Bring People Together: A Terrible Idea

Showing just why if aliens did land on Earth I would probably trade half the human race for just a mid-sized second hand ship, comes this display of humanity at its most human:

Dublin to New York City Portal Temporarily Shut Down Due to Inappropriate Behavior.

A portal linking New York City to Dublin via a livestream has been temporarily shut down after inappropriate behavior ensued, according to the Dublin City Council. 

Less than a week after the 24/7 visual art installation was put in place, officials have opted to close it down temporarily after people began to flash each other, grind on the portal, and one person even shared pictures of the twin tower attack to people in New York City. Alternatively, the portal had also been the site of reunions with old friends and even a proposal, with many documenting their experience with the installation online. 

What did they think was going to happen?

Of you’re gonna put one of those anywhere that is what will happen. 100% of the time.

I remember long ago I read a few short stories by the same author, whose name I forget, but the premise was that teleportation technology had been perfected, and phone-booth sized teleporters where everywhere, obviating the need for cars or planes and even phones. People just teleported to talk to each other.

It was a fairly ludricous idea, I think it came out just as mobile phones were on the close horizon, and even if they were not yet everywhere, it was clear the author was anticipating that the idea of always being reachable was far from ideal.

Even then, it was easy to realise people would never prefer teleporting to speak face to face rather than on the phone.

The premise of the stories was that people would end up killing someone because they would eventually get so sick of never being able to get away from other people, since the annoying client, or mother in law, or invasive friend, would all just keep showing up when you just wanted to chill. Well, this is a smaller and tinier version of that effect. Give people a free stream to appear in, and you’ll soon see the true naked, hairy, unclean, ass of the human race.

No one wants other people around them 24/7.

And some of us do just fine with only a small and selective few friends of the good kind.

Those guys you like seeing face to face, mostly, because you, or them, doesn’t feel like seeing each other, you just say so.

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