There is something wrong with the type of society that looks upon the new as suspect

The title of this blog is a minor line from a book I am reading, but it ties in with what I have been seeing for some time. Stagnation. Businesses don't want to hear new ideas, they only want to hear variations on old ideas. The movie industry is remaking movies instead of trying new ideas. The cars on the street look so much alike I can't tell them apart, the houses being built even more so.

The reasons for this are many. One reason is that something new might fail, doing a variation on something or a direct copy of something that is working has less risk. Also people tend to be afraid of new things, something that inherited from our ancient ancestors when trying a new food might kill you. But I think the main reason is that doing something new (and doing it right) require you to think. And not just the person who came up with the idea, it requires everyone involved to think. A new idea for a clay pot only requires one person to think, a new idea for a house requires twenty or so workers to think, a new idea for a car requires hundreds and perhaps thousands to think. And people, for whatever reason, don't want to think.

A hundred years ago the U.S. was full of new ideas and people willing to try them. Now other countries have taken over the role of innovator and we are making movies based on comic books. It is incredibly sad. And pointless. There are a lot of bright people in the U.S. and many of them have ideas or could have ideas if they tried. If the social and business environment would allow them to try. But for some reason we have moved from a nation of risk takers to a nation of apathetic drones.

Who's fault is it? The government? Big business? Hardening of the attitudes? I don't know. I do know we need to turn it around somehow.