Who will we remember 400 years from now?

[alko]

The History gave us a lesson. Most coveted people are that ones, that are responsible for millions of deaths. So, Stalin, Hitler, many Pol Potas and such creatures.

 

[dogbazinho]

The History gave us a lesson. Most coveted people are that ones, that are responsible for millions of deaths. So, Stalin, Hitler, many Pol Potas and such creatures.

That's what I was thinking. Serial killers and inventors. It's hard to predict what artists will be remembered as who were considered great may be changed by the tastes of that time and what mediums are still considered relevant.

 

[KingBran]

There's so much media today that it's whoever the media tells you is important will be seen as important. There is little room for translation or scholars to make the judgment. The decisions are already made on who is important during our times.

 

[KingBran]

The History gave us a lesson. Most coveted people are that ones, that are responsible for millions of deaths. So, Stalin, Hitler, many Pol Potas and such creatures.

I think the point of remembering those people is knowing what NOT to do in the future.

As soon as we forget history, we are doomed to repeat it. The "legacy" of those evil people are remembered because we remember how they were defeated. Forgetting that would be catastrophic.

 

[Xelebes]

Who we will remember: the craftsmen of our trade, the monsters that beget fantastic tales, the heroes of fantastic feats.

If people no longer play the guitar, no one will bother to know the guitar greats. Heck, look at the accordion. Can you name the accordion greats?

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

I strongly disagree with Elvis (and Michael Jackson). People usually don't get remembered for 400 years due to the popularity they had and how big they were in pop culture alone. In terms of output and innovation, he really didn't do all that much compared to other greats, and most of the credit that he does get, he owes to the black artists who were among the real pioneers. Not sure his music holds up very well over time anyways.

As far as musicians go, I see absolutely no reason why Miles Davis and John Coltrane should not be viewed on the same level as the raised-on-a-pedestal classical guys, personally. Personally, I think they have a better crack at that than the Rock guys.

As far as filmmakers go, I don't think Spielberg stands the test of time, personally.

I think it's hard to say what music would be remembered in 400 years. The further out you get from the time, what happens is one artist (in this case) takes on increased significance at the expense of others.

One artist will come to define what the future society thinks when they think of "Rock Music" for example. In the Klosterman book (sorry I keep brining it up, but it's about this subject) he mentions Phillip Souza with regards to marching music. He's basically the one name everyone associates with marching music but at the time when marching music was popular there were many others who were considered his peers/contemporaries. But for various reasons, currently Souza is seen as the father of marching music at the expense of others who were important at the time.

Right now, The Beetles, Elvis, Dylan all seem like the most likely and they probably are the favorites, so to speak. But again, so much can change. What if the future of music is almost all EDM for example. Than maybe Daft Punk or some other EDM "pioneer" (I'm not very familiar with EDM) might be the musician that was remembered because they were the 1st influence on what future music will have become.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

If people no longer play the guitar, no one will bother to know the guitar greats. Heck, look at the accordion. Can you name the accordion greats?

Exactly this.

 

[kingsholygrail]

No one. We will all be dead.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

People will tell all kind of stories about Philly´s local boxer Rocky.

 

[Acadmus]

We won't remember anyone alive today 400 years from now...too many people interested in erasing history and too few people take an interest in history anyway. We should be remembering people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs for launching the computer revolution, but you know it'll only be techies that remember who they are even just 50 years from now. In terms of art, the Beatles MIGHT be remembered, but I doubt anyone else will be. J.K. Rowling maybe? Not entirely deserved, but many of us recall C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein decades after they died, so you never know, maybe Rowling's excellent storytelling will eclipse her rather mediocre writing talents. Seems to have been the case with Hemingway.

Our politicians aren't notable enough to be recalled, even for scandals real or imagined, 400 years from now (unless the Democrats or their legacy party still bring up the ghosts of Nixon and Kennedy to cash in on during elections)...Frankly, unless one of the world's leaders bring about World War III I don't think any are doing anything notable enough to be remembered 100 years from now, let alone 400. Entertainers are a dime a dozen, but once upon a time Mozart was a pop star and we still remember him a couple hundred years later...you never know.

Ultimately, though, no one comes to mind.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Equating Rowling and Hemingway should be an automatic death sentence! ^

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I've read many, many absurdly ridiculous posts on this website over the years, but that might take the cake.

 

[Ceremony]

All very nice and bleakly cynical, every aspect of it completely wrong. History has never been documented to the extent it is nowadays. If humanity still exists in a recognisable form in the next 400 years this period of history will be as memorable as any other period of history and there will be extensive, detailed records of it. All of the people from it, all of the things created.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Pft. Can you guys remember anyone from 400 years ago? I'm trying to think, but no one comes to mind. I mean, they didn't really have the means to keep records at the time.

 

[OzzyFan]

Out of our present contemporaries? I mean, a number of people will ahve their place historically, but if you want to go based on who will be the biggest?
Muscially that will be the Beatles hands down it feels, HM to Coltrane/Davis for the intellectual music crowd.
Actors? Mostly this will be by generation, but irregardless I'd guess Meryl Streep for numerous reasons.
Directors? Scorsese.
Others? Probably Gates/Jobs.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Even today, I don't think there's enough recognition of Lou Reed and John Cale's partnership. Yeah, yeah, I know Lou Reed is very famous but the VU weren't the same after Cale left, even if they were still great. Their peaks were with Cale in the band and him bringing that distinctly experimental sound to the band. Hopefully that's changed within 400 years.

The VU is my favorite band but no, they're hardly remembered now and spent most of their career with little popularity.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The VU is my favorite band but no, they're hardly remembered now and spent most of their career with little popularity.

I agree that they had little popularity in their original run but I disagree that they're hardly remembered now. Lou Reed is a transformative figure in rock music - and recognized as such - and their albums regularly appear on best of all time lists. You don't have to dig far to see their name pop up. Just the banana cover is famous in and of itself.

 

[Evincar]

Excellent point. For example, if climate change science is right, our descendants 400 years from now will be venerating those who were at the forefront of recognizing the problem. Who knows -- Al Gore might be seen as this generation's visionary.

Bill Gates will always be a known figure, but populating the planet with operating systems won't have as much cachet centuries from now when software and hardware will have evolved exponentially. The internet itself, however, will be viewed historically as the second Big-Bang, and anyone associated with its initial social explosion will be up there with our greatest inventors. Zuckerman's social media trumps Gates/Jobs platforms.

I kinda get what youre saying but Zuckerberg will never be remembered as much Gates/Jobs will, not even close. Facebook isnt an unique invention by any means and nor did it require the same degree as difficulty to create as Microsoft.

 

[darko]

Jon Snow