From: Anonymous <nobody@REPLAY.COM>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 02:30:14 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Overcoming War with Information
Message-ID: <199711181815.TAA24353@basement.replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Monty Cantsin writes:

> What the Net and cypherpunkly tools create is a world in which there
> are not easily identified disjoint sets because any particular net of
> relationships that a person has tends to overlap the relationship nets
> of other people who have a dissimilar set of relationships.
> 
> This is a more reliable and robust world to live in because there is a
> great deal of redundancy.  That is, the elites of two countries cannot
> conspire to use their respective sets of serfs as cannon fodder in
> some ill advised adventure.  It's hard to get excited about a war run
> by people who are not your friends against people who happen to live
> in another part of the world but with whom you have a relationship.

Good point, but it's important to realize that these new attitudes are
only available to people who have access to the tools.  Much of the world
is still trapped in a dark age, without access to the light brought by
tools for communication.  Powerful interests seek to keep them that way.
Until that changes, the old mindset of us-against-them will continue to
be a threat to peace.

We as cypherpunks must be leaders in encouraging wider access to
communications and the tools which manage information.  It's not
right to target our message narrowly to the militias and racists
who gravitate towards anti-government causes.  We must be inclusive,
offering encouragement to other cultures, other races, other countries.
Anti-Japanese, anti-Jewish, anti-Black, anti-Arab sentiments will only
hinder our success, and likewise with our emphasis on violence, killing,
and death as solutions to problems.

The fact that other cultures are often repressive in their own right is
no excuse.  The tools we offer will help them become more open-minded
and inclusive.  But we must set an example ourselves.  It is a tragedy
that the message of hate is being propagated within a technological
movement which should foster openness and enlightenment.  We can do
better than this.