Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00053)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, MKR<ramadoss@g...> wrote:
> Let us look at it this way. Internet is the only medium where 
anyone can 
> publish almost anything without any intermediary and also without 
almost 
> any cost. Publishing is also instantaneous with world-wide 
distribution. 
> Have we not seen many many instances of items being put on 
Internet sites 
> which traditional print medium for one reason or another would not 
want to 
> publish. Many organizations which had controlled the flow of info 
do not 
> yet know how to deal with Internet medium where info and opinions 
not 
> palatable to the organization can and do get disseminated world-
wide.
> 
> So let us use this medium to its best advantage.
> 
> My 0.02.
> 
> mkr
> 
Dear Doss,

Over the years I have shared your hopes for the impact of the 
Internet, not just on the Theosophical movement but on other 
spiritual movements I've studied as well as on political 
consciousness. But at this point those hopes seem vain. Sometimes 
I go back to the theos-l archives of the mid-90s, and am always 
surprised at how civil and constructive the discourse there was 
compared to the current scene in Theosophical cyberspace. Most of 
the folks whose posts I most enjoyed have long since disappeared and 
dogmatic/argumentative discourse is now the rule rather than the 
exception. This is not nearly as bad as the Baha'i situation where 
a great many constructive and intriguing discussions occurred in the 
mid-90s in cyberspace, whereas now flamefests and dogmatic 
aggression are near-ubiquitous. With ARE as well, things started 
out in cyberspace looking very hopeful, but the aggressive 
dogmatists indulging in personal attacks pretty much stifled the 
good possibilities.

Neither Theosophists, Baha'is, nor ARE members are one iota more 
likely to encounter genuine intellectual openness and honesty in 
their organizations today than they were prior to the advent of the 
Internet. In fact, the reverse trend has occurred-- more rigidity, 
dogmatism, aggression, denial. Whether this is a temporary or 
longterm result of the Internet is anyone's guess.

I'm disillusioned also with the results of Internet activism on the 
political scene. Progressive/liberal Americans have had vastly 
greater information sources and organizational opportunities in the 
last four years than ever before, and one would think that a certain 
skepticism about government propaganda would have taken root in the 
general population. But the last election shows a conservative 
retrenchment that is closely associated with attitudes indifferent 
or hostile to reason and evidence. E.g. evolution deniers and End 
Times believers.

In none of these cases has the Internet "come to the rescue" as had 
been hoped.

Cheers,

Paul