The “Generational Discourse” Discourse
Posting from the 8th International Computer Ethics / Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) conference in Corfu, Greece.
Today’s sessions have been an enlightening experience, particularly Fran Grodzinsky and Herman Tavani’s “Can the ‘Contextual Integrity’ model of privacy be applied to personal blogs in the blogosphere?” talk (which I had been looking forward to all week). While I took a lot away from the presentation and discussion, I left feeling a bit like a boxer thrown in the ring with one hand tied behind his back.
Underlying the entire talk (and explicitly driving a decent chunk of the discussion) was the loathsome “generational discourse” in its worst form: “Young people today don’t care about privacy.” Given the brief time allotted for discussion, I did not get a chance to engage the idea directly and was mostly reduced to venting my frustrations on Twitter. Now, however, I’d like to take a brief moment to push back with more than 140 characters. Consider this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance:”
Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! in the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then, he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary.
That being said, I – as a young person online – would like to speak directly to the established minds in the fields of computer and information ethics, in whose presence I have been much humbled this weekend:
Understand that this “generational discourse” is not ours – it is wholly yours. In that sense, there is no generational discourse. There is no discourse between the generations of digital immigrants and digital natives on issues of privacy and context online. It is nothing more than a one-sided belief circulated among older academics that undermines critical discussion of the changing relationship between all people (not just young people) and increasingly pervasive information technologies. Do not assume we don’t care. Do not assume, as Emerson put it, that we have no force. Bashful or bold, let’s kill this “generational discourse” and replace it with a genuine discourse between the generations – one that assures open and dynamic discussion of the value of privacy in today’s information society.
Dan “I don’t play gotcha” Kleinman
Dan Kleinman, the man behind the curtain in Ginny Maziarka’s Oz in the West Bend Library book challenge (update and info), does not (according to his SafeLibraries blog) “play gotcha.” As he astutely notes, “…nobody is a computer and is expected to remember everything they ever said.” This is certainly a fair and diplomatic assertion.
The politics of “gotcha” journalism or “gotcha” blogging are indeed crude and ineffective. They strip statements of the context that is vital for their understanding. Too often they don’t acheive ther intended goal, which is to expose hypocrisy. Rather, they twist and coerce statements into a black or white mold that is tailor-made to fit this polarized argument or that polarized argument.
On this note, I’m not sure Dan Kleinman understands what he is saying when he claims he does not “play gotcha.”
UWM School of Information Studies Statement of Support for the West Bend Library
Proud to be a UWM-SOIS student today:
UW-M School of Information Studies Statement of Support for the West Bend Library
April 14, 2009In recent weeks, two citizens of West Bend, Wisconsin have petitioned the West Bend Community Memorial Library to remove gay-themed books from a section designated “Young Adults,” arguing the books should be reclassified and placed in a restricted area requiring parental approval prior to being released to a minor. They further demand that the books be labeled with a warning about their content, arguing that they are obscene and pornographic.
The books in question include:
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books, a division of Simon & Schuster)
- “The Geography Club” by Brent Hartinger (HarperTeen, a division of HarperCollins)
- “Deal With It! a whole new approach to your body, brain and life as a gURL” by Esther Drill (Pocket, a division of Simon & Schuster)
The books are from major publishers, sold in general bookstores, and are available in public and high school libraries throughout the state.
Throughout the history of the American public library, special interest groups have attempted to exert a disproportionate degree of influence on the development of a community wide resource. Whatever the intentions of any of these groups, the public library is required to maintain a standard of intellectual integrity within a sometimes-volatile situation.
The public library was developed to be the anchor of free inquiry in our democracy. We believe that mission is still relevant today. Over 15,000 public library branches throughout the United States maintain access to quality materials collected and arranged according to national standards developed by thoughtful and committed information professionals. The administration and staff of the West Bend Community Library are among those professionals and public scholars dedicated to principles of open access, inclusive collections, and community service. The education of these professionals is rigorous and expansive, demanding sophisticated skills in assessment, development and leadership; it ensures their preparedness to take the lead in developing and delivering information resources to their communities.
We, the faculty and teaching academic staff at the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, along with the SOIS Graduate Student Organization, commend the West Bend Community Memorial Library Board of Trustees, administration, and staff for their support of the principle of intellectual freedom in the face of pressure to abandon their professional and communal commitments.
Misadventures in Social Marketing: Universal Music Group and Me
Yesterday was an exciting day! I slept late, grabbed some coffee from my local co-op, and moseyed on into work. Waiting for me in my office was the copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4: Design Standard I had ordered for my MacBook. (!) I settle in at my desk, fire up said MacBook, launch Firefox, check Gmail, check campus email, check Twitter, check Tumblr, and…wait…what?
And that’s where our story begins…
Some Thoughts on Intellectual Freedom, Plurality and the West Bend Library Book challenge
Wisconsin readers of SDIF may already be aware of the ongoing books challenge in West Bend, WI. Local Fox6 News has a video clip on the matter here (though you may cringe at its rhetorical pandering to this absurd construct collectively known as “the culture wars.” At least I did.)
While the situation has blown up into a call for the removal of certain GLBTQ books by the local religious community, that was not originally the case. Initially, (as I have come to understand it) the challenge centered around the book lists on the West Bend library’s website for Young Adults. A mother was concerned that the GLBTQ book list contained, in her mind, only pro-gay literature (whatever that means). Her request was that some sort of alternative viewpoint (specifically, a Christian-based homophobic one) be represented there as well. Presumably, this would come in the form of Christian “conversion” literature. That is, literature claiming that through Christian faith, one can overcome (or, in some iterations, “cure”) their homosexuality.
Now, this post is not intended to address the ideological battle over whether or not homosexuality is some sort of “sin.” I will state that I am certain it is not a sin, and that to believe otherwise is to engage in bigotry, plain and simple. I further believe that “conversion” literature has no place in a public library’s Young Adult section (or, in most cases, any section). But, again, while I am more than happy to argue why elsewhere, I do not look to do so here.
Rather, I would like to address some of the discussions among library and information science students and professionals that I have been privy to as of late. Specifically, I would like to address what seems to be a common consensus that, in the name of Intellectual Freedom, the GLBTQ books should not be removed and that some sort of “conversion” literature should be necessarily added to the collection.
In short: I find this quick consensus to be alarming and, frankly, dangerous.
Google Latitude: The Loneliest Place on Earth
I got on board with Google’s Latitude shortly after its unveiling last week. I was curious on two fronts, 1) to see what kind of privacy mess it could be and 2) to see what kind of utility a location-based social media app might have for my life. After a few days of playing around it seems I’ve (mostly) had my curiosities satisfied…
Download Me Do
Norway’s national broadcasting service (NRK) gets the greenlight to post a boatload of free podcasts that, among other things, happen to contain the entire Beatles’ catalog.
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