends.  Combining a social event with biking is a nice option for us newbies. The local bike club arranges regular weekly rides on weekends and a few weekdays. Riders meet at a local parking lot and bike out from there as a group.  This last weekend saw Saturday as likely to have the most favorable weather and so I showed up for that ride instead of the Sunday which I’d done a few times.  A gentleman I hadn’t met asked me about the black fuzzy things on my helmet straps.  I explained that they are a product called Cat Ears, and that I can personally vouch for the company’s claim that they reduce road wind noise by 40%, smoothing out the air turbulence the way a cat’s ear hairs do. 

I went on to mention that the wind noise reduction is especially pronounced when I have my earbuds in. I admitted that earbuds were frowned upon by many cyclists (and in fact using them while biking is illegal in many cities).  He frowned and said that the danger is too great. I pointed out that merely riding a bike at all on city streets is inherently dangerous for cyclists, and that our vulnerability is so much greater than for drivers. He mentioned something about the difference in travel speed, and I may have failed to ask for clarification on how this was relevant to earbuds. Instead, I countered that I believed the risk of being distracted (for me, one who has extensive experience and never rides without a rear view mirror, etc., etc.) was no higher than for a motorist who listens to podcasts while driving.  He waved a hand and walked away, saying “I’m not going to argue with you”.  Now it’s possible that this fellow and I will in the future become best friends, but I’ll admit that I had a “Nathan Thurm” (Martin Short) moment there.  “Is it me or is it him?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql4tBfOTTk0  A bit of 80’s vintage SNL with Short, Jim Belushi, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The point being that it can be awkward at times in new social situations. I think my Cat Ears need to be fluffed, it’s been awhile. But we are finding our way. 

The documentary movie called The Social Dilemma which was released in January of 2020 describes how the design of social media is dangerously subversive to the creation or maintenance of a healthy culture, and calls for change. One of the creators of that program is technology ethicist Tristan Harris, who has gone on to host a podcast called Your Undivided Attention to continue the movement for change. In episode #41 called Making Meaning In Challenging Times, the band Rising Appalachia was referenced. I’ve listened twice to their album Leylines, the first time with a bit of THC in the system and the second time “strait”.  It’s a fine piece of work and you’ll be up dancing for sure, no sensory enhancement needed.  The song that ends the record (Resilience) is pure honey. I’m ready to listen to more of their music.  Now I could suit up, plug in the earbuds, and ride while listening to The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know, their new album.  However, instead I will walk.  I rarely listen to music while biking anyway, it’s almost always a podcast.  And interestingly, Leah Smith one of the founders of the group has a Ted Talk about something they are promoting called the Slow Music Movement.  Check it out on their web site (the link is above).  I’ll listen slowly and move slowly, while noticing the leaves changing colors slowly.

Governor Kate Brown's neighborhood in Salem, OR. October 2021