Crary (host): How do you think this emphasis on the virtual realm affects the tangible realm?
Kunstler: Well, there's been one overall effect that we have not come to grips with as much as we may like it or find it appealing, or find it ingenious...it's just not good enough. And we gotta stop kidding ourselves that virtual life is as good as real life. And you know, what it's doing is it's impoverishing us.
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Kunstler: I'm very conscious lately of the difference between having my head stuffed externally with other people's thoughts and ideas and conversations, and having my own conversation in my own head with reality and imagination.
Crary: What do you think the effect of having all this instant gratification through the internet has had on our society and what is it leading us towards?
Kunstler: I think it makes us very impatient and I think it makes it hard - it's turning us sort of into ADD nation... Of people who cannot keep their minds on a task long enough to see anything through. And it may be what's responsible for so much of the political discord that we're now suffering through - this inability to think through and address problems like the healthcare dilemma, the taxation and finance and fiscal dilemma, etc.
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The diminishing returns of this kind of extremely advanced and refined technology is that you end up in a situation where - I'm sorry to be crude - But ah, you've got a whole nation now that's kind of mentally masturbating for huge amounts of time every day. You know I don't think that people need to be "productive", in the sense that - you know we're not termites, we're not slaves, we don't need to be making stuff and doing stuff and achieving and accomplishing stuff constantly, but you know we do need to get some things done and there are some things involved in the makings of culture which are extremely engaging and important but which require sustained attention.
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