censorship and marketing image problems [clarification]

Craig Hubley (craig@passport.ca)
Wed, 21 Dec 1994 14:47:27 -0800

One thing the previous posting did not make clear:

Distributing the means of censorship (cancelbots, filter scripts,
blacklists,
etc.) to everyone is a way of achieving mutually assured destruction of
each other's "offensive" postings. Until this has been achieved i fail to
see how social pressures can apply... if one side has all the weapons to
silence the other, then there will be no constructive debate on principles.

There will simply be a war that those with the better technology will win.

ONCE the means of censorship are everywhere, and MAS (mutually
assured silence) has been achieved, THEN social pressure (including
satire) becomes the only effective force... if you want to be allowed to
continue to speak, then you must not offend the overwhelming majority
so much that they apply sufficient effort to silence you, but you have
tools to fight back far out of proportion to your numbers. This brings
the individual or minority up to fightin' par with the offended majority
and makes free speech the default, and makes it cost time and money
to censor. The net effect ought to be that 'diplomatic protocol' regarding

such basic parameters as newsgroup mandates etc. is respected... and
in time it may bring us all up to diplomatic standards of behavior...
..or so we may hope.

Satire still seems to me to be the most effective solution in sight. It
has
been applied against every non-totalitarian ruler in history with a long
history of success... it's hard to get people to follow your orders when
they are laughing at you... and if they DO, then they will interpret them
with their own judgement, which is all to the good. Ever wonder why
the President of the United States is always the world's most satirized
character ? And why he is virtually ignored the day he leaves office ?
Or why the British tabloids are always on full blast against the Royals?

If you doubt me, go read Gulliver's Travels again. You will have to keep
reminding yourself that it was written so long ago. If you are worried
about
the modern 'tyranny of technologists' then try Stanislaw Lem's The
Cyberiad.
Afterwards things won't seem so bad.

--
Craig Hubley               Business that relies on knowledge
Craig Hubley & Associates  need systems that exploit the Web
craig@passport.ca  416-778-6136  416-778-1965 FAX