"'m saying that telling other people that they must be lacking in critical thought just because they like/enjoy the iPhone, is really ridiculous."
I'm hardly making that simplistic argument.
"I don't even want to get into the rest of this though."
Fair enough. But those things really ARE the issue. And to isolate the wave of publicity and devotion this device has raised from the rest of what is h appening in our culture...
Just one example:
Far more people have gossiped in fascination about the iPhone than have informed themselves about the torture being done in their name -- the renditions, the waterboarding, the violations of Geneva conventions.
When people say "well you can't compare the two things" -- in a sense they are right. One is frivilous and beneath adult discussion in importance. The other is about defining our society and our future.
When our grandchildren ask us about what we were doing in 2007, do you think they will ask "did you get an iPhone?" or "Did you know about the torture, and why didn't you do something?"
OK, wow....
First off, you have taken this in a pretty different direction from your original post, where you said you were going to buy one but changed your mind because of the various shortcomings you found in the product, which you said were well defined in a blog post you linked to.
I'm honestly not sure what point you are trying to make here though.
I guess you're making a general point about how people, in general, can focus their attention on things like gadgets/entertainment/etc. and many of them do so at the expense of informing themselves about broader topics like the direction the country is going in, torture, etc.
I don't think you're wholly wrong here - I mean, I think you're stating a known fact, and one that has been true throughout human history (hell, this was the whole bread and circuses concept during the Roman Empire).
But I don't see how this is relevant to the iPhone specifically.
Yes, the iPhone is manufactured hype, although much of that manufactured by people outside of Apple - Apple didn't have to do that much themselves, because the product itself actually happens to WARRANT the hype.
Note that manufacturing hype itself doesn't guarantee anything; look at Microsoft's attempts to manufacture hype and interest in UMPC's (the Origami campaign) or the Zune.
The iPhone's hype would mean nothing if the product didn't back it up; but in large part, and for many people, it has.
Now, yes, there are all sorts of frivolous things that people get excited by and discuss, and some of those people don't worry about or discuss broader global and national topics that are much more important.
But that is not the fault of the iPhone, or of people who like the iPhone.
Taken to its logical extreme, one could criticize everyone who doesn't get involved or think about these other issues. Even further, I could criticize you, for spending time even coming in here and posting about how you don't like the iPhone, since that's taking time away that you could be spending discussing America's current policies regarding the use of torture, etc.
I don't know about you, but personally I can enjoy gadgets, entertainment, etc. while at the same time also think about and involve myself in more serious discussions as well.
But really, I don't quite see where you are going with this.
It seems like you have a major problem with anyone that doesn't show the same dislike for the iPhone that you have, and you have a problem with corporate hype, etc.
Btw, I find it sort of ironic that you'd complain about manufactured hype, and then illustrate one of your posts with an iDon't.com image, because, after all, iDon't is just corporate hype. But iDon't is even worse, because they try and come across as counterculture, etc. even though they are just SanDisk:
This site and the iDon’t campaign (check out our cool posters above) are the creation of several of us renegades behind the new Sansa player, from SanDisk.
Apple of course doesn't have to resort to this kind of junk, because they create products that people actually can feel a connection to and interest in.
Part of human existence is being able to juggle concern for the world and society along with the ability to enjoy the fruits of society as well.
So yes, I can be upset about torture, but also enjoy a good movie, or a gadget made by creative people. They're not mutually exclusive.
And people have a choice about what to concern themselves with. Someone can spend all their time worrying about serious issues, and that's their choice. Someone else can spend all their time watching movies and reading about gadgets and that's their choice too.
As far as your hypothetical question, about what your kids will wonder about what you were doing in 2007; here's a crazy thought. Maybe your kids will be interested in knowing what you were doing politically and socially, as well as what it was like when the iPhone came out and what you thought of it, etc.
I know that I myself have asked my parents what it was like during major events like vietnam or the cuban missile crisis, but also what it was like when they first heard the Beatles. The latter was "frivolous" but not unimportant.
We as humans shouldn't be ashamed about enjoying and caring about the positive things humans do and create, even if that means perhaps not focusing 100% on the bad things we do, or are done in our name.
-Zadillo
