Neil deGrasse Tyson - We Stopped Dreaming (Episode 1)

[Rascal Nag]

I find this highly accurate. And saddening.

Edit: I can\'t just sit around with these thoughts in my head. Something needs to be done. I say we try to spread this. Tweet it if you can, try to get it trending. Try to get celebrities to see it and draw attention to it. Look at what happened with Kony 2012. I think the world would benefit from the same thing happening to this video.

Just do something to try to spread it. When a fire sparks on the internet, it spreads as if it were in a pure Oxygen environment. We need to make a spark for this.

[Drakomis]

Kill the dreams of a nation and you kill the nation.

[Altair1371]

This does make me sad.

The next generation of America is probably going to be the worst. Our government is sticking to old ways, even when they prove to not work in this era (ala SOPA?). Like the video said, we cut the relatively miniscule budget for the final frontier, to let failing companies last one more day. And on top of all that, when we step up as adults, and graduate college, we\'re going to be handed the bill. This bill is not just the last generation\'s bill: it\'s the whole bill. We just keep borrowing and borrowing, killing our future to have a better today.

I just want to say something to the government that is running this country: are you happy? Are you happy that we are taught to obey the highest bidder? Are you happy that your grandkids\' taxes will pay for your fat paycheck now? Are you happy that you have made what was once the world\'s greatest nation in to the laughing stock of the world? ARE YOU HAPPY THAT YOU ARE DESTROYING THE HOPES, DREAMS, AND FUTURE OF YOUR CHILDREN?!

But I digress. What do you care? You have your cushy paycheck, your third Ferrari, and you\'re happy. Why should you care about the future of our nation? That\'s all that\'s important now, right? Instant gratification. We want to talk NOW. We want to eat NOW. We want to be paid NOW. But there\'s one thing we don\'t want instant: the bill. We want our stuff NOW, but we want to work LATER. I am a college student, and I feel relatively secure about my position now. However, I am genuinely terrified of the day I graduate, because then I\'m given the bill for the United States of America.

*end rant

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

Of the back of Altair\'s rant, I would like to say that this is one of the things that keep me up a night. I gets me thinking. This has evolved from something that make it easier for people to trade stuff. And from that one idea, comes death, destruction and dispair. In this world, everything is about money, and even if there is gain in the long run, it is sacrificed for the short run.

I keep joking that the whole world needs a revolution, in which education no longer becomes restricting, becomes all about informed decitions, instead of what the corperations want us to think (I.E. that socailism is bad). Would the world care if I died. No. Would the world care if the presedent of the united states died? Of course. But we are both two men, of equal rights, just one has more power.

'This is a process arranged by the greedy for the greedy just like this is a Government of the greedy by the greedy and for the greedy.'

[Rascal Nag]

This does make me sad.

The next generation of America is probably going to be the worst. Our government is sticking to old ways, even when they prove to not work in this era (ala SOPA?). Like the video said, we cut the relatively miniscule budget for the final frontier, to let failing companies last one more day. And on top of all that, when we step up as adults, and graduate college, we\'re going to be handed the bill. This bill is not just the last generation\'s bill: it\'s the whole bill. We just keep borrowing and borrowing, killing our future to have a better today.

I just want to say something to the government that is running this country: are you happy? Are you happy that we are taught to obey the highest bidder? Are you happy that your grandkids\' taxes will pay for your fat paycheck now? Are you happy that you have made what was once the world\'s greatest nation in to the laughing stock of the world? ARE YOU HAPPY THAT YOU ARE DESTROYING THE HOPES, DREAMS, AND FUTURE OF YOUR CHILDREN?!

But I digress. What do you care? You have your cushy paycheck, your third Ferrari, and you\'re happy. Why should you care about the future of our nation? That\'s all that\'s important now, right? Instant gratification. We want to talk NOW. We want to eat NOW. We want to be paid NOW. But there\'s one thing we don\'t want instant: the bill. We want our stuff NOW, but we want to work LATER. I am a college student, and I feel relatively secure about my position now. However, I am genuinely terrified of the day I graduate, because then I\'m given the bill for the United States of America.

*end rant

Too true. The banks and armies of the world won\'t be what allows humanity to survive. We need space travel for that.

The world has recently undergone a terrible change, one which has drastically changed the mind of the average human. It has been retooled so that the driving force behind the citizens of this planet is no longer our dreams of the future, but the size of our wallets.

