From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!usc!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!The-Star.honeywell.com!umn.edu!kksys.com!orbit!pnet51!anthro Wed Sep 16 21:21:27 EDT 1992
Article 6758 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: anthro@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Paul Bramscher)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.cyberpunk
Subject: Re: _The Turing Option_
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Date: 2 Sep 92 05:45:07 GMT
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braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au writes:  

>But I dont see anyone doing jackshit now, everyone seems to be waiting
>until the apocalypse is here, so they can taste their cyberspace.  Everyone
>seems to be happy to let the world fall to shit, so it can fulfill a man's
>dreams.

>I know this is pretty harsh, and is possibly suited to another board.  But
>I have a question.  Can we have a healthy, constructive, active, cyberpunk
>here and now?


It seems a cyberpunk culture is riddled with social malaise, offering the
technological goodies to those with the money or proper connections.  As a
post-modern literary form, it seems to be essentially an exaggeration of
current techno-social trends...  I've noticed too how, as a movement, it's
remained generally apolitical.  There's no call within the ranks to prevent
the doom a cyberpunk society is sure to wreak on the human spirit.

Cyberpunk, especially as seen by Gibson's characters, seems to be (borrowing
from Bismark's term "realpolitik") realkulture.  His main characters -- his
society -- is strictly self-serving, hedonistic, short-ranged, with a
life-is-cheap attitude.  Interesting that Gibson's own context was the 1980's
"Me-Generation" or "Me-Decade" under Ronnie Raygun.  Trickle-down greed,
producing a sea of hopelessness maybe.  Social Darwinism.      
                                                        
Gibson's secondary characters are feeble-minded, rooted in position, addicted
to cyberspace soap operas, whatever.  Again, might have some analagous role in
contemporary society.  In Gibsonian terms, there seems to be three groups of
people: (1) The ultra-wealthy (2) the poor working-classes, and (3) the
underground.                                

Already we're starting to hear terms pop up in American press such as
"information rich" and "information poor".  No kidding....  Cyberpunks are
information piss-poor people forced to use "underground" (non-legitimized)
means to make life more liveable, maybe.
        
As for avoiding this dilemna, the fringe-right and industrial elites have
their Final Solution.  It'll take millions of concerned citizens, and a
responsible media to make a difference.  Not something very likely...         
        
Let's see.  Pipe bomb, terrorist, contras, CIA, assassination, JFK,
Iran/Contra, Cuba, drugs, wire fraud, skimpy bikinis, topless bar, nude
beach, and cryptology.  One of those words should trip the flagging
mechanism, storing this message in the NSA Police State archives...        


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