[extropy-chat] (POLITICS) Utility of Protest was :Exhibitionism (no, not THAT kind)

[Natasha Vita-More]

You are correct.  The depths that Brett took this thread are noted and the 
issues important, not belittling a woman whose son was killed and who is 
suffering, regardless of the fact that I do not support the way she is 
displaying her angst and public performances. Yet she is a symbol for the 
bigger issue - the problem of this war and the fact that the US government 
is not listening to all its citizens.

So, in sum, the thread which I would support, would have been an extropic 
approach to addressing how to proactively get the ear of governments for 
actively attracting a wider audience for understanding and supporting 
transhumanist goals.

Natasha



At 08:48 PM 8/21/2005, you wrote:


>--- Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc> wrote:
>
> > How about taking this off list?  I'm scratching my
> > head because I don't see
> > a relationship to Extropy or transhumanism and don't
> > see how this thread
> > ties into any level of proactive discussion.
> >
> > Anyone agree?
>
>My apologies, Natasha, if you don't see the relevance
>of this topic to transhumanism. I tried to phrase my
>question as a general question of whether there is any
>political value to protesting, other than the simple
>catharsis of publicly voicing ones discontent.
>
>As it seems that a major obstacle to the realization
>of the goals and aspirations of ExI and transhumanism
>in general are the inherently restrictive policies
>issued by the U.S. government in regards to many
>promising technologies. As such, it is IMHO, important
>that transhumanists figure out what actions can and
>cannot influence government policy.
>
>Historically protests HAVE been successful in this
>regard, however recently they seem to be much less
>effective. Brett thinks this because politicans have
>learned to use opinion polls and demographics, to
>precisely quantify and maximize the public discontent
>they can get away with and still retain their power
>base. Mike on the other hand seems to think it mostly
>has to do with money.
>
>If we extropes and transhumanists want to actually
>implement our ideas, learning what methods CAN sway
>public policy would be an important first step.
>Judging from the answers I recieved to my question, it
>would seem a safe bet that public protests against the
>ban on therapeutic cloning for example, would NOT be
>the way to go. Unless perhaps such an endeavor had a
>fairly large bankroll and was targeted to the swing
>states for example. If by asking the simple question I
>did, I prevent myself and fellow transhumanists from
>wasting their time walking around with pro-cloning
>placards chanting slogans, then the exercise was worth
>it.
>
>The same technologies that politicans use to stifle
>our freedoms can and should be used to reclaim it. In
>order to do so however, we have to put as much effort
>into figuring out how to use the technology to our
>benefit as the politicians have into using it to our
>detriment.
>
>
>
>The Avantguardian
>is
>Stuart LaForge
>alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu
>
>"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't 
>attempted to contact us."
>-Bill Watterson
>
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<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha <http://www.natasha.cc/>Vita-More
Cultural Strategist, Designer
Studies of the Future, University of Houston
President, <http://www.extropy.org/>Extropy Institute
Founder, <http://www.transhumanist.biz/>Transhumanist Arts & Culture

Knowledge is the most democratic source of power.  Alvin Toffler
Random acts of kindness... Anne Herbet

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