[Altair1371]

And top of all this, the current situation has created a new form of behavior: the escape. We don\'t want to listen anymore, hear about our doomed society/life/job/future, so we escape. We find something and plug into it. It\'s anything that gives us the sweet release of ignorance: movies, games, shows, drugs, porn, reddit, and youtube, just to name a few. This is how bad our world has become: that in order to enjoy life we have to shut it out and live a fake new life, be it in Hyrule, with Tobuscus, or even Ponies. We can\'t truly be aware of the world\'s condition and enjoy life at the same time.

This is proof that the world does need to change. Whenever there was a hallmark in human history, man reacted. The invention of the wheel; The Renaissance; the Industrial Revolution. I think that it\'s time for another one. The current way of life is one where we work all day, hear about the evils of the world, and come back home and take another dose of our escape. Most importantly, I want to be able to give MY child a future, where he/she has a clean slate to work with, instead of the bill I\'m due to receive.

[NovaSilisko]

All I can do is hope that things change. Seeing how the vast majority of my generation, and generations directly following, it puts a fear into me greater than any I\'ve ever felt. These people, who have grown up with their fake lives, dominated by mass-produced entertainment, and no awareness or care about the real world - what happens when, suddenly, they have to take charge?

[iamwearingpants]

All I can do is hope that things change. Seeing how the vast majority of my generation, and generations directly following, it puts a fear into me greater than any I\'ve ever felt. These people, who have grown up with their fake lives, dominated by mass-produced entertainment, and no awareness or care about the real world - what happens when, suddenly, they have to take charge?

They\'re going to fail, and we\'re going to be screwed.

I\'m getting more and more fucking depressed every word I read in this thread.

[NovaSilisko]

I routinely, and with passion, say that Facebook and social media like it are a cancer on society. For all the good they\'ve done, they\'re ruining a generation. Absolutely ruining it, letting them 'learn' that mindless distraction is the 'cool thing' to do...

Edit: Or, to sum it up in a picture:

[Tiberion]

The world has recently undergone a terrible change, one which has drastically changed the mind of the average human. It has been retooled so that the driving force behind the citizens of this planet is no longer our dreams of the future, but the size of our wallets.

Aaand this is where I need to stop you, and everyone else.

Did you miss the first part of the video where he talks about our reasoning about WHY we went to the moon, and why we stopped?

Not because we were dreamers, but because we were afraid. And when the fear was resolved, we quit going.

These issues are not a new thing. Almost as long as there has been society of humankind, its been money driven.

It shaped kingdoms, and eventually nations; The wealthy once had absolute power; if you were poor, you were a serf, which was basically a slave.

It shaped art; the great musicians and artists did their works because someone paid them for it. They weren\'t living in the streets eating from the heap

It shaped science and philosophy; the great minds were paid for their output, and those who had wealthy connections are the ones we remember.

It spurred the industrial revolution and the computer age; The cotton gin, the telephone, the electrical grid, all of it was done in an attempt to make money (and boy did it work) Likewise, the powerful post-war economic engine in the West took the advances learned in part by NASA and related scientists and literally reshaped the world; The fact that we\'re speaking to each other from around the globe is evidence of that.

We\'re definitely living through the most radially changing period in the history of mankind, and its not likely to settle any time soon.

But man\'s greed and money\'s role in society are not new. The bigger issue is how little the new generation appreciates what they have, or how much work it takes to get it.

The older generation who lived through the depression and WW2 know because they had to experience the hardships first hand, and they drilled those lessons into our parents (or even grandparents, for some of you young ones)

So perhaps our kids will one day be standing in bread lines or living as migrant workers like my grandparents did (see: grapes of wrath)

Their kids will know, and maybe they will finally take us to Mars.

[NovaSilisko]

Also relevant:

[Cepheus]

I think this is far more important than the Kony 2012 campaign. Before you get mad at me, ask me why. This country, as a whole, has slipped into some kind of backwards state, where failure is rewarded, and true innovation is scoffed at. I\'m not saying there aren\'t problems in America, but there is a way to solve them. You know what IS NOT the way? Cutting the funding for scientific research, technology, innovation, and education. Without these people, the people that enable the future, there IS NO FUTURE. You people really need to stop supporting these 'fad' causes. This country is messed up, and people know it.

