[1468] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: So what is the answer?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Brad Templeton)
Wed Oct 9 17:55:06 1991
To: watmath!magic322.chron.com!edtjda (Joe Abernathy)
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 91 16:46:18 EDT
From: Brad Templeton <brad@looking.on.ca>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <9110091903.AA15760@magic322.chron.com>; from "Joe Abernathy" at Oct 9, 91 2:03 pm
People rage at you instead of reason because you continue to focus in
your writing on what most people who are actually witness to the facts
consider a minor issue. They think you are being sensationalistic, and
appealing to the purient interest to the detriment of almost everybody.
People are building data networks and they aren't putting porn-detectors
in them. When you have unfettered media then the consequence is that
just about everything gets sent, including things that bother people.
You're concentrating extensively (excessively is the opinion of those who
rage against you) on this particular aspect.
They view it as though you are condemning the trucking industry or the
hiway system because trucks deliver Penthouse to stores. You can
ship anything on a road, you can send anything on a wire. You are
seen as concentrating almost exclusively on the truck with a copy of
Penthouse in it when you claim to be writing about the road system.
Doesn't it bother you that large numbers of educated and respectable
people who are much more aware of the facts than you are keep giving
you the same negative opinion of your pieces? Doesn't this raise any
warning flags? It should.
A balanced story always gets detractors, but if it is balanced it gets
similar amounts of support and opposition from those in the know, or even
better, mostly support. Is this true for you.
