I wonder how much our perception of a more democratic 'past', and the steady decline of a societal state of honour, openness and generosity is heavily coloured by where each of stands in relation to privilege. I would imagine that not many Indigenous people look back and consider the foundation of this current society as a just one, but rather catastrophic.
I grew up as one member of the last instalment of baby-boomers. My family was working class, white, and protestant. We were proud of our United Empire Loyalist heritage. My ancestors had occupied land in the Niagara area for several generations by the time I came along. While we were not rich we always had food on the table, and for me the symbol of our working class ethic was my father's lunch pail. But I was informed by a friend once that not everyone had that Leave-it-to-Beaver-kinda household to grow up in.
So I wonder if the current state of technological perversity we find ourselves in is not really a departure from the past but actually some sort of logical unfolding on the same continuum.
Thanks for raising the questions and initiating the conversation Linda.
I think you raise some very important points, and while it was not perfect, at least having these hard-won principles meant they could and should be applied to all people. We know that in the real world this is not the case, but at least it's something to aspire to. I will say that technological innovation is always seen as progress, when in fact the harms they usher in may outweigh the benefits and the benefits may only be experienced by those who already position/ power/ wealth. In fact, if a technological innovation is a profitable one, the collateral damage is more likely to be overlooked/ ignored. These are my opinions, of course, though it wouldn't be hard to prove any of it. I've written about what Google is doing (Remote Control) -- it will lead to nowhere good for the vast majority of us. Same with the push for digital currencies and digital IDs. All innovations that will be sold to us as being beneficial/ convenient... but do we really have any choice in the matter? Take a look at the footnote about a talk Postman gave just before 2000 -- there is a link to his talk. Very interesting.
Happy Anniversary! While I don't always agree with you, I'm always grateful for you and your mind.
I wonder how much our perception of a more democratic 'past', and the steady decline of a societal state of honour, openness and generosity is heavily coloured by where each of stands in relation to privilege. I would imagine that not many Indigenous people look back and consider the foundation of this current society as a just one, but rather catastrophic.
I grew up as one member of the last instalment of baby-boomers. My family was working class, white, and protestant. We were proud of our United Empire Loyalist heritage. My ancestors had occupied land in the Niagara area for several generations by the time I came along. While we were not rich we always had food on the table, and for me the symbol of our working class ethic was my father's lunch pail. But I was informed by a friend once that not everyone had that Leave-it-to-Beaver-kinda household to grow up in.
So I wonder if the current state of technological perversity we find ourselves in is not really a departure from the past but actually some sort of logical unfolding on the same continuum.
Thanks for raising the questions and initiating the conversation Linda.
I think you raise some very important points, and while it was not perfect, at least having these hard-won principles meant they could and should be applied to all people. We know that in the real world this is not the case, but at least it's something to aspire to. I will say that technological innovation is always seen as progress, when in fact the harms they usher in may outweigh the benefits and the benefits may only be experienced by those who already position/ power/ wealth. In fact, if a technological innovation is a profitable one, the collateral damage is more likely to be overlooked/ ignored. These are my opinions, of course, though it wouldn't be hard to prove any of it. I've written about what Google is doing (Remote Control) -- it will lead to nowhere good for the vast majority of us. Same with the push for digital currencies and digital IDs. All innovations that will be sold to us as being beneficial/ convenient... but do we really have any choice in the matter? Take a look at the footnote about a talk Postman gave just before 2000 -- there is a link to his talk. Very interesting.
Thank you for continuing to raise your voice. We need you.