THE LAST DITCH

Link: Doris Lessing warns of inanities of internet – Telegraph.

Dorislessing_thumbnailShe might as well complain of the inanities of paper. The medium is not, however clever-clever it might have been to say so, the message. That I may now find from my laptop, that which it would have taken me months and many libraries to research, will not cease to amaze me until I die. Yet already it is utterly banal to my children. Yes, I may find porn on the internet. That, I can also find in WH Smith. Yes, I can find inane, poorly-written literature. That, I can find in Waterstones or in a public library. The internet is neutral. Its content can be bad or good. I love and collect books, but they are no more intrinsically superior to words on a screen than was monks’ calligraphy on parchment to the printed word.

What a shame that Lessing should have used the platform afforded to her by her Nobel Prize to say something so utterly stupid.

5 responses to “Doris Lessing warns of ‘inanities’ of internet”

  1. jameshigham Avatar

    Yes, I may find porn on the internet. That, I can also find in WH Smith.
    This is a turn up for me. Old WH now carrying porn? I’m out of touch.

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  2. jams o donnell Avatar

    Agreed. It’s pointless blaming the medium for the quality of content.

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  3. Charles Robertson Avatar

    I think Old Media types tend to view the blogosphere from the paradigm of their own industries. A newspaper only gets printed if someone reads it, a news channel lasts as long as it has viewers. Blogs get published regardless of whether they have any readers and that I suspect is a point they don’t give enough weight to. They assume a blog that is published is being read.
    It’s a case of the old question: “if a tree falls in a forest but no one hears it, does it make a sound?” but we can change it to: “if a blog is full of crap but no reads it, does anyone other news media luvvies feeling threatened care?”

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  4. Richard Havers Avatar

    Having been a great writer doesn’t stop her from an attack of OPS. Old People Syndrome affects many and is something that needs to be addressed in all of us as we get older.

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  5. GDC Avatar
    GDC

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    URGENT…PLEASE HELP…. I CANNOT FROM HERE….. I AM BLOCKED ALL AROUND
    FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO THE FBI.
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    Like

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Tom is a retired international lawyer. He was a partner in a City of London law firm and spent almost twenty years abroad serving clients from all over the world.

Returning to London on retirement in 2011, he was dismayed to discover how much liberty had been lost in the UK while he was away.

He’s a classical liberal (libertarian, if you must) who, like his illustrious namesake, considers that

“…government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.”

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