This document is a reply to Tom Maddox's "Dark side of the Net" screed.
It was written by Charles "Bud" Spurgeon and copyright is retained by
the author.  The pice is reproduced here in the WELL's gopher server 
with the permission of the author.

Tom's original piece, "The Dark Side of the Net" is available on
the WELL gopher. The URL is:
gopher://gopher.well.sf.ca.us/11/Publications/LOCUS/dark.side

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From: spurgeon@well.sf.ca.us (Charles Spurgeon)
To: JZ
Subject: Re: locus: the dark side of the net
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 

JZ And an interesting reply to Tom's screed ...
 
 So why not, if you're going to be a failure in any real sense, at least find
 a place you have an *illusion* of success?  The only thing I have any hope
 for any more is Vernor Vinge's Singularity: when computers start becoming
 smarter than us (or help make us smarter) just maybe they'll find a solution
 in a virtual world somewhere.

A remarkably depressing take on what was already a depressing enough
screed.  Depressing enough because it is so accurate and well aimed.

About the only thing I could add to Tom's screed is that the net is
obsessively interesting because of the lack of alternatives.  

As "Tales of the City," "Roger and Me," et al show very directly is
how far we've come from the social engagements of the 1960s.  From the
sense that mere citizens could challenge the status quo, work to
change society, and maybe create a little world for themselves and
their friends that might be more fun.

Today the most socially significant book going is about life as a
dumpster diver.  About a bright, creative, articulate person trying to
get by in a society without alternatives.  A society without a niche
for someone who doesn't fit the 9-5 service sector mentality at all
well.  Now there's downward mobility with a vengeance.

The absence of something can be hard to detect.  The absence of
alternatives to Maggie's Farm these days is amazing.  You can work 90
hours a week in digital sweat shops run by Gates or Sculley.  You can
work 120 hour weeks working for yourself while trying to keep from
getting crushed to death by your fellow pirates in the free
marketplace.  And that's about it.

There used to be a plethora of small, fairly easy going jobs that paid
enough so you could get by.  Holding body and soul together was not
that big a challenge.  Young people could share a house and make the
expenses without a lot of angst.  No longer.  Things cost a lot more
than they used to, and the average salary has been frozen in buying
power for decades.  Result: no flexibility.  No alternatives.

So cyberspace is someplace to hide.  If you have high speed access you
can pretend to belong to the salons and the interesting groups that
used to exist in real time 20 or 30 years ago.  It's better than
nothing.  But as Tom points out, not much better.


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