Bricolage

Just a quick post in support of Internet Freedom, and against the bill now in congress that would allow major Internet Service Providers to slow down connections to websites that have not paid their fee.  The Internet exists in a cyberspace that belongs to all of us.  I have no problem with ISP’s charging users for connection, as they do, and making a profit off of that.  But to charge at both ends, and to restrict in any way the information that is available to us on the Internet is, in my mind, something that should not happen.  The government should be in the business of protecting us from corporate predators, not in the business of selling the Internet to the highest bidder.  If you need more information, please see the article here:  http://telephonyonline.com/regulatory/news/bell_internet_coalitiion_042406/.

One admission I have to make.  I teach History via the Internet for my employer, Honolulu Community College.  HCC would not be able to afford to pay major providers should this threat become reality, and I do expect to see enrollments drop if this should occur.  I am not a disinterested party.  I don’t think any of us are.

One of the interesting questions that I have received from students recently has to do with the daVinci Code – particularly its truth, or lack thereof, and the problem of the Opus Dei conspiracy theory. I have also noticed in the news an amazing (to my mind) discussion within the Christian community regarding the potential for damage or benefit to Christians resulting from the release of the movie.

I will hold my tongue, anD say only once, THE DAVINCI CODE IS FICTION.

But this discussion of such a popular work that has its basis in a conspiracy theory does bring up a truly interesting question that I have been confronted with before but never really wrestled with. That is, how does a history teacher deal with conspiracy theories in class, and out of class with individual students? It is both rude, and unhelpful, to scoff at a student’s questions about a conspiracy theory. It belittle’s the student, and I think it is a waste of a great opportunity to help the student learn.

Usually, what I have tried to do in the past has been to examine the conspiracy theory in question by putting its major assumptions into historical context, then using evidence to slowly pare down the fishbowl view that is necessary to believe in such a conspiracy. This, however, seems to amount to little more than a nice way to scoff and demolish the theory that I said was rude above.

In the last few days, though, I suppose inspired by the high gross box office receipts of the daVinci Code, and the recognition that they bring to me that I will receive numerous questions on Opus Dei and the Catholics in the Fall, I have been trying to find a better way to deal with this problem.

It seems to me that the best way to steer students away from conspiracy theories is to find a way to point out, concisely and in clear language, the vast number of possible chains of cause and effect that surround any given act or decision within its own present. To show how so many possibilities exist, and then to show the liklihood that one set of events leading to a predetermined outcome can be decided upon by one or more people, and then events manipulated such that they actually make the choices that lead to that outcome, and that this can be done for all of the people and events that need to be influenced over all of the years during which this influence needs to occur and be adjusted. . .

So I need to look for the way to do this. Tonight, though, I have had my wisdom tooth out, and my body is exhasted, my mind tired and drugged up, so I will stop here, now that I have the idea down. I hope to take it further in another post soon.