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Technology and Moral Panic
pbahra writes "Why do some technologies cause moral panic and others don't? Why was the introduction of electricity seen as a terrible thing, while nobody cared much about the fountain pen? According to Genevieve Bell, the director of Intel Corporation's Interaction and Experience Research, we have had moral panic over new technology for pretty well as long as we have had technology. It is one of the constants in our culture. '... moral panic is remarkably stable and it is always played out in the bodies of children and women,' she said. There was, she says, an initial pushback about electrifying homes in the U.S.: 'If you electrify homes you will make women and children vulnerable. Predators will be able to tell if they are home because the light will be on, and you will be able to see them. So electricity is going to make women vulnerable. Oh and children will be visible too and it will be predators, who seem to be lurking everywhere, who will attack.' 'There was some wonderful stuff about [railway trains] too in the U.S., that women's bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour. Our uteruses would fly out of our bodies as they were accelerated to that speed,' she says."
'There was some wonderful stuff about [railway trains] too in the U.S., that women's bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour. Our uteruses would fly out of our bodies as they were accelerated to that speed,' she says"
Yeah, nothing worse than riding on the bus or a train when, all of a sudden, whoa flying uterus!
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
The laws of probability forbid it!
His work was raved against in many pulpits because it was perceived to be in violation of the book of Genesis, which states "you will bring forth your children in sorrow." Fortunately, rationality in tandem with numerous upper-crust British ladies, eventually prevailed.
Even with anesthesia, there's still plenty of sorrow involved. At least 18 years worth.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Thats not because they dont understand how the device functions; I think they grasped that part and are objecting to the whole idea.
Ohwhatswrongwithdrinkingalotofenergydrinks? Ijusthadsixinarowanditdoesntseemtoaffectmeatall! Whyaretherepinkflyingponiesinhere?
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
Led by researcher Daniel Favre, the alarming study found that bees reacted significantly to cell phones that were placed near or in hives in call-making mode.
Does this explain the calls I've gotten lately, where I pick up the phone and just hear buzzing at the other end? Why are the bees calling me? Do they want their honey back? It's too late; I already ate it!
...grasped that part...
Hey now, that's not been proven in court, though they're willing to settle...