[11747] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The unwashed masses invade the Internet
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dick St.Peters)
Sat Apr 16 23:16:51 1994
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 94 18:22:15 EDT
From: stpeters@bird.crd.ge.com (Dick St.Peters)
To: steve@nsf.gov, frezza@radiomail.net
Cc: com-priv@psi.com, farber@central.cis.upenn.edu, gnu@toad.com,
barlow@eff.org, interesting-people@eff.org, stahlman@radiomail.net,
dbuck@world.std.com, stevec@aol.com, opfer@radiomail.net,
gbolles@radiomail.net
Reply-To: <stpeters@dawn.crd.ge.com>
>But do not the politically correct pundits of multiculturalism teach
>us that there are no shared ethical values? That all points of view
>and all behaviors are equally valid?
None that I've ever heard ... although this distortion is often
ascribed to them. There is a difference between saying that all points
of view deserve consideration and saying that the judgements resulting
from consideration should all be the same.
Put in simpler terms, saying everyone deserves to be heard is different
from saying everyone should be judged correct.
If your fear is that the "others" will prevail, it is probably not a
good idea to define their position for them - they may believe you :-)
> Who's to say that on-line boorishness
>is not just another form of protected self-expression?
Behavior that has been judged offensive for good reason will irritate
even more people as the net grows and will find more resistance, not
less. However, judging behavior offensive simply because it's
different from what we're used to will be perceived as elitist - and
accurately so. Elitists have little influence.
Lighten up guys. A few <g>'s never hurt anybody. There are worse
things in life ... list available on request.
>"As ye sow so shall ye reap"
An old saw that can cut both ways ...
Anyway, Steve was suggesting that if we want to do a little reaping,
we should try some sowing first.
--
Dick St.Peters, Gatekeeper, The Pearly Gateway; currently at:
GE Corporate R&D, Schenectady, NY stpeters@dawn.crd.ge.com
[on the Internet since '83]
