Hi,
First, I hope English isn't your first language, because if it is, you have no languages at all.
Second, yes, I know Google can be manipulated. However 'so don't blame it on the internet or google is asinine. The subject for discussion is whether the Internet is going to hell. If any part of it is, then that contributes to all of it. Whether it is doing so because of neglect or because of malice or because of some other reason is of secondary importance, a support for an argument rather than an argument in itself (at least on this topic). And I was not "blaming" anything on anything, simply pointing out some specific observations, which added to a bulk of similar observations led me to a viewpoint I wanted to share and to discuss.
Third, "You should not complain about the internet" is also a stupid statement. It is the attitude of an ignorant youth who wishes only to see perfection, be it good or bad. A thoughtful and rational adult see both the good things and the bad things in everything, weighs the one against the other and decides if overall something is good or bad *for himself*. And, while he doesn't always fully support his opinions (for to do so would take too much effort), he at least knows that they *are* opinions and *can* support them with rational arguments when challenged.
To say "you have to recognize right from wrong" is also foolish. If I wish to become educated about a subject, then it is because I am ignorant about it. If I am ignorant about it, I do not have the background to select right from wrong -- or sense from non-sense. So only if I surf exclusively on sites that cover material I am already familiar with can I follow your "advice". Of course, by doing so, I do not gain any knowledge, just a reenforcement of my previous notions and prejudices. Perhaps that is the greatest failing of the Internet -- unlike even the TV news (Fox excluded), one can spend all one's time on the Internet and never be exposed to a new idea or bothersome concept.
--Pete
First, I hope English isn't your first language, because if it is, you have no languages at all.
Second, yes, I know Google can be manipulated. However 'so don't blame it on the internet or google is asinine. The subject for discussion is whether the Internet is going to hell. If any part of it is, then that contributes to all of it. Whether it is doing so because of neglect or because of malice or because of some other reason is of secondary importance, a support for an argument rather than an argument in itself (at least on this topic). And I was not "blaming" anything on anything, simply pointing out some specific observations, which added to a bulk of similar observations led me to a viewpoint I wanted to share and to discuss.
Third, "You should not complain about the internet" is also a stupid statement. It is the attitude of an ignorant youth who wishes only to see perfection, be it good or bad. A thoughtful and rational adult see both the good things and the bad things in everything, weighs the one against the other and decides if overall something is good or bad *for himself*. And, while he doesn't always fully support his opinions (for to do so would take too much effort), he at least knows that they *are* opinions and *can* support them with rational arguments when challenged.
To say "you have to recognize right from wrong" is also foolish. If I wish to become educated about a subject, then it is because I am ignorant about it. If I am ignorant about it, I do not have the background to select right from wrong -- or sense from non-sense. So only if I surf exclusively on sites that cover material I am already familiar with can I follow your "advice". Of course, by doing so, I do not gain any knowledge, just a reenforcement of my previous notions and prejudices. Perhaps that is the greatest failing of the Internet -- unlike even the TV news (Fox excluded), one can spend all one's time on the Internet and never be exposed to a new idea or bothersome concept.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?