In the 1990s the very small web community, compared to today's web, had a lot of self-important ideas about the future of the medium. We were living in the future and prepared for it, or so we thought. In one way we believed that this would someday be the most important medium, or it already was, but on the other hand, not really. This was the kind of stuff you read about in science fiction, it didn't happen in real life. Well now it's happening. And it's freaky, and who knows where it leads.
None of us are prepared for the world we find ourselves in. Not even the net natives.
We don't know what comes after attacks on our embassies, all over the world now, but it's serious and unprecedented and couldn't happen without the net. Communication used to be controlled by governments. It would take days or weeks for stories of a war-like event in one part of the world to reach another part. I know this because it wasn't much better in the United States. When I was in college in New Orleans, I'd go downtown every Tuesday to get a copy of the Sunday NY Times. That, and the evening news, was my access to world wide news. It wasn't that long ago.
Now Google has told the US government that it won't take down the video that's theoretically causing all the trouble. That's weird but it's right. Google is a multi-national company. Sure its founders are American. But it can't be anymore beholden to the United States than to any other country. If they did, they would disappear pretty quickly because someone has a good reason for every piece of content to be removed. Whether they obey an order from the US is another matter.
Remember, this is all coming after WikiLeaks. And think of where Assange is now. It's only the respect the British govt has for the sovereignty of embassies that keeps him out of jail. And it's exactly that sovereignty that's under attack elsewhere.
And meanwhile in Kansas some people aren't embarrassed to say the President's name should be taken off the ballot because he's a black man, and they're white and they can't handle it. I know they'll say it's not that, but they're lying.
All this is happening at the same time.
It may not be Kansas
But the racial accusations you sling with so much ease suggests it may be 1984.
You are a slow learner, Winston."
"How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.
Even though the attacks were obviously September 11th terror commemoration events (yes, that is a bit of sarcasm), few, if any news outlets describe them as such and I think that is indicative of how much we (America) are really worried about and scared of what they mean for our future. Are we safe or are we not? Is the "War on Terror" working? Why do groups of people around the world want to kill Americans, even embassy officials?
The blessing and curse of the web is that we have constant reminders like this that things haven't improved much since September 11th.
I agree with Kyle that this video is a poor excuse for killing. Youtube has thousands of anti-Islam videos; then why haven't there been thousands of individual attacks.
I agree that Google shouldn't have taken it down.
I also doubt that the video is the driving force behind the protests.
If a poorly produced movie by a nut can be the sole reason for this kind of violence then we are doomed.
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