On Mon, 9 Jun 1997, Dean Esmay wrote:

> There can be no mistaking that there are serious problems to be addressed,
> and some of them are being addressed wrongly.  But that's a more
> complicated discussion.  Ultimately I believe that the western
> industrialized nations not only represent the most positive apex of human
> achievement, but that they represent the best hope for -all- of humanity.
> You, clearly, disagree.  Well that's fine.  You continue to spout your
> philosopy and I'll continue to explain why I don't agree, and everyone else
> can ignore us or pay attention to us, as they please.  :-)

        Actually, the "apex" statement sounds like the opening line I
used in an arguement on techno-utopianism.
        According to Techno-Utopian generic theory (as outlined in a
chapter of the book "Technology and the Human Condition), as technology
improves quality of life improves.
        Now, compared to Europe, it's not too unreasonable to say that
America is a backwater military dictatorship that's getting too big for
it's britches.  The CIA have gone around ruining governments and
spreading missery and heroine both domestic and abroad.  Once the Cold
War ended I found out more about my country than I EVER wanted to know.
I ain't moving any time soon, though.
        The reason that I'm a dystopian in practice can be illustrated by
the movie Jhonny Mnemonic.  When the goal is the creation of wealth,
certian paths get followed and other are ignored.
        Although I sound like a commie, I'm really not.  To put communism
into serious action means changing the nature of the human race.  Neither
Stalin nor Mao were really able to do that, and what they created
degenerated into state-burgiose where the means of production were
controlled by the state.


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