...and crawling on the planet's face;
some insects called the human race
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
Nostalgia equates to the past being merely the present with the immediate experience of the self extracted.
Analogue nostalgists often lament the loss of all the little bits between zero and one but, like it or not, this is a digital world.
Digital even out beyond the realms of calculating screens and cursor flashing colossus; beyond keyboard Rosetta stone and windows hieroglyphic; beyond the microscopic switching processor where ones and zeros jostle for position to present your every whim in LCD splendour.
Digital even out beyond the harmonics emitted from strings of violins or the sine wave serenade from the back of the throat; every utterance and visual input converted to chopped off bits - translating a curve to a step.
Even here in this little box reserved for placing your digital X next to the name of the candidate of your choice; even here you’re either…
red or blue
Republican or Democrat
Catholic or Protestant
Left or Right
Right or Wrong
Even here where you kneel (in denyal) to worship, you’re either…
Saint or sinner
Christian or Muslim
East or west
Saved or damned
Terrorist or Crusader
Infinite choice is thus reduced to this or that.
Digital thought; digital control, digital receipt when they dig that digital hole.
You're either with us or against us; hero or zero.
You're either fat or thin; happy or sad – and we have pharmaceuticals for all permutations of ones and zeroes.
You're either rich or poor, in or out (but no shaking all about – we have pharmaceuticals for that one too)
We’re either black or white; slave or master.
The numbers add up:
0 (me)
1 (you)
1+1=10 (you and me)
10+1=11 (them; you and you)
11+1=100 (you and me and me; the masses)
Your genetic markers may switch from off to on; neatly contained and dutifully performing.
But no matter who you are; one or zero; or where your digit sits, you’re all part of the system; of the overall number. And as such have the power to change the overall number just by being born.
Analogue nostalgists often lament the loss of all the little bits between zero and one but, like it or not, this is a digital world.
Digital even out beyond the realms of calculating screens and cursor flashing colossus; beyond keyboard Rosetta stone and windows hieroglyphic; beyond the microscopic switching processor where ones and zeros jostle for position to present your every whim in LCD splendour.
Digital even out beyond the harmonics emitted from strings of violins or the sine wave serenade from the back of the throat; every utterance and visual input converted to chopped off bits - translating a curve to a step.
Even here in this little box reserved for placing your digital X next to the name of the candidate of your choice; even here you’re either…
red or blue
Republican or Democrat
Catholic or Protestant
Left or Right
Right or Wrong
Even here where you kneel (in denyal) to worship, you’re either…
Saint or sinner
Christian or Muslim
East or west
Saved or damned
Terrorist or Crusader
Infinite choice is thus reduced to this or that.
Digital thought; digital control, digital receipt when they dig that digital hole.
You're either with us or against us; hero or zero.
You're either fat or thin; happy or sad – and we have pharmaceuticals for all permutations of ones and zeroes.
You're either rich or poor, in or out (but no shaking all about – we have pharmaceuticals for that one too)
We’re either black or white; slave or master.
The numbers add up:
0 (me)
1 (you)
1+1=10 (you and me)
10+1=11 (them; you and you)
11+1=100 (you and me and me; the masses)
Your genetic markers may switch from off to on; neatly contained and dutifully performing.
But no matter who you are; one or zero; or where your digit sits, you’re all part of the system; of the overall number. And as such have the power to change the overall number just by being born.
4 comments:
Ah, the damnable plurality
Of our digital duality
Parsing the continuum of reality
Into energy or materiality
Big bang originality
And eschaton finality
Right or wrong
Short or long
It's all games
Of naming names
As if we knew
The universal brew
I think it is difficult for humans to integrate opposites and understand ambivalence. I enjoyed this intelligent discussion and it makes a good case for the necessity of good public education.
BTW Thanks for your encouragement of my writing. I decided to play with more accessible language for a while.
if x=x
and y=y,
then what does x+y equal ?
a new pair of shoes .....?
or identity?
i'm beginning to feel like a bit of a barcode...
well..when you say it like that....
k
:))
Post a Comment