Morlock Elloi on Thu, 5 Aug 2010 16:51:59 +0200 (CEST)


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Re: <nettime> The Return of DRM


Whether Wikileaks is an example of successful asymetrical warfare remains to be seen.

The state appears confident that the sufficient percentage of
relevant population has been converted to zombies. See the
intelligence-insulting rhetoric from the highest places, and imagine
who it is targeted to. In that light, revelations of any kind become
irrelevant.

The free speech exists in principalities where media control is
sophisticated enough that individual free speech is harmless.
Something similar may happen with "astonishing revelations". They
will become harmless, because the apparatus of population control is
sophisticated enough.

We see an example of this with executive's impunity - what Nixon
got impeached for, modern execs routinely do on a weekly basis, not
even hiding it. The fact that "secrets" that Wikileaks revealed were
available to (hundreds of) thousands "insiders" hints that the state
does not care about keeping them secret.

Is this just arrogance or confidence in the mechanisms of power is
not quite clear, but if I had to bet I'd bet on latter: the relevant
percentage of population may continue to support the war, because it's
the Right Thing, without further argumentation, and soon everyone will
know everything and it will not change anything. Wikileaks will become
mainstream and proof of democracy in the first world, and the wars
will go on, just because.

After all, the war is just business, and the current wars are very
successful businesses, which is why they go on. Of course someone had
to help Taliban, otherwise the war would become unsustainable. Check
out Catch-22 some time.



> stopped arguing. Meanwhile, Wikileaks is indeed the best thing to
> look at, if you like to understand more. 'nuff said.



      


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