There's a calcified left versus a calcified right, and not much flowing in the middle. There's not much diversity of opinion on the airwaves these days. Virtual cyber-nations have grown up all around us, are currently jockeying for position in a vast new Cyberia with plenty of drive space (shared memory).Ĭollege radio stations have not been replaced by as many college television stations, despite the promise of cable, leaving the Internet to pick up the slack where public debate is concerned. FooCamp and BarCamp are where it happens, or at those "unconferences". In the meantime, geeks have needed to roll their own, having been left to their own devices. Cynicism about government is encouraged, but without any knowledge of what that government even looks like. Their so-called town meetings about health care proved to be PR disasters.Ĭivics is not taught. Getting USAers to engage in public debate is a tricky business however, as they're somewhat out of shape, a lot of 'em, having left matters to pundits for so long. Banking on some deus ex machina is not always the best strategy. In contrast is Kerala, in India (or so goes the anthropology) where the evidence suggests (not surprisingly) that talking matters out in a highly literate and informed manner is more likely the way to hammer out lasting agreements, ones that work better over the long haul, because there's simply no magic bullet that money might buy in most situations.
Beats shooting however, which accomplishes a lot less for a lot more. This proves a satisfactory arrangement in whatever city it's practiced (or so they tell us), it's just damned expensive, like a million dollars per troop per annum or something on that order. This strategy has been on display in Afghanistan where troops perform as power shoppers in the various street malls (bazaars), irrigating the merchant class with Uncle Sam's dollars. USAers have this way of wanting to spend themselves out of poverty.
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