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Before I went to bed this morning, I encountered a news story announcing that "The Internet" had been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The original story I saw claimed that it had made the short list. That turned out to be incorrect. In fact, as the BBC story linked above explains, there were a record number of nominations this year - over 200. Still not sure who on the list of qualified nominators would have done so, but I expect they're associated with Internet For Peace.
But, still... the whole idea of it...
Has wankery not reached Norway? Is there a special exemption that says *except 4chan? Who would get the prize money? Al Gore? Wasn't Time Magazine awarding Person of the Year to "You" enough? And why now?
Yes, I like the idea that better communications have brought us closer, and that information can rise above propaganda. But there's a lot more to the Internet than that. It's also used as a tool by terrorists. But more, it's used as a tool for communication. For everyday life. For passing around stupid cat macros.
I owe the Internet quite a bit. I've made friends around the world. It's really my primary source of human contact. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without it. But the Nobel Peace Prize? I don't think so. And if the Nobel committee has any sense, it won't make the actual short list, especially not while they're still trying to convince people that Obama (or, more properly, Obama's potential - since they say it's been used before to encourage future action rather than rewarding past actions... why else give it to Arafat?) deserved his.
But, hey, if it wins... I hope I get to hold it for a couple of minutes. That should be my fair share, don't you think?
But, still... the whole idea of it...
Has wankery not reached Norway? Is there a special exemption that says *except 4chan? Who would get the prize money? Al Gore? Wasn't Time Magazine awarding Person of the Year to "You" enough? And why now?
Yes, I like the idea that better communications have brought us closer, and that information can rise above propaganda. But there's a lot more to the Internet than that. It's also used as a tool by terrorists. But more, it's used as a tool for communication. For everyday life. For passing around stupid cat macros.
I owe the Internet quite a bit. I've made friends around the world. It's really my primary source of human contact. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without it. But the Nobel Peace Prize? I don't think so. And if the Nobel committee has any sense, it won't make the actual short list, especially not while they're still trying to convince people that Obama (or, more properly, Obama's potential - since they say it's been used before to encourage future action rather than rewarding past actions... why else give it to Arafat?) deserved his.
But, hey, if it wins... I hope I get to hold it for a couple of minutes. That should be my fair share, don't you think?
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