# How much of our culture will be remembered in 500 years? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012 "2003-12-14T23:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cobalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8491ac/32.png) [@Cobalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cobalt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/61 "2003-12-16T14:13:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by paulberserker \* > \*\*Do you not think Mickey Mouse is more recognisable or widely known? I’m pretty sure Disney stuff will be remembered, simply due to its cultural impact. \*\* Hell, Mickey Mouse will still probably be copyrighted, if Disney keeps getting Congress to extend their copyright expiration… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/62 "2003-12-16T14:53:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exapno Mapcase \* > \*\*Cecil and Carrot Top. \*\* I get the Carrot Top reference, he may or may not last 500 years. Cecil is eternal, and don’t you forget it, bub! ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/63 "2003-12-16T15:12:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > **Imagine how we would see our ancestors if we could load up DVDs of Aristotle being interviewed, or we could watch the plays and listen to the music from 500 years ago with a clarity as if it were just yesterday. How would that change our perception of human society?** I would imagine that Aristotle speaking is juat as incomprehensible as Aristotle writing. That’s why I have become a big supporter of the Grammar Nazis. I would imagine that the really big difference comes from two non-pop culture sources. The first is the academic world recording, analyzing, and interpreting “today’s” society. Future historians will have access to a massive array of source material, along with contemporary analysis steeped in a tradition of vigorous (and often logical) debate. They won’t have to turn to one or two classical historians with little source material to look at. Hopefully this, along with the work of statistically valid opinion polling and demographic research, will mitigate the misrepresentations of pop culture. Second, I get the impression that there is much more being preserved in terms of personal communications, personal journals, and so on. This too, I hope, will help prevent the future world from thinking that Howard Stern and Urkle represent our life today. ---
**Author:** ![Gllrnz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Gllrnz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gllrnz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/64 "2003-12-16T15:41:40Z")
The world will look just like it does on Futurama. This is something interesting: I learned in high school that ancient Greek buildings were bright, vibrant multi-colors and it’s just the passage of time that has faded them to white. They’re still very impressive though. Hoopy Frood, I love your reference to Hitchhiker’s Guide in your user name. That is an awesome series! So long, and thanks for all the fish. G. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/65 "2003-12-16T16:15:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Why is rap music juvenile? Probably because the target audience is teenaged kids similar to how most pop music is marketed. Onto the Op… The things that will survive are the firsts and modern day classics (movies and books). Jazz will still be around though it will probably be played by period performers similar to how Renaissance music is played now. “Get out your Jaw harp and bucket Jed we’re going to a hoedown” will sound about as antiquated as get out your guitar and bass and let’s jam. 20-21’st century classical music will survive but I doubt there will be many professional orchestras since they are all but disappearing today. That makes me very sad. They are of course being replaced by super star bands in popularity. So, I think you will still see the “4 piece band a la the Beatles” still around. However, they will be playing instruments that are similar to what we have now but with modifications that make them look much different. It will be about as similar as the lute is to the guitar for example. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/66 "2003-12-16T16:32:44Z")
Much of what we have today will be lost due to technology change. Not only do you need to be able to physically read the CD/DVD to retrieve all those archived pictures, you need to be able to read the data format - JPG, GIF, BMP, PIC, etc. What about documents - are they Word, WordPerfect, AmiPro, Wordstar, PDF, etc. - and which version? Mac, Windows, Linux, Unix? Then there’s the issue of whether info will even be recognized as worthy of being preserved. Aviation historions still mourn the loss of significant information about early American aircraft development which was lost when one of the big aircraft manufacturers (IIRC North American?) was taken over by a non-aviation conglomerate in the 70s, and the new management eliminated the historical section and trashed the archives as a cost-cutting measure. Finally, there’s the issue of whether our descendants will even be interested. There’s been a lot of argument over 20-30 year old rock music, but how many of us remember the most popular song of 1903? How about 1803? How many of us care? ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/67 "2003-12-16T17:07:42Z")
I disagree with your first paragraph, **Bookkeeper**. Just as there are people who translate ancient texts written in dead languages today, there will be people who will create technology to read ancient digital documents. But I agree with your 3rd paragraph. Only scholars will find that sort of information of much interest. One difference between today and 500 years ago is the amount of information that is available on “the peasant population.” How much do we know about 15th century peasant life? Some, of course, but the majority of the writing (and therefore interpretation of current events) came from the upper/ruling class. How many lower class people became even educated? Not so today. This message board alone contains thousands of ideas, comments and opinions from the non-ruling class. Whatever your social class, you’re likely going to be at least marginally educated and capable of expressing your thoughts and opinions in some form capable of being recorded. Some of those will survive 500 years from now, and I daresay it’ll be in much greater quantity than that which we have from our own past. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/68 "2003-12-16T17:12:54Z")
