23 Comments

Couldn't agree more with all of this piece. I think we are on a very slippery slope and I do everything I can think of to resist our dehumanization and exploitation by some technological developments. I prefer to think critically as you do and ask "Why are we being asked to do this? Who benefits?" I am ignoring AI for now. It will need to do a lot more to convince me that it's not just a creepy, lazy, ineffective solution to goodness knows what. Long live human creativity. "Strive" is not a dirty word. Great post, Julie!

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Thanks.

“Strive” - yes I forgot about that word. It is a great word!

I feel sick keep seeing people I had previously respected on my feeds trying to entice me into employing AI. Just no! It’s really put me off a few people these last few weeks (seems to have massively stepped up a gear recently).

Still, it’s all a filtering process and I see who I’m really not aligned with at least!

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Sometimes we are made to feel like naysayers or fogies if we don't embrace change unquestioningly. I disagree with that. I like to take a step back and think about things before I jump in, and if I'm not convinced by something I'll give it a swerve. Let's see what transpires. I just hope everyone jumping in at the deep end is wearing their arm bands!

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Great piece Julie. Spent some time with my young neighbours at the weekend. I was looking at things that had been written on their chalkboard diary. They said ‘don’t take any notice of that it’s well out of date, everything’s done electronically theses days isn’t it? Much more convenient.’ When I started teaching and a long time in my career, knowledge and information were passed on by a piece of chalk on a blackboard. Now it’s interactive whiteboards and computers. Lost count of the people who’ve said to me recently that their handwriting has become illegible because ‘I just don’t write anything anymore’.

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Son says at school everything is done on these ‘smart boards’. Names like that irk me too. It’s as though the suggestion is that if you’re not on board with it, you’re an idiot.

My handwriting has always been terrible but without practise it really seems to deteriorate even further!

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Just a thought...do you think they have been dumbing down education in recent years in readiness for this?

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Possible. Certainly I see this in television - programmes are of a lower quality, lots of ad breaks and ‘recaps’ in them that over time erode concentration.

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Much more like the American model has been for a very long time.

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Definitely. I think it has been a strategy to remove the benefits of a good education from the majority so that we could all be kept in line. I also think it had some unforeseen consequences.

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Education in the form of institutions, in my opinion has always been about creating a malleable workforce rather than true critical thinkers, but certainly since the 90’s and Blair’s push to have everyone in Uni, imo it has worsened and become all about getting debt normalised at a young age.

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Absolutely agree.

This has been going on since Blair. History books will show just how one man managed to damage this country in so many ways.

The undemocratic situation we now find ourselves in started with him but since then politicians have been of such a low standard, they have let everything he changed for the worse remain in place.

Eg PFI deals for new NHS hospitals who are still struggling to pay the high interest loans back, 1000’s of new laws pushed through under the radar which are affecting us now and of course his worst “achievement” of creating absolute chaos in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya because of his unjustified interference in these countries, creating terrorism along the way. 50% of students to go to Uni, the place to go to be indoctrinated and then come out with not only no decent job at the end of it but huge debt too.

End of rant 🫤

I saw through him right from the start and so did a lot of my women friends…men not so much. Gut instinct again and yes, critical thinking…

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Yes and I voted for him! Still, we live and learn! On we go, a little wiser….

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Love this! I agree with every word. I threw out my microwave (safely, of course) years ago and I don't miss it. AI is worrying me though as it could replace my job. That's what I have been warned anyway, but maybe that's the universe telling me I need to retrain as a dog groomer anyway. It's taking the effort out of everything, and when we're no longer making an effort, what then? 🤔

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It takes away more than it adds in my opinion.

I think at the moment there are still people who prefer a human experience over an AI one but for how long I don’t know because things gradually establish themselves as default, especially when they have been primed by greedy people to do so.

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I agree totally with all you have written here x

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Who doesn't want 'convenience'?

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A bit like ‘safety’.

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I like divine unique inspired flawed artistic creativity

My 🐈‍⬛ lives in a 15 second city where her bed (table), food + loo are 2 seconds apart and lazing in the sun requires 15 seconds on the step before hastily returning to table

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😂 my cat was free range….😂

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Well she can go anywhere but prefers not to, she creates herself a tiny safe zone she feels happy with - in the evenings I pick her up + she has an hour snoozing on my shoulder happily while I read a book .. but I feel she illustrates today's mentality - it's all safe here, I access all I want, why go elsewhere? So essentially ppl create their own prisons

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We had lectures on how to write and drawing diagrams with chalk. The very essence of ‘old school’ There was a gigantic board ruler so you could draw straight lines so your writing didn’t head south by the end of the line. Hi tech consisted of a roller blackboard which already had lines printed on for your convenience. 😂😂

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All sounds so quaint now doesn’t it? Bless 😊

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Wonderful Julie. Thank you.

I hear so much about critical thinking but not so much about original individual concept 🤗😘😘

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