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[email protected] (Omar Haneef '96) writes:
>> Sure, I realize that
>> you're trying to come to some kind of conclusion about what dystopia is. More
>> power to you. But, while we all discuss what's what and what's not, we are in
>> effect giving the dystopics the opening they need. The recent elections of '94
>> placed the republicans in charge of congress with a mere 20% of the populace
>> giving them that mandate. 20%. That's pathetic. And I am not insinuating that
>> nobody in this group voted. I am sure that proportionally this group had a high
>> turn out. But the apathy of this population is mirrored by the group
>> disscussion of what dystopia is and is not. I also hope that the current
>> oppressiveness fails. But, history is replete with revolutions that relpace
>> oppressive regimes with more oppressive regimes. In short, let's talk and work
>> towards a utopia rather than discussing what makes (and who's responsible) for
>> dystopia.
>> KT
>I'm sorry. I guess I failed to make myself clear to. I shall now argue for
>the importance of arguing about what dystopia is.
>Imagine a person, S, who believes that the world is a bad place. You and I
>both agree its a bad place so there is no argument there.
>Now this person, S, also believes that 'the system' - in this case a
>capitalist republic like the United States - is at fault in that the
>political and cultural system is what keeps it a bad place (TM).
>Furthermore this person, S, also believes that in order to make the world a
>Better Place (tm) the system itself needs to be removed (this is curiously
>close to Marxism but there is no call for revolution here).
>Finally this person, S, believes that the system will collapse precisely because
>it has made the world such a terrible place that things will cease to work.
>To take your example, it is exactly because the Republicans got mandate with
>a pathetic 20% that people will be disgruntled with Congress or the election
>process.
>This final step, the collape of the system, will allow us to then make the
>world a Truly (tm) Better Place says S.
>When I argue that the world is a horrible place and the system is breaking
>down so that we are headed to a Dystopia, S tells me not to worry because
>the dystopia is exactly what will save us.
>After understanding his point, it is easier to counter. Mine lies elsewhere;
>what is yours?
> -Omar Haneef
My point is this Omar: I don't agree with Sourcerer. When the walls come
tumblin' down the oppressed will become the oppressor. Paolo Freire (bad
spelling I think but don't have his book in front of me), an educator from
Brazil, postulated that once the oppressed are freed from tyrrany, they know
no other life and oppress their former oppressors. This can be seen all over
the world, Israel and Palestine, the Soviet bloc (before with the czar and after
the fall of communism), even here in America where the white man is angry
because he believes the minorities are discriminating against him. OK. So now
you know part of my point. The second part of my point is that apathy is the
great killer of freedom. Understanding his point makes it easier to counter his
but that does nothing. You'll not likely change his views and he will not
likely change yours. Now what? We just sit here debating what's going to h
happen? I'm not. That's the rest of my point. Nightfly seemed to think that
I had the potential to be a despot in the making. Perhaps, but he also missed
the point that you have to go out and work for your view of the future. In my
case that means teaching science. It also means working against the agenda of
groups like the NRA and the Christian Coalition. Whether or not you, or Source
or Nightfly agree with me or the groups I just named or even others is im-
material. Get out and fight for what you believe in. In the end democracy will
find a path that is tolerable for all. And in the end that is what it will take
to beat the coming dystopia. In short, understanding doesn't cut it unless you
do something about it.
KT
--
- "Sometimes Pinky, you hurt my head." The Brain -
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