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Sometimes I wonder where my generation is headed. I don't want to sound like some kind of intellectual philanthropist, but since this is indeed my web page, I think I'll give my two cents worth anyway. When I look around and see people my age, it scares me. I wonder why it seems that there is some kind of social regression going on (i.e. screaming, hooting, physical violence, disrespect, climbing on things, etc.). Perhaps that's just the way "kids" today have fun. Strange. I wonder what has happened to simple order, though. You know, being civil. Why can't some people interact in a civilized fashion? For fear of physical retribution and social outcast (snicker, snicker), I'll stop there. You know how it goes. Next, I just want to take a moment to clear up a misunderstanding about the internet. It seems that Hollywood, as is its fashion, has distorted and convoluted the internet into typical cinematic fodder. Movies like "The Net" with that Bullock gal and "Hackers" with.....well, nobody's ever heard of them....those movies portray the internet as some deceitful and mystical place where people are waiting to take over your life. All those people need is the first letter of your last name and in 3 keystrokes they can tell you what kind of jelly your mother had on her toast the day you were born. Well, as cool as that would be, it is simply not that way in the real world. Sure, there is crime being committed in 'cyberspace'. But it is not nearly as dangerous a place as the moviemakers would have us believe. The problem is that people have a misunderstanding of what the internet is. Without being overly technical, the internet is basically a reflection of our collective societies. The internet is not about machines, it's about people. It would be naive to think that the internet would be completely wholesome and benevolent, because that is not how all people are in the real world. Many a technologically backward bigot would have us abandon computers all together because of this new wave of computer crime. It is not the computer that causes the crime, however, it is the user. Crime has always been around, but now there is a new forum for it. I just hope that ill-conceived notions of being cyber-robbed don't prevent people from exploring the internet's vast knowledge basses and discovering its good side. Lastly, and most importantly, I'd like to share with you something I heard on the news the other night which left me fuming. In Tennessee (the ONLY state that ranks lower than FL in education) the school officials, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that rational, scientific thought is just too much of a threat to their traditional, religious communities, and has no place in their schools. They believe that "family values" are in jeopardy; they believe their children are being misled; they believe they must take action quickly concerning this issue. They are trying to ban the teaching of evolution in public schools. They contend that evolution goes against creationism ŅI believe it does, but that's beside the point. The real problem comes with the fact that they are forming public policy based on religious views. How could they expect the public to conform to any one religion's ideas? I'm sure their new policy is fine for some of the Christians there, but what about other religions? Anyhow, since the School Board's Gestapo...I mean officials think that evolution goes against creationism and "god's word", they are trying to remove evolutionary curriculum from their classes. This is outrageous. They say "evolution is just a THEORY". The colloquial use of the word "theory" comes close to a scientific hypotheses. I'll remind you that a theory is the best possible explanation for the evidence at hand. However, the evolution of man can never be proven without a doubt, but neither can anything that happened that long ago. I wonder if these schools also teach history, because much of pre-history is certainly NOT proven fact. Historians make inferences based on the best available evidence, as scientists do. Students should have the opportunity to explore these possibilities themselves, instead of only being shown one side of the story. If these school officials ban the teaching of evolution, where do they stop? Are they also allowed to ban the teaching of any old thing that their religion doesn't consider "wholesome"? There has already been a precidence set regarding on this issue, which brings me to wonder why this is even being debated. The separation of church and state must always remain intact. Evolution is a very important scientific principle, and to totally ban its teaching is unthinkable. A one-sided religious education is most unfavorable to the student. In the words of J. B. S. Haldane, "This means that the children have to learn about Adam and Noah instead of Evolution; about David who killed Goliath, instead of Koch who killed cholera; about Christ's ascent into heaven instead of Montgolfier's and Wright's. Worse than that, they are taught that it is a virtue to accept statements without adequate evidence, which leaves them a prey to quacks of every kind in later life, and makes it very difficult for them to accept the methods of thought which are successful in science." I expect that this would-be legislation of Tennessee will be crushed long before it has a chance to go into effect. However, if your local officials ever try to enact such science-bashing legislation, make sure you let them know that you will not stand for this reactionary, ignorant and paranoid tactic of concealing truth because of religious beliefs. |