122e6dafcbcd
 inet

-- Quoting Sharon Mccormick to Charles Angelich about The power of millions --

CA> SM> I  read  usenet  conferences  long before I had internet
CA> SM> access  through  the  Cleveland Freenet. Freenet carried
CA> SM> usenet  and  bitnet  conferences  a long time ago. I was
CA> SM> underwhelmed then, and remain so! 

CA> I  only  wish Michigan was that progressive. I was impressed
CA> that  Ohio would do that for it's citizens. 

SM> Freenet  is  a  product  of Case Western Reserve University,
SM> nothing to do with the state of Ohio. 

    Michigan  has  some world famous universities but none that will
    bother themselves to do something like this - too bad. 

    --8<--cut 

SM> I'd  been  an  avid particpant of the Food area on the local
SM> Freenet...so  the first conference in Usenet I went to was a
SM> vegetarians  echo....it  was filled with "veggier than thou"
SM> people, and a lot more flaming than recipes! 

    I  think  the  myth  of  meat  eaters being more angry is just a
    myth? 8) 

SM> I  continue to have an account on the Cleveland Freenet, and
SM> still  receive  email there, but I've given up my masochism,
SM> and no longer read the message areas! 

    The  anonymity of not facing the person you are talking to first
    became  obvious to me with the telephone. In my youth we had one
    of  the few telephones and neighbors recieved important calls on
    our  phone  -  we had to get dressed and go to their home to get
    them  etc.  I  noticed  how  they would 'adopt' a new persona as
    soon  as  the  receiver  was  in their hand and immediately drop
    that  same persona after hanging up the phone. This was my first
    clue  that adults were pretending to be what they were not. This
    is quite a revelation to a child. 

    The  computer  has  added  the ability to disguise not only your
    appearance  but  your  age,  sex, and tone of your voice. It has
    turned  otherwise timid people into their fantasy figure able to
    attack  even  groups of people without harm. It is a fascinating
    'study'  in  the  dynamics  of  ego unrestrained by the physical
    body. 

    It's  the  same  insanity  that  allows old men to declare a war
    they don't have to die in. The draft-dodger bombing Europe? 8( 

    After  almost 20 years of participation in this medium I believe
    that  all  people  are  slightly schizoid. We have the person we
    display  to those who can harm us (government, our boss at work,
    etc.)  and  another  person  we use with those who can in no way
    harm  us  (children,  animals, elderly, etc.). I think those who
    have  not  witnessed  this  anger have no idea how truly violent
    the  world _could_ be if there were no visible restraints placed
    on society to 'be nice'. 

    While  these  things are truly unpleasant they are IMO a warning
    of  what  lies  just  beneath  the  surface  of  our  society  -
    everywhere - not just on usenet. 

>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__

.. Modems are too slow, and life is too short.
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