In the beginning there was mankind and from the very beginning after they were "created" and began to "evolve" (see how I worked in a "balanced argument over creationism and evolution??) they have had an innate need to communicate.
Hand signs, music by beating on a rock or a chest, physicial contact (nothing like a smack upside the head to communicate that you weren't happy with your cavemate giving birth to another mouth to feed while you were away hunting) and finally a primative spoken language developed.
If you put people together with no known language or communication method, they will develop one on their own. Human language is part of being human from the very beginning.
Jump then to England after ole Willie conquored England in 1066. I don't want to get bogged down on the enlightened periods over the eons before that.
In a brief history of time in England, in the beginning the masses were not provided with formal education. Only the rich and then only certain members of the rich and elite could read and write and then you could only write it all down by hand which clearly was labour intensive and expensive.
Hand signs, music by beating on a rock or a chest, physicial contact (nothing like a smack upside the head to communicate that you weren't happy with your cavemate giving birth to another mouth to feed while you were away hunting) and finally a primative spoken language developed.
If you put people together with no known language or communication method, they will develop one on their own. Human language is part of being human from the very beginning.
Jump then to England after ole Willie conquored England in 1066. I don't want to get bogged down on the enlightened periods over the eons before that.
In a brief history of time in England, in the beginning the masses were not provided with formal education. Only the rich and then only certain members of the rich and elite could read and write and then you could only write it all down by hand which clearly was labour intensive and expensive.
I mean seriously you have to give it to mankind. Who looked at a tree and decided not only could I boil down the syrup and make sap out of it, or cut it down to make a boat, but I could also make a communication device out of it called paper.
Plus there was the prevaling thought amongst the upper crust that they didn't want to provide too much information. Honestly, they seriously did NOT want the peasants being educated and informed and then creating a ruckus. You know, realizing how much $$$$ the elite were earning on the hard work, health and welfare of the peasants. (Has anyone formed an analogy yet about the hedgefunds that provide the $$ to destroy the lives of us peons? Come on people, keep up....)
Priests and men of religion were the keepers of knowledge and they doled it out like it was liquid gold. I mean honestly, when did those poor parishioners realize that when the priest instructed the peons during the ceremony to "put your right hand in and take your right hand out" that it was NOT in the bible, but just for the priests amusement during services? It was probably ONLY after they learned to read.
Anyhew in about 1440 a "major development" in the history of communication was invented and it was called the printing press and it was good.
From there on it was a virtual slew of inventions to communicate. First newspapers (1700's), manual typewritter (1865), the fax machine (1843, YES I said 1843) the electric typewriter (1902) etc. etc. Each was a marvel and leader in its field when it was invented and enabled messages to be produced for the masses.
Then came this thing called the internet which was started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 (all true, look it up if you don't believe me). Talk about being able to produce and distribute information to the masses.
Which brings us to today. Humans have an innate need to communicate.
Politicians and government have an innate need to "control" the media. All well and good, but seriously, can politicians control the press? Well sometimes. I mean clearly FOX news is conservative and CNN has a love in with Obama and the liberals, but what to do when you get a rogue paper or god forbid, people who write letters to the editor?
Well, McCarthy in the US in the 1950's had a solution, but in the end that failed. Russia and East Germany took a kick at the can but failed. Castro has had a longer run, but even that is waning fast. China is flexing its muscles and if only they hadn't "accidently" ran over that guy in Tiananmen Square in 1989 I am sure none of us would still be paying attention, right? Actually the truth is, without communication tools we never would have known.
So...the point and I do have one is, the internet is mankinds newest communication tool.
Whereas even the biggest print media of the day (say The National Enquirer during the O.J. trial) can not communicate with the distribution potential of the internet.
And so here is a word of advice.
If any local politicans have taken to their beds recently with the vapours because they have just discovered the power of the internet to get one individual's opinion, which is guaranteed under the Candian Charter of Rights, to the masses, or at least 65 people a day on this blog, I say you are a Luddite and need to get with the program.
There are laws that control what people say (slander). There are laws that control what people write (libel). What you can NOT control are people's opinions and the ability to express them, or how they distribute them.
Get with the new social media form (hint it is called the internet, tweeting, blogging, etc. etc.) or get left in its dust.
And honestly, stop doing this...
Priests and men of religion were the keepers of knowledge and they doled it out like it was liquid gold. I mean honestly, when did those poor parishioners realize that when the priest instructed the peons during the ceremony to "put your right hand in and take your right hand out" that it was NOT in the bible, but just for the priests amusement during services? It was probably ONLY after they learned to read.
Anyhew in about 1440 a "major development" in the history of communication was invented and it was called the printing press and it was good.
From there on it was a virtual slew of inventions to communicate. First newspapers (1700's), manual typewritter (1865), the fax machine (1843, YES I said 1843) the electric typewriter (1902) etc. etc. Each was a marvel and leader in its field when it was invented and enabled messages to be produced for the masses.
Then came this thing called the internet which was started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 (all true, look it up if you don't believe me). Talk about being able to produce and distribute information to the masses.
Which brings us to today. Humans have an innate need to communicate.
Politicians and government have an innate need to "control" the media. All well and good, but seriously, can politicians control the press? Well sometimes. I mean clearly FOX news is conservative and CNN has a love in with Obama and the liberals, but what to do when you get a rogue paper or god forbid, people who write letters to the editor?
Well, McCarthy in the US in the 1950's had a solution, but in the end that failed. Russia and East Germany took a kick at the can but failed. Castro has had a longer run, but even that is waning fast. China is flexing its muscles and if only they hadn't "accidently" ran over that guy in Tiananmen Square in 1989 I am sure none of us would still be paying attention, right? Actually the truth is, without communication tools we never would have known.
So...the point and I do have one is, the internet is mankinds newest communication tool.
Whereas even the biggest print media of the day (say The National Enquirer during the O.J. trial) can not communicate with the distribution potential of the internet.
And so here is a word of advice.
If any local politicans have taken to their beds recently with the vapours because they have just discovered the power of the internet to get one individual's opinion, which is guaranteed under the Candian Charter of Rights, to the masses, or at least 65 people a day on this blog, I say you are a Luddite and need to get with the program.
There are laws that control what people say (slander). There are laws that control what people write (libel). What you can NOT control are people's opinions and the ability to express them, or how they distribute them.
Get with the new social media form (hint it is called the internet, tweeting, blogging, etc. etc.) or get left in its dust.
And honestly, stop doing this...
Because it doesn't help. Just makes you look silly.
Get a blog, seriously.
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