RE: Including the luddites [was Re: Degrees vs. smarts]

From: Joseph 1 (joseph1@neosapiens.org)
Date: Tue Oct 05 1999 - 12:25:54 MDT


> From: Robert J. Bradbury
> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 1:08 PM
>
> as a threat to his cultural history. Native Americans are caught
> in a bind. They can live on a reservation where they can have their
> culture but have few economic opportunities or move away from the
> reservation, losing their culture but having more opportunities to
> educate themselves and prosper. Since he also teaches Native
> American history he can also cite chapter and verse where the
> government has run amok, abused power, broken promises, etc.

I think that it is a bind of their own creation. If a dedication to a
particular culture or history is preventing a person from fully realizing
his or her maximum potential (that is, through embracing our modern
technological society), then that's a choice they'll have to make. But in a
very real sense, such a person is trying to have the best of both worlds,
and sometimes you just can't do that. If someone chooses to be a luddite,
they shouldn't bemoan the fact that they don't have an ISDN line for their
PC...

I would also ask why it is that aboriginal Americans who leave their
reservations must necessarily lose touch with their culture? Irish, Italian,
Japanese, Chinese, and a host of other "hyphenated Americans" have been able
to flourish in modern society and enjoy all its benefits while still
maintaining touch with their original culture. Admittedly, it's of a
somewhat different nature than if they were still in Ireland or Japan or
wherever, but it hardly need be completely eradicated.

Joseph 1 (joseph1@neosapiens.org)

Core Sphere Member - NeoSapiens Combine http://www.neosapiens.org

"NeoSapiens Awaken!"



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