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Rather than spend billions of dollars on education programs; billions of dollars on mass mailouts; billions of dollars on advertising campaigns... etc. I propose public education programs be run this way.
Massive black stone obelisks, inscribed with symbols and multiple languages, are dropped from
considerable height over both urban and rural areas. Only one per country, every other year, should be enough.
The information they convey is slightly obscure in meaning, prompting a media craze to "decipher" the meaning of the "glyphs".
Subversive government campaigns whip up the media frenzy, generating massive publicity for the obelisks and their messages. Efforts are made to tap into peoples' atavistic urges to believe in superstitions (UFOs, gods, fairies, whatever.)
Governments deny all knowledge and connection, fuelling rumour mills and suspicion. And so on. One obelisk every now and then will keep interest high. The information never repeats itself and some of it is simply meaningless symbolism.
Hey, it worked for Hammurabi; It worked for Moses; It worked for Brigham Young. I say it works today.
Like this but bigger [UB]?
http://www6.ocn.ne.....files/SAVE0007.jpg
[gnomethang, Oct 14 2004]
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
http://www.kchanson...S/meso/obelisk.html
Message from Iraq, circa 825 BC. At least it doesn't advertise running shoes. [jurist, Oct 14 2004]
Only slightly tangential
http://www.halfbake.../Rosetta_20Cemetery
[theircompetitor, Oct 15 2004]
[link]
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Ob(elisk)vious parallels to the opening bit of Kubrick's 2001. |
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Yep. Adapted to less esoteric messages. |
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The first task for civilisation is to put all the little pieces of black rock together.
Pre-determined fracture paths could make all the little pieces resemble well known idols, such as U.S. Presidents, or a guy with long hair and a beard. |
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I do kind of like it, but am interested in the messages that the Obelisks might be employed to convery. Plus, considering the only organisations with the money to invest in this alternative marketing strategy would be the large product producting corporations, I fear one of the first Obelisks might end up endorsing a brand of trainers. |
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Like I said, meaningless symbols. |
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OMG! I actually know who Hammurabi is! I pay attention in history class now :D . |
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You're suggesting that public education problem be resolved by offering the public //meaningless symbols//? Or are you suggesting that the public education problem be resolved by offering the public information which is //slightly obscure in meaning//? I am, quite obviously, confused. |
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Could it possibly be worse than the system currently operating in UK? |
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Or anywhere else? My proposal is to involve the mass media, in one of their silly frenzies, to engage the public in an information dissemination program to which they would not otherwise pay attention. |
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Yes, [calum], meaningless symbols... much like those ised as logos by government agencies all over the world. It's called brand recognition, last I looked. |
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Okeydoke. If the symbols themselves are without meaning, what educational quality does this programme provide, except perhaps, that meaning itself is utterly subjective? And if this is the case, what's presented is a helluva convoluted way to proselytize postmodernism. |
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My other thought was that, in the face of the absence of meaning of the information provided, the purpose of the programme is to teach the public research skills? |
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In other words: dude, wtf?1?!!? |
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FUCK ME PINK !
Only a little of the info is meaningless symbols, OK? |
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The rest of it is a mix of clear text and text written in parables, much like the other forms of literature by which people hold great store... Nostradamus's stuff, the bible/koran/torah/etc. Any clearer? |
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Yes, much. Thank you. Well, except for the bit about fucking you. Not so sure where you're going with that. |
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"Oh my God! It's full of batteries!" |
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"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, [BrauBeaton]." |
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