They can just plug in Ted William’s head and ask him, I s’pose. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/69 "2003-12-16T17:40:16Z")
Pez and the greatest philosopher the world has ever known…Dr Phil ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/70 "2003-12-16T17:59:02Z")
I think the OP sort of had the right idea. What’s remembered today is primarily what was both quality and very popular at the time. Shakespeare was popular, Dickens was popular. We still read Shakespeare and Dickens, but we don’t necessarily know much about the details of their worlds. I imagine in 500 years people will know about as much about 2003 as we know today about Elizabethan England. People will likely still read Tolkien and one or two other authors - Stephen King is a good bet to survive. Music will probably survive, and some of the giants of our times like the Beatles will last to the 26th century. But their general understanding of our society will be wildly off for the most part, just as people today don’t really know what life was like during the Renaissance. ---
**Author:** ![genus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cc9497/32.png) [@genus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/genus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/71 "2003-12-16T18:29:09Z")
After reading all of the posts, I found most interesting the idea that our generation will be the most important and heavily referenced/studied, given the recent development of digital technology, and better recording devices. It is, of course, satisfying to think that our generation will be more remembered than most, because who wants to be forgotten? In all actuality, we have no idea what the next generation will bring. Their ideas and technology could be so groundbreaking that they eclipse ours. I do believe that sports will survive, even though the individual players will likely be lost. Roman chariot races are a part of human consciousness today, and I would be willing to bet things like baseball and football will be tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Marvel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marvel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvel)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/72 "2003-12-16T22:47:42Z")
THose plastic toys you get in McDonald’s Happy Meals will survive, and 500 years from now folks will think we worshiped the religion of Disney. I Prefer Cartoon Network, Patty ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/73 "2003-12-16T23:50:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by genus \* > After reading all of the posts, I found most interesting the idea that our generation will be the most important and heavily referenced/studied, given the recent development of digital technology, and better recording devices. It is, of course, satisfying to think that our generation will be more remembered than most, because who wants to be forgotten? In all actuality, we have no idea what the next generation will bring. Welcome to the board, **Genus**. Did you miss the OP? > [@](#): > > 500 years in the future, much of our culture today will be available to anyone who still wants to view it. \ > So in 500 years, people will see us in much different ways than how we see our ancestors 500 years ago. How will that play out? He specifically asked what things from _today_ that’ll be around in 500 years. Not things from 1850 or, for that matter, 2050. Again, Welcome. Enjoy your stay. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/74 "2003-12-17T00:29:35Z")
I think these days wil also be remembered as “the time when porn had its first humble beginnings as it grew into the premiere art form we enjoy today.” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/75 "2003-12-17T02:15:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*“Rev. Jerry Falwell IXX just said all amphibious humans should be rounded up and shot! He’s so antiquatic!” \*\* IXX? ---
**Author:** ![muffinismydog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@muffinismydog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muffinismydog)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/76 "2003-12-17T04:57:46Z")
someday, life on not only earth, but other planets as well, will accidentally stumble across the movie “death to smoochie”, and marvel at the miraculous wonder that is evolution. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/77 "2003-12-17T08:23:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*IXX? \*\* Roman numerals for ninty-ten. You know, one more than ninty-nine, and one less than ninty-eleven. Duh. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/78 "2003-12-17T11:19:08Z")
The fact that the folk of 2503 have more info’ on us than we have on 1503 probably won’t help them understand our culture\* If you’re over 30 you have probably seen bits of fairly recent history completely mis-represented by the meejia. Even with all the Beatles recordings film-footage and so on, in 500 years time the understanding of the cultural context will probably be pretty wacky. The Beatles\*\* may commonly be though of as contempories of Gilbert and Sullivan and Sex Pistols. Maybe Batman will become a ‘real’ person like Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes? And they’ll wonder when in the Dark-ages of the 2300’s we lost the secrets of warp drive. \*OK [irony]culture[/irony] \*\*There seems to be a consensus here that they will be remembered, why? Well for anyone not old enough to remember their era there is no comparison in contemporary pop music. You’d have to munge together the top 100 current acts from every genre to compare with their popularity and influence. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/79 "2003-12-17T11:33:36Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by dorkusmalorkusmafia_ > Probably because the target audience is teenaged kids similar to how most pop music is marketed. You mean the way Jazz was marketed in its day, and how rock was marketed in its day? Does that mean that Elvis, the Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc. are all juvenile (though enjoyed today by many adults) because when the music was created it was marketed to teenagers? ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012/80 "2003-12-17T14:13:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gllrnz \* > \*\*Hoopy Frood, I love your reference to Hitchhiker’s Guide in your user name. That is an awesome series! \*\* It is. And I’m not the only one hear with a reference to that series. I believe we have a **Zaphod Beeblebrox** and **Ford Prefect** around here as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-our-culture-will-be-remembered-in-500-years/219012.md?page=5)