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  • From: "Michael Thomas" <mdthomas AT mindspring.com>
  • To: internetworkers AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Global Village Idiocy (link)
  • Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 14:47:48 -0400


>
> I had a different take on this editorial. The basic assumption seems to be
> that the Muslim world wouldn't be so upset if only they knew the truth and
> didn't believe all of the rumors being spread by the internet, etc. What
> about the possibility that Palestinians have a legitimate reason to be
> outraged?

I certainly believe that possibility, though I don't feel I know
enough about the Palestinian situation to comment much further.
Very complex. I will say that it is beyond the scope of a "for
us or against us" foreign policy.

You make a good point with "they wouldn't be upset if they only
knew..." Anyone who has ever tried to reason with someone that is
truly angry knows how futile it can be. No technology makes that
any different.

>
> Secondly, although it mentions television, the main thrust is on the
> internet
> as an isolating force. I think anytime a news channel runs 24/7 video of a
> one particular group being attacked, supporters of that group are going to
> be
> very, very angry.

Something we got the taste of after 9/11. I'm quite
glad that the footage isn't shown much any more. (Digression:
when I was in Puerto Rico recently, a street vendor was selling
a watercolor picture of the burning towers, right alongside
the typical Caribbean scenes. Baffled me.)

To me, this is a story on the cultural adoption of mass
communications technology. The amount of trust (that the
author says) is placed in the Internet 'over there' is
quite amazing. Is this a function of culture, of time
('they' haven't had as long with the technologies), or
something else altogether? The constant in the problem
is the technology itself, which I *do* understand...

I think the best point made wrt to the Internet concerned
the "4000 Israelis" rumor. I was surprised to hear that it
was widely believed 'over there.' But again, an explanation
of how the Internet works probably wouldn't calm everyone
down.

Here is a deconstruction of that rumor:

http://slate.msn.com/?id=116813

And of course, Internet rumors are part of American Internet culture,
also, though I don't believe a similar, politically-inversed rumor
would gain as much of a foothold as the author suggests that the
"4000 Israelis" rumor has 'over there.'




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