Yep, I collect a lot of information.
One of the videos I viewed this morning (and sent you the link) associates intelligence (IQ) with this behavior. It’s part of the thesis that people with high intelligence seek relationships and patterns from the information they collect. I’m not sure if such characteristics are something that self-awareness can easily identify. But I’m guessing an observant person can spot it.
This all comes to mind this morning because of a different video documentary I also watched this morning – that explored the failures of American cinema in the portrayal of poor white trash. I found this documentary fascinating.
There’s no question that I’m a person of white privilege. This has little meaning without comparisons with people who are not. So the better I understand “others” the better I can understand myself.
In a nutshell, since getting up this morning I’ve done a bit of information collecting and processed it pattern and relationship recognition. No wonder I can’t remember names and dates – they simply aren’t that interesting.
The latter video, the one about the portrayal of “poor white trash” in cinema, mentions a movie I’ve seen many years ago – Winter’s Bone. I have a faint recollection that the book its based upon was something Ruth recommended – and I read it. The movie brought it to life. Its a profound story – and I recall being touched by it.
The problem with academic documentaries delivered through videos such as YouTube is that the medium selects the audience. While there are children in Nepal who can watch YouTube on smartphones, none watch documentaries about American cinematic portrayal of poor white trash. And to be fair – I never watch videos about Bollywood. Damn. More relationships to assimilate.
Does this look good to you? If so – I’m ready for the rest of my life to start today.