D&D General Is D&D nostalgia the best nostalgia of them all?

[Dioltach]

Nostalgia was much better when I was young...

 

[el-remmen]

I'm an anti-traditionalist. I don't like the influence of nostalgia on our culture. But trying to blame the world's ills on it is just reductive nonsense.

I will admit I was being glib when I called nostalgia a disease (since it used to be something doctors diagnosed - for real - look it up) but I find your jumping to the most extreme take on what I (and Garthanos) are saying is why a conversation with you on this seems pointless. Talk about reductive! Neither one of us said nostalgia is to blame for all the world's ills - but it certainly exacerbates plenty both on the social and individual level.

I am all for what academics like Svetlana Boym call "critical nostalgia," which is something I explore in my own scholarly work.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I will admit I was being glib when I called nostalgia a disease (since it used to be something doctors diagnosed - for real - look it up) but I find your jumping to the most extreme take on what I (and Garthanos) are saying is why a conversation with you on this seems pointless. Talk about reductive! Neither one of us said nostalgia is to blame for all the world's ills - but it certainly exacerbates plenty both on the social and individual level.

I am all for what academics like Svetlana Boym call "critical nostalgia," which is something I explore in my own scholarly work.

The phrase “the world’s ills” is distinct from the phrase “all the world’s ills”, though I get that not everyone speaks precisely enough fo the distinction.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

@el-remmen its generally frowned upon to use the laugh response in a mocking manner.

That aside, I’m not sure what is funny about it. You missed the distinction. I didn’t say anyone was blaming nostalgia for all the world’s ills, I replied directly to Garth specifically blaming it for some of the world’s ills.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

can make nostalgic reverence dangerous.

Also, reverence is the dangerous thing here. When regressive jerks want to dial back the progress that has occurred over lifetimes, they at most are using nostalgia as an excuse. Reverence for a traditional ideal of what [country] is, combined with bitterness about not being unambiguously dominant over people they view as lesser is what causes that behavior.

Waxing nostalgic about the good old days is a symptom, at most.

 

[Garthanos]

Also, reverence is the dangerous thing here. When regressive jerks want to dial back the progress that has occurred over lifetimes, they at most are using nostalgia as an excuse. Reverence for a traditional ideal of what [country] is, combined with bitterness about not being unambiguously dominant over people they view as lesser is what causes that behavior.

Waxing nostalgic about the good old days is a symptom, at most.

I think it is a fundamental part of the motivation ie we just disagree. And I see reverence is just an expression of degree.

Basically the old adage "Nothing to Excess"

Changed my mind we probably actually do agree.

 

[Scribe]

I believe it's a very potent nostalgia.

It ties up a lot of feelings, and memories, over, for me, approaching 30 years.

It's potent stuff, that's for sure.