Re:virus: Zetatalk
« Reply #2 on: 2003-04-10 07:40:38 »
Here is the post guys....thanks for the warning Rhino.
From Kuro5hin.org:
"Hoax, cult or illness, the zetatalk is a phenomenon that some of you may be aware of. Zetatalk is a typical cult in many aspects - prophecy of a major cataclysmic event soon to take place, strong leadership, denial of science and a grand conspiracy theory involving the major governments and corporations, mainstream religions and alien visitations. What makes zetatalk unique is that it is based on the Internet, meetings are held on IRC chat rooms and indoctrination of weaker minds is done through a web site. What makes it interesting is that you can follow the events that are taking place inside the cult - in the last few weeks of its existence - after about 7 years since its appearance. "
Perhaps there are lessons for the CoV in all this. We aspire to create a church using similar tools but (un)fortunately our "message" is not nearly as sticky or attractive to the insane and the hope-needy.
We meet in IRC chat rooms and educate via our BBS and websites. Does the similarity with Zetatalk stop there? Can we learn from our enemies successes? How can we become more attractive? I think we are in danger of accepting ourselves as enlightened clergy living amongst incurably benighted humanity. I keep returning to this theme because I am worried by it: How can we compete against follies that we humans are hard-wired to accept and even enjoy? When the merest whisper of Armageddon trumps one thousand hours of carefully reasoned arguments, perhaps it is time to fight dirty? Maybe we should use "force". Maybe it is time we as a church attend to the media (means) as well as the messages?
"...Defenceless under the night our world in stupor lies. Yet, dotted everywhere, ironic points of light flash out wherever the just exchange their messages...." (From "September 1, 1939" by W.H. Auden.)
Today the brilliance of our points of light illuminate the private islands of our community and little more. I would like our points of light to become spears of truth that skewer folly, woolly thinking, delusion, falsehood and insanity. I want to go on the offensive. I would like to see recruitment drives, united engagement of common foes, press releases and statements from the CoV - an engagement with the "real" world.
See, I think the reason people are so eager to believe in cetain religions and ideologies (communism comes to mind), is because they propose a plan. The world always seems so chaotic, and then this guy tells you there's a plan for everything. For Christians, it's the apocalypse and the believers going to heaven (or just the nice people, depending on which Christian you ask). For the communists, it's the workers overthrowing the bourgeoisie, and eventually establishing paradise on Earth whithout government. I have also noticed a trend in fiction - even TV shows - to say there's a plan. And I remember reading in a History book about Hitler's plans for after he would have won the war - I was surprised at how easy it's to get excited about a plan, no matter how bad you know (or don't know) it is. I mean, I'm a Jew (ethnically speaking), but I can see why the Germans were eager to follow.
Now, in truth, all of this plans are irrealistic. And I'm inclined to think it's almost impossible to make large-scale long-term plans that work - but maybe the keyword is 'almost'. Maybe.
Is anybody interested in making a plan, an agenda? I think the Transhuman page is a beggining, but that's just me...
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RE: virus: Zetatalk
« Reply #4 on: 2003-04-10 13:32:24 »
That's an interesting idea. I thought the Zetatalk appeal was also that "they have given" Nancy answers to a bazillion questions. I spent about four months on that site exploring all of the sub-pages of expansion on words or questions, and the sheer volume of information is probably a warm fuzzy blanket to many.
SO if we go for the transhumanist plan approach, perhaps we should consider that format of questions/answers. Now, I recall speaking to a rabbi about some questions, and his answers were all variants on "it's all in the Talmud, my child", and we could cleverly conceal a buddhist-like direction to "figure it out yerself" in our "answers", that might be a cool way to get around thinking for people (since that's antithetical to our ideals).
I remember reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spirituality for Teens". Great book, great advices...Most of which could be given in a completely atheistic way. Anybody trying to replace religions should read it Michelle Anderson <michelle@barrymenasherealtors.com> wrote:That's an interesting idea. I thought the Zetatalk appeal was also that "they have given" Nancy answers to a bazillion questions. I spent about four months on that site exploring all of the sub-pages of expansion on words or questions, and the sheer volume of information is probably a warm fuzzy blanket to many. SO if we go for the transhumanist plan approach, perhaps we should consider that format of questions/answers. Now, I recall speaking to a rabbi about some questions, and his answers were all variants on "it's all in the Talmud, my child", and we could cleverly conceal a buddhist-like direction to "figure it out yerself" in our "answers", that might be a cool way to get around thinking for people (since that's antithetical to our ideals).
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