Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

ARTICLE: Arab auds unfazed by Saudi fatwa, Variety, Aug. 1, 2008

One of the reasons why I don't worry about efforts at cultural censorship in more traditional societies is that those walls inevitably come down, largely in response to popular demands -- if the connectivity is achieved and average people get a taste. That's often a generational affair: the first generation of connectivity is harshly condemned and restricted (and frankly, the surfeit of pornography should be), but for those growing up inside that first generation (the second), the demand for more freedom inevitably ensues. The "walled garden" just isn't enough. They sense the Matrix's walls.

And the youngest and most adventuresome will take just about any "red pill" you offer.

So I say to the Googles and Microsofts of the world, cut any deal you must to get the connectivity laid down. Orwell continues to be wrong. The kids will end up being more than "all right."

This conflict's outcome was never in doubt, just our tendency to freak out unnecessarily.

(Thanks: Dan Hare)