America and the 'Fun' Generation - NYTimes.com - 1 views
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And now a count can declare the victors: “achievement” and “fun.”
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term “excellence”
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dropped out of favor, also elevenfold. As “fun” gained influence, mentions of “pleasure” fell by a factor of four.
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In the history of language, words rise and fall. We make and remake them; they make and remake us.
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Language is the philosopher's primary tool. What do you think that the rising influence of 'fun' means for how we think about pleasure? -
I think that overtime, we become influenced by certain attributes, or things throughout the day which makes us perceive certain things as entertaining... With new technology, and the way our world changes, we could view different things as pleasure in contrast of what people thought of as appealing way back when.
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turning in American culture, and one that has influenced the world. It is a turning away from an arguably aristocratic idea of the intrinsic worth of things: from pleasure, with its sense of an internal condition of mind, to fun, so closely affiliated with outward activities; from excellence, an inner trait whose attainment is its own reward, to achievement, which comes through slogging and recognition.
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Merriam-Webster defines “pleasure” as “a state of gratification
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fun is “what provides amusement or enjoyment;
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excellence” as “the quality of being excellent,” which in turn means “very good of its kind: eminently good.” “Achievement,” meanwhile, is “a result gained by effort.”
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“Pleasure” carries a hint of the sublime; it speaks of a state of mind that comes organically, that need not be artificially induced.
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un,” though almost synonymous with “pleasure” for contemporary speakers, often involves artificial inducement
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If “pleasure” comes from being and from talking through ideas, “fun” comes from doing and, often, switching off the brain.
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Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.”
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“Excellence” evokes Aristotle with its overtones of virtue. Anyone can achieve
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but how many can truly be excellent?
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“Achievement” is a word more likely to come from American leaders today, and, like “fun,” it is outward in nature. It comes in doing specific things. It is more about checking boxes than fulfilling inner potentialities.
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The achievement culture permeates life today
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n American culture of instantaneous celebrity teaches young people that fame is an end in itself rather than an incidental symptom of excellence in craft.
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But with that change has come another: what would seem to be a growing intolerance for merely being, and an anguished insistence on doing, doing, doing.
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What are the differences between pleasure and achievement according to the author? Do you agree with him?
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Achievement is simply something we check off on our to-do list. It's not something we take great value in. As in pleasure, it's something that we treasure because it's something we don't get too often, because we're too busy being blinded by the 'fun' aspects of life. I agree with the author because I believe that many people today believe that they find pleasure in doing absolutely nothing, and to shut off their brains completely. I believe that discovering new things and letting your mind wander just enough is pleasurable.
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Today, pleasure is something that is very rare to find, since it is overshadowed by "fun". However, achievement is simply something that can be checked off a list, and is very easy to accomplish. Anyone can achieve something; they just may have a harder time being excellent at something. We take great value in pleasure, but not in achievements. I agree with the author because I believe that our generation is so caught up in technology, and entertainment, that we sometimes forget to seek for pleasure in our lives. I also agree that shutting off our brains does not give us pleasure; it just shuts away all the problems that will resurface. It's okay to have fun, but finding pleasure is something that is much more valuable, in my opinion.
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