What's Wrong With This Picture Analysis
What’s Wrong with This Picture?
“What’s Wrong?” is a game I enjoyed as a kid. It was an illustration on the back cover of Highlights for Children magazine. The picture was based on the front cover illustration but contained humorous changes. The young reader was challenged to identify the list of things that were wrong with the picture.
One reason why it was funny, to me at least, was not only the incongruity of a man walking down the street with a pot on his head, but that the man seemed totally oblivious to the fact. He was absolutely nonchalant, not only about his headwear, but also about the rabbit in the tree, the roast turkey in the baby carriage, the pizza in the bicycle wheel, and the dog wearing glasses. Everyone in the picture …show more content…
It is a massive creation that is as undirected as it is purposeful. Rarely is it a conscious construct. There have been attempts to create new societies, of course, such as our own American Revolution, Puritanism, Jonestown, and Salt Lake City, to name a few. Nazism and Communism were also attempts to create new societies. But cultures are not fashioned by conscious minds. The traditions and ancient values, the language and symbols, the group mindset that exerts pressure on every individual member of the society are the real creators of a culture. The social consensus is like a group mind that operates as in a dream, where linear logic is secondary and symbols hold sway. In talking about our toxic culture, we must keep in mind that a culture is not intentional; it does not think and plan. It has strategies, but does not …show more content…
It means different things to different people: the land of opportunity, rags to riches, good fortune for immigrants, and a comfortable−even luxurious−lifestyle for anyone willing to work hard. It implies egalitarian opportunity and superiority of lifestyle compared to the rest of the world, assuming that America is the richest country in the world, that Americans have the highest standard of living, and the highest social mobility and opportunity. The phrase “American Dream” was coined in the 1930s. It is about Americans’ self-invention: the freedom and ability to change one’s life if one works hard enough.
There is some truth to our most cherished dream, but consider the following data. In 2005 (before the economic downturn of 2008) The New York Times reported that:
Life expectancy in the U.S. at 76.5 years, although continuing to rise, was now less than Japan at 80.5, France at 78.5, and Germany at 77.5.
Despite strong annual productivity growth, U.S. real median household income, adjusted for inflation, has trended down since 2007, falling 8% from the pre-recession peak of $56,436. It remains well below the 1999 peak.
Fewer people are able to retire. Now 14% of Americans age 65 and over are employed, up from less than 12% in 1995.
Health care and education costs are rising much faster than
“What’s Wrong?” is a game I enjoyed as a kid. It was an illustration on the back cover of Highlights for Children magazine. The picture was based on the front cover illustration but contained humorous changes. The young reader was challenged to identify the list of things that were wrong with the picture.
One reason why it was funny, to me at least, was not only the incongruity of a man walking down the street with a pot on his head, but that the man seemed totally oblivious to the fact. He was absolutely nonchalant, not only about his headwear, but also about the rabbit in the tree, the roast turkey in the baby carriage, the pizza in the bicycle wheel, and the dog wearing glasses. Everyone in the picture …show more content…
It is a massive creation that is as undirected as it is purposeful. Rarely is it a conscious construct. There have been attempts to create new societies, of course, such as our own American Revolution, Puritanism, Jonestown, and Salt Lake City, to name a few. Nazism and Communism were also attempts to create new societies. But cultures are not fashioned by conscious minds. The traditions and ancient values, the language and symbols, the group mindset that exerts pressure on every individual member of the society are the real creators of a culture. The social consensus is like a group mind that operates as in a dream, where linear logic is secondary and symbols hold sway. In talking about our toxic culture, we must keep in mind that a culture is not intentional; it does not think and plan. It has strategies, but does not …show more content…
It means different things to different people: the land of opportunity, rags to riches, good fortune for immigrants, and a comfortable−even luxurious−lifestyle for anyone willing to work hard. It implies egalitarian opportunity and superiority of lifestyle compared to the rest of the world, assuming that America is the richest country in the world, that Americans have the highest standard of living, and the highest social mobility and opportunity. The phrase “American Dream” was coined in the 1930s. It is about Americans’ self-invention: the freedom and ability to change one’s life if one works hard enough.
There is some truth to our most cherished dream, but consider the following data. In 2005 (before the economic downturn of 2008) The New York Times reported that:
Life expectancy in the U.S. at 76.5 years, although continuing to rise, was now less than Japan at 80.5, France at 78.5, and Germany at 77.5.
Despite strong annual productivity growth, U.S. real median household income, adjusted for inflation, has trended down since 2007, falling 8% from the pre-recession peak of $56,436. It remains well below the 1999 peak.
Fewer people are able to retire. Now 14% of Americans age 65 and over are employed, up from less than 12% in 1995.
Health care and education costs are rising much faster than