[Rascal Nag]

Aaand this is where I need to stop you, and everyone else.

Did you miss the first part of the video where he talks about our reasoning about WHY we went to the moon, and why we stopped?

Not because we were dreamers, but because we were afraid. And when the fear was resolved, we quit going.

These issues are not a new thing. Almost as long as there has been society of humankind, its been money driven.

It shaped kingdoms, and eventually nations; The wealthy once had absolute power; if you were poor, you were a serf, which was basically a slave.

It shaped art; the great musicians and artists did their works because someone paid them for it. They weren\'t living in the streets eating from the heap

It shaped science and philosophy; the great minds were paid for their output, and those who had wealthy connections are the ones we remember.

It spurred the industrial revolution and the computer age; The cotton gin, the telephone, the electrical grid, all of it was done in an attempt to make money (and boy did it work) Likewise, the powerful post-war economic engine in the West took the advances learned in part by NASA and related scientists and literally reshaped the world; The fact that we\'re speaking to each other from around the globe is evidence of that.

We\'re definitely living through the most radially changing period in the history of mankind, and its not likely to settle any time soon.

But man\'s greed and money\'s role in society are not new. The bigger issue is how little the new generation appreciates what they have, or how much work it takes to get it.

The older generation who lived through the depression and WW2 know because they had to experience the hardships first hand, and they drilled those lessons into our parents (or even grandparents, for some of you young ones)

So perhaps our kids will one day be standing in bread lines or living as migrant workers like my grandparents did (see: grapes of wrath)

Their kids will know, and maybe they will finally take us to Mars.

We became dreamers out of fear. Now our priorities our set in such a way that failing banks go before dreams. In previous times, the two almost always were level with each other.

[Guywithpants]

Damn, that\'s a hard-hitting video.

I definitely agree we should try to spread it.

[trbinsc]

I\'m making a petition on whitehouse.gov, but it needs some major revision.

Raise NASA\'s budget in order to re-establish national pride and help make the country a world power in space again.

Watch this video, I believe it explains the issue much better than I could in words.

I find it sickening that the only reason we did anything in space was out of fear, and that there is no good reason not to increase NASA\'s budget, and plenty of good reasons to increase it. Something needs to be done.

Relevant sites:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=8540.0

http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/qqtk0/neil_degrasse_tyson_we_stopped_dreaming/

Also, I am 13 years old, and I know what needs to be done more than anyone in charge of this nation.

[NovaSilisko]

I don\'t recommend including a link to this thread

[Altair1371]

I don\'t recommend including a link to this thread

I agree. All this thread is doing is discussing the video.

[Rascal Nag]

I\'m making a petition on whitehouse.gov, but it needs some major revision.

I\'ll give it a shot:

I will start with a video, as I may not be able to elucidate the subject as eloquently as this puts it:

I find it repulsive that the greatest era of our nation, and maybe even the planet, was struck dead in its path before its climax was reached. The dreams of a country are fading. The hope of a people is dying. We need a shove in the right direction, and the only way to do this is inspire the populace and place within them a fire of innovation and desire for brilliance. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo all did this. But now, with no manned space program, a generation is growing up with little to nothing to drive them to greatness. This lack of a drive leads to a lack of enthusiasm in the young men and women of this nation. And with so little desire in students, it is no wonder that our education is failing. It\'s just like a mother fruitlessly trying to feed a toddler spinach - they just tightly close their mouths and shake their heads until they have the stuff smeared all over themselves. Later, it just washes right off and nothing has been learned.

But, if we take our youth and show them what is possible, they will respond powerfully. If they see what we truly are capable of as a nation, their hope and drive will never die. If we can succeed in electrifying this new generation, this country will ride a wave of prosperity and innovation of a level never before achieved. And if we really are committed to accomplishing this, there is one thing we can do to get the ball rolling:

A Penny for NASA.

Well, think it\'s adequate?

[Guywithpants]

Well, think it\'s adequate?

A lot more than that, imho.

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Well done, amazing job.

[trbinsc]

Forgot to mention there is a character limit of 800. Unfortunately, what Rascal Nag posted was above the limit. Rascal Nag, do you think you can condense it into 800 or less characters?

