Reading Response #5

Victor Volz
May 10, 2010
English 100 F: Introduction to Academic Writing


Cynthia L. Selfe’s read, “Lest We Think the Revolution is a Revolution” mainly puts forth the idea that our general optimism of technology may be considered a veil or fabrication that conceals the powerful potential fears underlying the ramifications that technology has to offer. Yet we may still have a tendency to ignore all the negative attributes and instead just venerate technology for the sake of psychology. She adduces her point of view by providing three narratives which illustrate and further aid in embodying this belief. Of her claims, her most important, particularly for me and probably whoever is reading this, is the notion of a globalized village that is established via the internet and its reputed repercussions. Selfe posits that our own accrued status and wealth that we have gained and which has allowed us to be in a seperate and more privileged strata of society in terms of class and power from most of the world will be severed by the ever-growing interconnectedness of the internet. This may eventually mean that we (as Americans) will have a "lowered" status differing from our received status given to us by our developed world economic and political domination, into a more humble position, forced upon us once this integration of a global community is nearly complete since the typical human family is usually poor and colored.

She refers to a story by Nicholas Negroponte in which he maintains that digital technology can be recognized as a "natural force" eliminating old prejudices and "drawing people into greater world harmony." Selfe responds by saying, "This story, as you can imagine, is appealing at a romantic level to many Americans. It is also, incidentally, quite terrifying. Becoming just another member of the tribe, just another citizen of the global village, suggests the possibility that Americans could be asked to relinquish their current privileged status in the world..". As it appears, Selfe is concerned that Americans will no longer be reckoned as "special" or "superior" and that we will be demoted to a status that pratically everyone else in the world currently attains through the online world, well foremostly in the virtual world but conclusively in the real world as well, and I certainly agree with that, however it seems that Selfe has encountered this surprising "new" revelation a little bit too late. Globalization is the process of bluring our boundaries and coalescing our cultures, comportments, and ethnicities through the process of unification which comes to serve as the modus vivendi for human civilization. Evidently, it is an inevitable outcome of globalization to have the delineations that make us distinct to be gradually, or rapidly erased.Therefore, while her fears may be valid, it seems as if she may not have much of a choice to accept or reject this proffering of a soon-to-be diminished class on the world scale.

Selfe continues to reinforce her stance by providing a few examples of propaganda and imagery being used to conjure up revised narratives in which we imagine ourselves (as Americans, or in this case upper-class people) to be explorers, discoverers of radically different peoples and practices whom have begun to inhabit our newly developed electornic global community. We witness and relegate them to be an appurtenant and tractable population which can be controlled at our caprice. Her figures of imagery show a poster of a Yanomami tribesman in his native habiliment with enlarged text that reads, "For the World to have a Future we must work together as One Tribe." Another poster tries to tie similiarites with single separate tribes and a single unified global village. Other advertisments contribute information that we are helping and saving the rest of the world by the utilization of our technical expertise and vast affluence. These all exhibit the pattern of an attempt to entertain and glorify our position on the global developmental stratification. Selfe claims that these implications of our great technological prowess are only a pathetic and ignorant viewpoint to uphold because we aren't really solving as many global issues as we bloviate about. She instead proclaims that it is only done so to brag about our hegemonic rank as "homo faber--the tool maker." She insists that the images aren't used to reflect fundamental and much needed changes, but only to indoctrinate, inflate, and allow our own inhibitions about exploitation, cruel acquirement of expediency, and conquering to run rampant in the global community, at least for the time being.

I suppose she makes a good point, although I don't necessarily think that the entire idea behind this benevolent or mischevious promulgation is just a sheltered flimflam. While it may be in some respects cunningly devious, since most major corporations and companies that stand behind these supposed noble and charitable causes don't usually do some without some sort of profit, recognition, or notoriety that is involved, I don't see it as a be-all end-all of this specific set of circumstances. The prime cause is possibly more of a combination of avarice and boasting, and of altriuism and empathy. I am sure that not everyone involved with this alleged scheme is evil enough to exploit other races of people, alas; they are only cogs of the media mill. However, regardless of those few truly honest and kind people, the grand scam has already been played out, I guess we'll have to wait and see where it goes from here. I believe that eventually, the masters of technology will delegate their crafts to the students, the next generation of people, consisting of a greater and broader range of heritages and nationalities, who will be more globalized and socialized than ever before.