I'm probably going to post a second and inevitable part to the Enemies list before the weekend is up - and to be fair this one is just too easy and too obvious. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
But before I do, I thought it would be best, in the name of equal representation - just so the Enemies don't fell as though I'm singling them out and picking on them - that I'd better even up and post an Ally first.
The first Ally, is not one I would call easy, but I would say that there never really was any competition for who I would pick first.
A smart man, who regularly writes thought provoking and challenging views on life on this big blue marble.
Dr. David Brin.
He is an astro-physicist and author, known mostly for his Science Fiction, but whom should not be judged by his penchant for speculative reality.
His metaphorical looks at society are generally fun and often pretty dense when it comes to popular sci-fi, but above and beyond that, his thinking on various social issues - particularly his long-view on where we are developing as a culture - are disturbing and convincing.
This one, sparked largely by the November election in the U.S., resonates particularly well.
Also check out his book "The Transparent Society" which suggests amongst many other things, the frightening thought that we cannot stop the loss of our privacy by way of cameras on every street corner and elsewhere - but he does suggest that the concommitant "Big Brother State" is not an inevitable consequence, if we play our cards right. There is no point in fighting the former, it's just wasting our energy. Energy that could be used to direct the outcome towards a positive result where the watchers are effortlessly watched in return and we are all happily accountable for our actions.
It may be tough to swallow, but his arguments are provocative and convincing. It may not be the most pleasant thought, but he may well be right, and if so, we can't afford not to have listened. For that reason, he is my first Ally.
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