Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

• 

  dorpus, 25 Sep 2003 @ 7:06pm

  
  

  The French Precedent

  History has repeatedly shown that whenever a given culture invents something new, then other cultures will imitate it as-is at first, then alter it to suit their own needs and values.
  
  Our internet is based on American values that say:
  
  1. Open (often rude) public debate is good
  2. New frontiers should be conquered, through investing massive resources in it.
  
  There are other cultures that view open debate as fanning the flames of hatred, so should be avoided. Still others believe that frontiers are a waste of resources, so should be ignored. There are plenty of countries with "frontiers" of vast deserts, swamps, or jungles, but people are not rushing to live there.
  
  More concretely, the internet does pose plenty of problems for non-English speakers. There is an overbearing presence of English, along with all the English spam.
  
  As far as my first-hand experience with MSN chats go, open public debate often serves to inflame relations between countries rather than improve them. When the ignorant rabble of one country talk to the ignorant rabble of another, they piss each other off and want to kill each other.
  

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

• 

  Anonymous Coward, 26 Sep 2003 @ 8:47am

  
  

  No Subject Given

  They are Frech for God's sake !
  What can you expect ?

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]