Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 18:07:02 +0100
From: Dr Jamie Brassett FRSA <[log in to unmask]>
To: The Cyber-Society-Live mailing list is a moderated discussion list
for those interested <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [CSL]: OBJECTIONS TO POLITICAL STATEMENTS?
i can't help thinking that the listmember's response to the chomsky
piece shows that it
(chomsky's piece) has been misunderstood.
still, his response has packed in it some serious considerations. the
first that
"cyber" issues are different to "political" ones, is addressed by the
moderators. (this
reminds me of the claim made by some scientists & theorists, that
science is beyond
[above? to the side of?] politics.) but, surely, "cyber-society" also
describes a
"society" whose medium is "cyber"? that is, "us", regardless of
proscribing a proper
content for it to discuss. another of the considerations, must be the
assertion that
any form of critique of
received/dominant/conservative/common...opinion must demand the
acceptance of the views of the opposite: bush's "if you're not with
us, you're against
us" sentiment. does this really need discussing? writing in 'the
guardian' yesterday
(london, 18.09.2001) george monbiot warns of such suspensions of the
critical faculties:
"Mark Twain once observed that 'there are some natures which never
grow large enough to
speak out and say a bad act is a bad act, until they have inquired
into the politics or
the nationality of the man who did it'. The left is able to state
categorically that
tuesday's terrorism was a dreadful act, irrrespective of
provenance.... [The right's]
critical faculties have long been suspended and now, it demands, we
must suspend ours
too."
for what it's worth, it seems important to me that we (the list) keep
our critical
faculties sharp & not demand any sort of censorship, just thoughtful
engagement.
jamie
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