Re: [silk] bookburners are alive and well

[Udhay Shankar N <udhay@xxxxxxxxx>]

<x-flowed>OK, a word (or several words) of explanation seem to be in order.

Firstly, I acknowledge Reverend Doohickey's right to burn books which he 
has paid for. This particular incident itself is not worthy of too much 
attention - but I was moved to comment about the trend of painting all 
ideas you oppose as sinful, and their adherents as evil [1]. This found 
perhaps its peak (or trough) in Nazi Germany's prosecution of various 
groups of people (not just the jews). I did not mean to suggest any more 
striking similarity than that.

Ramu Narayan wrote: [ on 03:02 AM 4/2/01 +0530 ]
> "The Rev. George Bender said Tuesday that he never
> thought a little book burning would get so much publicity." Precisely. He'd
> never intended to go nationwide with this, let alone worldwide, as could
> well happen.

Turning a worldwide spotlight on various little tinpots may be one of the 
most effective ways to show them up. Lizard probably said it best: "the WWW 
grants every small town nogoodnik a global forum -- and how, thus, petty 
thugs who  might terrorize a small community can be held up to global 
ridicule." [2]

The most effective, and poetic, exlanation of what I was talking about in 
the post that started this thread is by the Canadian band Rush [3]

Searching for seven-league boots,

Udhay

[1] The most effective bulwark against this worldview, thus far, appears to 
be what Brin calls the 'Dogma of Otherness', see 
http://kspace.com/KM/spot.sys/Brin/pages/piece2.html

[2] http://www.mrlizard.com/

[3] 'Witch Hunt': Rush, from the 1981 album _Moving Pictures_

The night is black, without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torchlit hill.

Features distorted in the flickering light,
Faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possesed.
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best.

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will.
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill.

They say there are strangers who threaten us,
Our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness to danger us
In our theatres and bookstore shelves,
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves.

Quick to judge,
Quick to anger,
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...





--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
     God is silent. Now if we can only get Man to shut up.




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