[LukeTim]

I\'ll give it a shot:

I will start with a video, as I may not be able to elucidate the subject as eloquently as this puts it:

I find it repulsive that the greatest era of our nation, and maybe even the planet, was struck dead in its path before its climax was reached. The dreams of a country are fading. The hope of a people is dying. We need a shove in the right direction, and the only way to do this is inspire the populace and place within them a fire of innovation and desire for brilliance. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo all did this. But now, with no manned space program, a generation is growing up with little to nothing to drive them to greatness. This lack of a drive leads to a lack of enthusiasm in the young men and women of this nation. And with so little desire in students, it is no wonder that our education is failing. It\'s just like a mother fruitlessly trying to feed a toddler spinach - they just tightly close their mouths and shake their heads until they have the stuff smeared all over themselves. Later, it just washes right off and nothing has been learned.

But, if we take our youth and show them what is possible, they will respond powerfully. If they see what we truly are capable of as a nation, their hope and drive will never die. If we can succeed in electrifying this new generation, this country will ride a wave of prosperity and innovation of a level never before achieved. And if we really are committed to accomplishing this, there is one thing we can do to get the ball rolling:

A Penny for NASA.

Well, think it\'s adequate?

It\'s excellent.

However, one change. If this is a petition, use the collective 'we' (as in, the undersigned). Not 'I'. If you say 'I' it sounds like one man\'s rant, and you don\'t bring any attention to the fact that there are signatories or supporters at all. It doesn\'t sound like a movement. Where you have used the word 'we' to refer to the US... change that to 'this Nation'.

[Rascal Nag]

Condensed version, exactly 800 characters after changing the 'I' to 'we' and revising some bits to say 'The US' or 'America' instead of we when I could.

'Here\'s a video, as we may not be able to elucidate this as eloquently:

http://youtu.be/CbIZU8cQWXc

It is repulsive that the greatest era of our nation, and maybe even the planet, was struck down before its time. The dreams of a country are now dying. The US need a kick. We need to inspire the populace, placing within them a fire of innovation and ambition. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo did this. But with no manned space program, a whole generation has little to motivate them. And with no drive in students, it\'s no wonder education is failing. No one wants to learn.

But if we show our youth what\'s possible and what this nation can do, and we electrify this generation, America will ride a wave of prosperity of a level never before achieved. And we\'ve got a starting point:

A Penny for NASA.'

Also, the video is just the share link from the youtube page. Not the full link in the address bar.

[LukeTim]

Condensed version, exactly 800 characters after changing the 'I' to 'we' and revising some bits to say 'The US' or 'America' instead of we when I could.

'Here is a video, as we may not be able to elucidate the subject as eloquently:

http://youtu.be/CbIZU8cQWXc

It is repulsive that the greatest era of our nation, and maybe the planet, was struck down before its time. The dreams of a country are now dying. The US need a kick. We need to inspire the populace, placing within them a fire of innovation and ambition. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo did this. But with no manned space program, a whole generation has little to motivate them. And with no drive in students, it\'s no wonder education is failing. No one wants to learn.

But if we show our youth what\'s possible and what this nation can do, and electrify this generation, America will ride a wave of prosperity of a level never before achieved. And we\'ve got a starting point:

A Penny for NASA.'

Also, the video is just the share link from the youtube page. Not the full link in the address bar.

Just a couple of ideas:

Try putting the video last, since using a video straight away might make it look as though you do not totally understand your cause, since you need someone else to do it for you.

I really like the first line, so try to still keep as much of that as possible.

Also, begin with a clear statement about what you want done, beginning with 'We, the undersigned...'

[Rascal Nag]

Just a couple of ideas:

Try putting the video last, since using a video straight away might make it look as though you do not totally understand your cause, since you need someone else to do it for you.

I really like the first line, so try to still keep as much of that as possible.

Also, begin with a clear statement about what you want done, beginning with 'We, the undersigned...'

'We, the undersigned, request that NASA be made able to inspire this nation.

It is repulsive that the greatest era of our nation, and maybe even the planet, was struck down before its time. The dreams of a country are now dying. The US needs a kick. We need to inspire the populace, placing within them a fire of innovation and ambition. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo did this. But with no manned space program, a whole generation has little to motivate them. And with no drive in students, it\'s no wonder education is failing. No one wants to learn.

But if we show our youth what\'s possible and what this nation can do, and electrify this generation, America will ride a wave of prosperity of a level never before seen. And we\'ve got a starting point:

A Penny for NASA.

http://youtu.be/CbIZU8cQWXc'

How\'s this?