Quote:
Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle
Just wondering...are you Asian? Because sad to say but I can actually see East Asian societies acting that way even if it compromises their literal lifespans, as long as it's out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps it's the greatest flaw of the societies here. Then again, it seems that although Westerners tend to be more vocal, the masses acting together can be quite sheep-like still. Who's to say they won't react the same way?
To improve Sybil would involve major changes to the apparently useless therapy, the addiction to medical treatments that actually shorten lives and execution of people just because Sybil says so. In everyday life, it doesn't necessarily have to destabilize society by breaking their illusions of system infallibility but they should be encouraged to try other life paths if they like it even if they are not suited for it. Final goal should be getting people to stop seeing Sybil as the voice that you must listen to at all costs (not the same as losing faith in its accuracy BTW) With Sybil, the fallout from such choices should be more easily managed than in real life no?
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I am indeed Asian, and wrote that because of what I have observed in the East Asian countries that I have lived in. Though I no longer live in a predominantly Asian society, I also still know Asians here that think along similar lines. As for the Westerners I know, they tend to think more individualistically, as a general rule, although there are some who have come to understand broadly the structures and constraints that drive the way things are in certain Asian societies (whatever they end up feeling about those structures and constraints).
And I do believe that Westerners act in a similar way to some extent, that is to say, there is a tendency for people in general to latch on to a particular belief and...idealise it, shall we say. The only thing that is different is what each individual or group values: e.g. there are a lot of people who believe in the freedom of expression and in the freedom of information. There are downsides and caveats to such 'freedoms', but how many advocates of such 'rights' actually consider what those are? Other examples of such beliefs are the ideas that elders and seniors are to be respected, or that order and procedure are to be followed to the letter. There are disadvantages to these too, but again, how many of their advocates sincerely consider and address them?
I'm not going to state my position on any of these values/beliefs here: I'm more concerned with the idea that each individual who advocates something should be aware of where his or her own beliefs have come from, of the context that shapes them. It is also important that they recognise that other people can have other beliefs, and try to understand where those beliefs come from. It's all well and good of us to say that 'the people of the Psycho-Pass world should be encouraged to not rely on Sibyl at all costs' -
but if that is indeed a choice that they consciously made (and perhaps, even if it is not consciously made, but merely shaped by how their society has developed), then I do not think that others should deride their choice, or even seek to change it, until they understand what lies behind it.