In one of Thomas Lunde's postings of July the seventh, he commented on a
passage from an article by Ulrich Beck. In part, he said:
"This kind of thinking and these kind of questions need to brought before
the public. These are the kinds of questions that a true democratic
society would consider of value to discuss. **How do we bring the
right problems before the populace?** How do we contribute to those who
are articulate so that they can espouse these questions. Now it is true,
that the answers of society may be different from my view - or your view,
but I think we could agree, that these are the ideas a democratic
populace should evaluate and decide."
This is, of course, one of the primary questions that must be answered -
before it is too late. It is obvious that, with each passing year, the
division between those who lead and those who follow - whether they like
it or not - grows wider. With each passing year the grip of television
and other entertainment media grows stronger and as it does, the
availability and use of alternate sources of news and analysis dwindles.
Without an informed electorate, at some time in the reasonably
near-future, change, except by violence, will become impossible. An
informed electorate would be a literate one that understands the
necessity of considering "these kinds of questions" and understands the
necessity of discussing them.
This is a very practical question and one that many may not feel
comfortable with, but one that any person sincerely interested in these
problems must face. Is there any way that a bunch of academics can
commandeer a mass media and deliver it to those who are our concern? Or
is that an impossibility and the only way is a one-on-one campaign? Can
the Internet be utilized? Soapbox?
Robert
___________________________________________________________________
Get the Internet just the way you want it.
Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month!
Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.
