Friday, March 25, 2005

Stories of slavery--and resistance

I am currently reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. The book is a fascinating look into Iranian society, describing this woman's experiences during the time of the Shah, the revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, until she finally left Iran and moved to the US. She was a professor of English literature in an Iranian university, and directly experienced the totalitarian assault on women's rights and intellectual freedom.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (by Frederick Douglass) is another eye-opener. This was written in the 1850's, and it vividly describes the master-slave relationship, along with the relationships among the slaves and how the broader society participated in their enslavement.

Please tell me of any other books that describe the lives of the enslaved.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

The Internet Revolution has Little to do with Technology | Acts of Volition

I found a little insight from the "Acts of Volition" blog, where Steven points out that the Internet may be changing the way that we view society and may have radical repercussions far beyond the Internet itself:The Internet Revolution has Little to do with Technology A good discussion follows the post.

I've had similar thoughts about "the Internet" fundamentally changing how I view society. The Internet became popular when I was a teenager and I am constantly fascinated by how our modern communication technologies are changing the experience of being a kid. I think my childhood would have been a lot different with multiplayer online computer games and cell phones.