NN Friedman V. Pynchon

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/2/03 4:23:40 PM, pynchonoid at yahoo.com writes:

<< Part of the point may be that Pynchon understands the
need to educate the many readers of his Foreword to
_1984_ who are Reagan/Bush babies (and their children)
who, raised on a steady diet of CHiPs and Fox News
neo-fascism, may not recognize the Internet as a
threat. The kind of folks who mistake Friedman for a
wise man, perhaps. >>

More likely, they understand and realize it perfectly well.
Just as likely, perhaps, they embrace the idea that the
internet can and will be used to spread the culture on
which they have been weaned. Many of them like the 
current versions of CHiPs, etc., and feel right at home
with the idea that other countries and cultures should
like it too. I think his point is that the internet can work
both ways. It can be potentially liberating or controlling.
But the most enslaving aspect of the new media is its
power to enchant, to substitute cobbled together images
and sound (and soon much more) for reality. It seduces
us into a willing suspension of reality and creates a false
sense of freedom and power. Putting down an adversary
on the pynchon-l does little to change the world and distracts
us from more effective action.

respectfully