I, once, thought alcohol ...

[1StrongBlackMan]

Last edited Tue Sep 10, 2013, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)

was the most powerful personal transformation aid in the world ... its use can turn a mild, mannered person into the smartest, sexiest, best dancing, most interesting, and toughest man/woman in the bar.

But I was mistaken ... the most powerful personal transformation aid in the world is, clearly, the interwebz! We see it turning us, of relatively little real life accomplishments, into experts in every field of human endeavor ... we log on and are suddenly much smarter, more suavy and more knowledgeable than anyone else; especially those elected officials that we put in the position to govern this mess we call the world.

The internet allows us to, at once, complain that the government keeps to many secrets AND argue that we know the better approach to every policy/diplomatic issue …
The internet allows us to claim support for something, while never, ever, saying anything positive about that thing …
The internet allows us to say things to people we don’t know, what we would never, ever, say IRL.
But most impressively, the internet allows us to multi-task … we can be fierce protest warriors, while flipping between America’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor, and best of all, we can do all of this from our couches, in our Power Ranger Jammies and bunny slippers!


Thanks Al Gore for gifting us this amazing treasure!

[postulater]

1. Al Gore gave us the interwebz.

[PowerToThePeople]

3. The thoughts were there before the web

You can just hear them now. It (the internet) has helped bring Democracy closer to reality.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Speak for your own medicority, my own accomplishments are pretty nifty actually

Of course I was never a lush, I spent my youth doing and making not swilling up delusions in drink form.
And to be blunt, politicians are not usually the brightest bulbs, folks who go for politics are settling for politics as their most likely way to prosper, having failed at actual enterprise. Very few of them have accomplishments of any kind outside the playpen they share, in which they soil their nappies and whine along with the Republicans that are their peers.
Politicians spend the bulk of their time 'fundraising' which means calling people and asking them for money. Some accomplishment that is.

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. First ...

I would match my life accomplishments to your's any day of the week and laugh as you stutter; but even as I laughed, I am self-aware enough to realize that my life’s accomplishment pale in comparison to every one of the players that are acting on the world stage.

Secondly, my commentary on alcohol was an observation of others … I’m a happy, quiet drunk.

Lastly, your comment on politicians is complete B.S., even if they are limited to republicans and politicians, with whom I disagree. The skill-set required to be successful in politics far surpasses, those of just about any other career field.

[frylock]

5. those elected officials that we put in the position to govern this mess would include..

republicans. smart, suave, and knowledgeable.

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. Actually, yes ...

there are republicans that are smart, suave, and knowledgeable ... I just happen to think they are wrong on philosophy and wrong in practice.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Perhaps you're selling the people short? The Synergy of the Internet is far more intelligent

than any individual, President, Senator, Congressman, Professor, Scientist, Teacher, Doctor, King, Queen and Dictator benevolent or not, etc. etc.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, fields of expertise and false beliefs, the Internet has magnified the People's freedom of speech power more than any other creation since the First Amendment was written over 200 years ago.

The Founders believed in the power of debate to advance good ideas or law, curtail the bad ones, teach the ignorant, and lift up the people.

They were hampered in their day by the dinosaur slow means of communication; that only being print.

The 20th Century brought us radio and television, if anything has served to dumb down the masses, it's been those two inventions particularly television as it being held in the hands of 6 autocratic, top down, one way mega-corporations.

The Internet didn't create Freedom of Speech, but it is bringing that ideal to fruition.

Thanks for the thread, 1StrongBlackMan.