Friday, February 10, 2006

This is only a test

Active Noise Cancellation is the new watchword in personal audio technology, and is just the latest in a long line of personal protective equipment. See if you can detect a theme in the following list: spam filters, mailbox rules, block lists, allow lists, internet filters, adware scrubbers, popup blockers, message machines, call screening, the national don’t-even-think-of-calling-me list, the V-chip, Personal video recorders, pay per view. There is a whole sector of new industries that exist, not to supply product, but to block it from your life.

We just came through a Christmas season (there’s that word again) where a major debate was waged on the issue of individuals desiring to have freedom from religion. Maybe we could apply that same logic to other constitutionally guaranteed “rights.” What about freedom from speech, or from the press, or from the press of speech? I mean, you can say whatever you want, but why do I have to listen? And if I don’t happen to catch the original quote, what benefit can anyone see in replaying a solid week of misrepresented sound bites?

Here’s a question. How many of the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution are we now actively and purposefully filtering out of our lives?

Hello?

(is this thing working?)

Hello?

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