The Elephant of Our Times
http://www.politicnow.com/articles/2104/1/The-Elephant-of-Our-Times/Page1.html
Red Thread
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By Red Thread
Published on 07/14/2011
It appears the phrase, "An elephant never forgets," is rooted in the notion that, because elephants have the largest brain of any land animal, they can store more memories; also, elephants religiously follow the same migratory paths throughout their lives.
Too bad for former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) the elephant referenced in the headline isn't a pachyderm; I'm speaking, of course, of the Internet.
Too bad for former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) the elephant referenced in the headline isn't a pachyderm; I'm speaking, of course, of the Internet.
The Elephant of Our Times
It appears the phrase, "An elephant never forgets," is rooted in the notion that, because elephants have the largest brain of any land animal, they can store more memories; also, elephants religiously follow the same migratory paths throughout their lives.
Too bad for former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) the elephant referenced in the headline isn't a pachyderm; I'm speaking, of course, of the Internet.
No other time in recorded history has the permanence of nearly anything written - or photographed - been so available to billions of people, presumably ad infinitum.
What Mr. Weiner did, by sending some (arguably) sexy self-portraits over the information superhighway, isn't new. In fact, he's just the latest shnook in the ongoing tragedy of underestimating the Internet's ability to retain everything.
The congressman had no choice but to resign - the public would never be allowed to forget his misplaced bravado. As an elected representative to Congress (and a married man), he should have exercised better judgment.
Now, Mr. Weiner's wiener is part of the public record. His wife and their future child can Google that now-infamous surname and see, in a full-frontal way, how ripped - and virile - the former congressman was.
But, steering the conversation away from pecs and peccadilloes, the teachable moment (as President Obama would say) is: Prudence is a virtue.
The Internet - engine of revolution - is an element my generation was not raised on and my children will never know life without it. Thus, the imperative we exercise the judgment Mr. Weiner failed to do (and with such severe repercussions).
The Internet is alluring because of its unprecedented ability to connect people visually and rhetorically. It's no coincidence the current Arab Spring is being sustained largely through the power of the Internet.
However, the instantaneousness of its power has a downside: There's little, if any, allowance for consequential reflection.
When I wrote a blog about a snow day spent with the kids last winter, and used a photograph of them as the accompanying art, a friend reminded me that I should be mindful of placing their young faces on the Internet. It was good advice.
Unlike Facebook, which is a proprietary (or closed) system - albeit one with 500 million members - the Internet knows no bounds; and there is no "delete" button. What seems cool or OK, permissible or benign now, may not in 20 years.
Thus, when people blog countless screeds about their former spouse, or 15 year olds send Nabokov-inspired photos to their friends, we hope they remember those photos and stories exist well beyond the here and now.
Too bad for former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) the elephant referenced in the headline isn't a pachyderm; I'm speaking, of course, of the Internet.
No other time in recorded history has the permanence of nearly anything written - or photographed - been so available to billions of people, presumably ad infinitum.
What Mr. Weiner did, by sending some (arguably) sexy self-portraits over the information superhighway, isn't new. In fact, he's just the latest shnook in the ongoing tragedy of underestimating the Internet's ability to retain everything.
The congressman had no choice but to resign - the public would never be allowed to forget his misplaced bravado. As an elected representative to Congress (and a married man), he should have exercised better judgment.
Now, Mr. Weiner's wiener is part of the public record. His wife and their future child can Google that now-infamous surname and see, in a full-frontal way, how ripped - and virile - the former congressman was.
But, steering the conversation away from pecs and peccadilloes, the teachable moment (as President Obama would say) is: Prudence is a virtue.
The Internet - engine of revolution - is an element my generation was not raised on and my children will never know life without it. Thus, the imperative we exercise the judgment Mr. Weiner failed to do (and with such severe repercussions).
The Internet is alluring because of its unprecedented ability to connect people visually and rhetorically. It's no coincidence the current Arab Spring is being sustained largely through the power of the Internet.
However, the instantaneousness of its power has a downside: There's little, if any, allowance for consequential reflection.
When I wrote a blog about a snow day spent with the kids last winter, and used a photograph of them as the accompanying art, a friend reminded me that I should be mindful of placing their young faces on the Internet. It was good advice.
Unlike Facebook, which is a proprietary (or closed) system - albeit one with 500 million members - the Internet knows no bounds; and there is no "delete" button. What seems cool or OK, permissible or benign now, may not in 20 years.
Thus, when people blog countless screeds about their former spouse, or 15 year olds send Nabokov-inspired photos to their friends, we hope they remember those photos and stories exist well beyond the here and now.