On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 11:23 AM, Jon Louis Mann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> > > i used to believe in the "free exchange of ideas", nick, but it only occurs > when you have rational debate. the internet has become the dis-information > highway, and there are more lies than fact. you are correct it can be a > tool for empowerment, enlightenment and education, with participants who are > open to civilized discourse. the person who introduced me to this site is > responsible for turning me from pro-palestinian to ardent zionist. People made the same arguments against printing 500 years ago. It seems rather obvious (to me, anyway) that printing technology brought a net gain the world, freeing people from getting all their information about the world beyond their immediate experience from a single source, the church, which was deeply corrupt. Yes, there's a lot of crap being distributed via the Internet and very likely, the majority of people aren't seeing their lives *directly* improved by it. It was much the same when printing changed so many things. Printers printed whatever sold well, regardless of its accuracy and truth. Yet the impact it had on the literate minority was profound and they in turn transformed the world for the better for everyone -- if only because it profoundly demonstrated that people can be trusted with information! Surely it is ultimately good to have advertising-based media lose its stranglehold on information. We've lived with essentially one point of view for decades. Despite the negatives and abuses, I can't believe that it is not a good thing that access to more viewpoints is not a good thing. Nick _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
