January 3, 2006
A Rape in CyberSpace and a Need to Redefine
I think the real issue here is not whether or not laws are being put in place to inform the conduct on the internet. The same rules for RL apply to VR freedom of speech on the internet is not without consequences.
The biggest issue I see here is we have failed to evolve our politics and philosophies at the same rate as our technologies. Society puts too big an emphasis on objective science that when science creates a non-physical problem, we are left in a philosophical bind.
The reason the government didn't step in is not because they didn't see it as wrong. It's because they didn't see it as illegal. The man did not break any current laws that I am aware of. The reason this happened is that American public policy did not redefine what constitutes "legal" and what constitutes "illegal."
Americans are too conservative in the sense that we don't re-evaluate and redefine what we hold true as the world progresses. Then add to the mix the rapid progression of technology and what we can do with it and you get a recipe for disaster.
This issue can explain why America does not recognize same-sex marriages, approve of stem-cell research and still feels global warming is a crock full of crap. We are still living in a 1950s, nuclear-family, traditional values image that doesn't exist and probably never did.
Current American public policy is: 1. not interpretable enough 2. not contextual enough 3. not fluid enough.
Posted by EvanReynolds at January 3, 2006 2:08 PM
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That's just the thing... Ethics are not informing American law. We are reverting back to the Bible and religion to find answers to our problems. George W. Bush is notorious for using the politics of religion.
It's good to have a strong basis in religion, but on what our country is based upon and especially in this postmodern world, Judeo-Christian indocrination is a method of control and restriction.
I like your statement:
"...this, after the entertainment industry has trained three generations of Americans that rules are for old people and losers, and that the only thing that really matters is the freedom to do whatever feels good (or, more specifically, the freedom to spend our money on products that advertisements tell us will make us feel good)."
This is the danger of an uninformed and unrestricted capitalist market. Money matters more than anything and techniques of manipulation are emplored, whether they be ethical or not.
Hype is an incredibly powerful method of control. Is being young, fit, and sexy all that really matters in life? Or is it a way for an old, over-weight, unattractive club of men to make their millions because these are the only things that seem to have a seemingly quick fix?
I highly recommend a course on hype. That would be a fascinating addition to the NMJ program.
Posted by: Evan at January 3, 2006 5:31 PM
Good point, Evan. You're always careful to define your terms. There is a difference between "ethical" and "legal". Leslie is right -- technology is changing so quickly, and ethics is so narrowly defined in American society, that issues of morality get tied up with images of the perfect American 50s family. Rejecting that image can lead to amorality. (I'm reminded of the "don't break a stuntman's heart" advertisements that the movide industry uses to discourage illegal copying... this, after the entertainment industry has trained three generations of Americans that rules are for old people and losers, and that the only thing that really matters is the freedom to do whatever feels good (or, more specifically, the freedom to spend our money on products that advertisements tell us will make us feel good).
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at January 3, 2006 3:37 PM
The net changes daily with the click of a button, and the drag of a mouse. There is no way that laws and other forms of legal action can keep up with that. Its almost impossible to expect. Great points Evan. Very insightful entry.
Posted by: Leslie Rodriguez at January 3, 2006 3:23 PM
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