Tom Abeles wrote: > There is an essay with a title, something to the effect, "The Fear of > God and the Need to Acquire" where there is a line, paraphrased, which > says that there is a problem when the only way a person can show love > for his/her spouse is to go to bed with them or BUY them something. > > One must realize that secular humanism is just as much a religion as > Christianity or other professed "religions" and the sacramental > technology produced by science is the equivalent of a communion "wafer". > > The electronic "tent" proposed by John is the equivalent of an old > fashioned "Revival" meeting which one finds in the United States in > some fundamentalist ministries- a calling for all techno-development > acolytes and disciples. > > Now, I do believe in such "get-togethers". The "teach-ins" and > "be-ins" and the plethora of "fests" for farmers, tsunamis, aids... > are all examples and all moved the world to a little better place. > > But to enshrine a piece of technology on some sacred platform comes > straight out of some science fiction novel or TV commercial for any of > the products which will make us younger, sexier, more desirable and > successful. Buy a Simputer and you, too, will realize the consumptive > success of the characters on the old program Dallas. > > I have said on this list that once the apostles of ICT gain sufficient > followers then every micro-technology company from IBM, Dell, > Microsoft, Motorola, etc will be on the evangelical trail seeking > converts to their products and services. > > The Simputer is a false God and the ICT disciples are members of an > aberrant branch of the faith based secular humanism. > > thoughts?
You had me nodding until the 'Simputer is a false God' statement. If you see it as a 'God', or people speaking of it as if it were a 'God', then I think you're missing what I and others have been saying. Nobody said 'Thou shalt bow before the Simputer and be humble'. Instead, every single person who has been advocating the Simputer has been saying that 'it is an adaptable tool which can be modified for purposes of the users'. If these are the same things, you'll pardon me as I must have spent too much time praying to my Legos as a child. No animals or human beings were harmed in the alleged worship, rest assured. I try to stay away from religious metaphors because of a few reasons. The first is that they are typically Western religions - which sort of leaves a part of the world out. Second, I believe as an individual that everyone should practice their religion without ridicule, and without having forced on them. I say this because this is the same way that I look at the use of technology, and since we're mixing metaphors we might as well get this blender on Puree and have some fun. People that push specific religions or specific technology - or specific beliefs, or specific culture, or specific whatever - label them what you wish - are all around. I'm not one of them, and I do not subscribe to a singular perspective. So while you may be reading this of the people advocating Simputers, I wonder too why you are not saying the same of people advocating Dells. And then I wonder how the two could be compared anyway. And then I wonder why this all has to be adversarial, and I realize why and I don't think people understand that in adversarial systems, someone always loses - and in the context of the Digital Divide, we're trying to help the people who are losing in an adversarial system. A point to note here - indigenous cultures didn't have many - if any - adversarial games or sports. They had games or sports where everyone benefitted. It is for that same reason that I advocate the Simputer - it is something completely adaptable. And while I will not rob people of their beliefs, I also will not sit quietly while something that allows everyone to win is subjected to an adversarial system because it doesn't fit into an adversarial system. Power is what can be contained in a jar. It can be controlled; harnessed and used for purposes good and bad. Freedom is an open jar - with the same capacity of good and bad - but it allows individuals, communities, societies, cultures and countries an equality of opportunity, whereas the closed jar is one that someone controls, is inherently adversarial, and allows only the ones in control to 'win'. Now you can read socialism, communism, democracy, and various religions, -isms and -acies into that last paragraph - dependant on how you view the world. The sad truth is that all of these things have been blind stabs at something we *hope* exists, that we have *faith* in. Maybe our best investment of *faith* and *hope* in the context of ICT and the Digital Divide is in the people we're trying to help. And my *faith* and *hope*, personally, goes to the tools that will not empower but Free the people we're trying to help. And you're right, Tom. There are people who derive people from keeping people in jars. But the Simputer is not one of those. It was designed for opening the jar. -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: Panama City, Panama [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.easylum.net http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran "Criticize by creating." — Michelangelo _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
