[lit-ideas] Re: The Medium is the Message
- From: Andy <mimi.erva@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:12:32 -0700 (PDT)
I don't see myself doing Facebook anytime soon. I've traveled vicariously
around the world, inside the atom, around the universe, and through history, so
why not Facebook. Actually, I heard a discussion on whether Facebook was the
reason for the Arab Spring, since the organizing was done on Facebook, and the
inteviewee's conclusion was that no, revolutions happened long before
technology. The plotting had to have been more exciting then though, with
secret meetings at somebody's house and the rest of it. On the other hand,
Facebook did make the planning available to a lot more people, who then
overwhelmed the status quo. According to Barbara Tuchman, all the rebellions
in the Middle Ages failed, and there were a lot of them. No FB at the
time. Rebellions are different from revolutions though.
Andy
________________________________
From: Mike Geary <jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 5:06 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The Medium is the Message
Andy would do well to acquaint herself with Facebook before criticizing it. I
find it a very interesting venue. How interesting it is depends mostly on your
friends and their network of friends. Depending on them the experience It can
be very political, very personal, very philosophical, very inconsequential --
all depends. Several liberal friends post articles that I find useful and
informative that I probably would not have come across otherwise. Several
conservative friends (yes, I have some) post hate-Obama diatribes to which I
love responding with snarky remarks. Circles of friends -- what you make of it
is up to you. Facebook has something like 3 billion subscribers (I'm glad
they're not all my friends) -- the experience can be as varied as 3 billion
people can be. Depends on you and your circle of friends. It can be a post
card, or it can be 95 thesis nailed to the cathedral door. In fact, I think if
Andy would get
passed her fear of the future, she would enjoy Facebook. Many Lit-Iders are
on Facebook including Robert Paul, Bev Hogan, Marlena Boggs (Eternity Time),
Julie Krueger, Erin Holder, Carol Kirschenbaum, Paul Stone, David Ritchie, Tom
Hart, Lawrence Helm, John McCreery, and moi under the nome de plume Satchmo
William Tragers. There are others, I'm sure, that I'm not aware of or am
forgetting. Try it and see if you like it. There are no dues.
In regards to Lit-Id, it is what it is. It has gone through several
permutations over the 15 years I've been here. The split in the congregation
way back when led to the demise of Phil-Lit and the rise of Lit-Id. It is no
longer a primarily political band stand, but a much more philosophical one. We
have Plato played by Walter O., Aristitole played by Robert P. Popper played
by Donal Mc., Kierkegaard (?) played by Phil E., Grice played by JLS., and
Michael Geary played by himself. Economically we have Socialism played by Judy
E. Capitalism was one championed by Larry K., and Lawrence H., and Tom H. But
Kramer shut down his shop, Lawrence has fallen in love with his cameras and
dogs and Tom is somewhere out there, I sure, still beating bushes to scare off
Commies and Liberals. Surely that is enough of a mix to make a stew. I still
enjoy Phil-Lit a bunch of bunches. And as always I wish the women-folk would
unload on men now and
then. They seem to me to be too polite or is it politic? Whatever, men need
to be reminded every now then what pricks we be. Else we start talking our
selves seriously. There are a lot of people who've fallen by the wayside that
I miss -- David Savory for one. but that's life.
Amen.
Mike Geary
Still in Memphis goddamnit
On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Andy <mimi.erva@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I understand that Facebook seems to be absorbing a lot of conversational
energy. Just some thoughts, but first a disclaimer. I don't have a Facebook
account, have never had one, and don't participate as a 'friend' on any other
Facebook account, including those of relatives. For what it's worth, my
understanding of Facebook is that it's all about posting pictures of how much
fun you're having. It's not about having fun, it's about proving you're having
fun, especially for the younger crowd. Based on my vicarious
understanding, I can't imagine having an intelligent conversation on Facebook.
Certainly I couldn't have one with my relatives (and that's with two nephews in
med school), or for that matter with most of my flesh and blood friends. Lit
ideas people who have Facebook accounts are certainly excepted, but generally
Facebook to me is a pure pomo experience, reality as if. Worse, it's a
reflection of the general dumbing down of
everything, a great big huge Twitter with pictures. 'Reality as if' requires
no depth of understanding, which would make Facebook and Twitter the media for
the times. A vicarious understanding, yes, but I think unfortunately accurate.
> Andy
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