TEDTalks - How the Internet strengthens dictatorships

[Key]

YouTube- Evgeny Morozov: How the Internet strengthens dictatorships

[Rodney]

Ha, and here I was thinking the internet was going to create a free society. I stand corrected!

But here's the truth. Totalitarian government falls apart from passive people too. Because when people are masturbating to online porn, even though they're not protesting, at least they are 'wasting time'. And a totalitarian government falls apart when everyone isn't working.

So there is a fine line -- they want you to feel hopeless, but not too hopeless. Depression is actually humanity's best defense against totalitarianism.

Reminds me of the article I posted few days ago (http://abetalk.com/showthread.php?p=80952#post80952). In the article, the author says,
"When human beings feel too terrified and broken to actively protest, they may stage a 'passive-aggressive revolution' by simply getting depressed, staying drunk, and not doing anything -- this is one reason why the Soviet empire crumbled. However, the diseasing/medicalizing of rebellion and drug 'treatments' have weakened the power of even this passive-aggressive revolution." Read the article. I think you will like it.