In late September and early October EMR posted four notes on the prospect of obtaining a sustainable trajectory for civilization. These posts generated an inordinate number of unfounded, negative comments. Since Jim Bacon has taken on new responsibilities, he no longer has time for comments such as “… I have been editing EMR’s work for X years and never once have I seen him suggest …” Without these admonitions, the attacks have become more pointed, more personal and farther from the topic of the post.
Based on the tone and content of the comments it appeared useful to more carefully analyze the responses to the four posts: “Fundamental Transformation” (21 September 2008), “Toward a Sustainable Trajectory” (29 September 2008), “Obstacles on the Path to a Sustainable Trajectory” (3 October 2008), and “Worth Noting Again” (3 October 2008).
For reasons noted previously on this Blog, EMR does not read all the comments so did not have a full grasp of how far comments had deteriorated. A comment by comment analysis found there was no basis for many of the attacks and no indication that most commentors had tried to understand or even read the material posted and cited.
The majority – but not all – of the comments had the sole intent on discounting, discrediting and belittling. They included inaccurate summaries of web searches, links to sparky and irrelevant material and gratuitous diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.
A NEW APPROACH
SYNERGY is in the final stages of editing TRILO-G for publication. At this point there is a need for short sections and supplemental text to tie current events to the larger context – the exploration of the economic, social and physical ramifications of functional and dysfunctional human settlement patterns.
After a review of the comments following the four posts noted above it was determined that it would speed up the pre-publication editing process if unedited first drafts of TRILO-G material was posted on the blog.
The trial posts included “It is Elementary,” (10 October 2008), “The Role of the Media,” (11 October 2008), “Swift Boating the Mortgage Crisis,” (12 October 2008) and “The Bottom Line,” 13 October 2008). Other drafts material has also been posted.
Why would someone post these drafts?
This is the free market at work. Posting these drafts is the cheapest and fastest way to sniff out passages and topics that could become targets of intentional misrepresentations and distortions.
TRILO-G is being published with staff support and half a dozen colleagues who read and comment on the material in draft form. None of these reviewers can identify sentences and paragraphs that need armoring against unfounded criticism as fast as Bacons Rebellion commentors.
Posting the draft material is far more efficient than paying additional staff or hiring focus group managers to help sniff out material that is subject to unfounded attack. Bacons Rebellion commentors possess a well honed ability to identify statements that can be maliciously misinterpreted.
The results of the experiment have been spectacular! Thank you.
The statements that have been shown to be vulnerable to intentional misinterpretations and distortions have been and will revised / restated before the Beta draft appears. The content of the four posts noted above will become part of Chapter 29, in a section titled “It Is the Settlement Pattern, Stupid.” Other post will become parts of chapters throughout the text.
THE LARGER QUESTIONS
Having turned lemons to lemonade several larger questions remain. These questions are important if one is to develop an educational program to help citizens understand human settlement patterns and obtaining a sustainable trajectory for society.
What is the motivation for these attacks?
It this a problem with this Blog, with Blogging in general or with all media?
First, how can one be sure that many are intentional misinterpretations and distortions and not just statements of uniformed or misinformed personal opinion? A careful reading suggests that a few do not bother to address the subject of the post and almost no one addresses the core idea. Commentors most often pick a phrase or sentence and then attack. They appear to be sure anything EMR presents is wrong so any attack is justified.
EMR knows from direct feedback that many readers do understand but that is not what comes across in th comments. Some who understand say they do not want to be subject to slings and arrows of the flamers.
It is clear that Flamers desire a forum. There will always be 20 percent who claim the Earth is flat and they find a place to express their views in Blog comments.
In a larger context this “vocal minority” may be a root cause the He Said / She Said “journalism” of MainStream Media profiled in THE ESTATES MATRIX.
(Favorite quote of the weekend: “The public’s frankly gotten frustrated with the conventional of objectivity, the idea that you (journalists) have to present both side of the story, even if one side is completely bogus.” In WaPo Magazine “Onion Nation.”)
In response to the heap of negative comments there are a number of other observations that will be posted from time to time.
In the meantime, here is an example of a brief section of draft material that has been added to Chapter 3:
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STRAWPERSONS – RED HERRING EMPLOYED IN DEFENSE OF MYTHS
Beyond the three well articulated diversions noted above there is an avalanche of strawpersons; Red herring tossed up to divert attention from Myths.
One favorite from the realm of blogging is “The Pregnant Mother of Two” championed by Blogger Bob. This strawperson was put forth to justify Autonomobile dominated settlement patterns that would facilitate The Pregnant Mother of Two driving to a supermarket in a Large, Private Vehicle. If anything impedes the use of Large, Private Vehicles it would be a gross affront to civilized society in the view of Blogger Bob because it would make life miserable for The Pregnant Mother of Two.
Shall we consider the real world?
A far smaller percentage of citizens are pregnant at any given time than the percentage who are always isolated by near exclusive dependence on the autonomobile for Access and Mobility.
This reality becomes even more critical as the population ages. Even more important, the number who are isolated by Autocentric settlement patterns rises dramatically as the cost of Autonomobility rises.
Even the most rudimentary calculation of alternative settlement pattern costs demonstrate that it would be far cheaper a build a special environment for pregnant women to shop for necessities than to create millions of acres of dysfunctional settlement patterns.
One could design a Community-serving hyper*mart with isles wide enough to drive to car-window-accessible shelves. The subsidy to make this facility available to certified pregnant women would be paid for by the vast savings due to functional settlement patterns in the rest of the Community. The general public could shop in the Pregnant Woman Center if they paid the full cost. This would work just like the justification for HOT lanes. One can just imagine the opportunities for public private partnerships…
But wait, the Pregnant Mothers of Two can now shop by phone and have the goods delivered. And what is the responsibility to support the Household of the person who got her pregnant? Oh, right, he is so busy overcoming dysfunctional settlement patterns he has no time to help out.
The questions are endless but irrelevant when one understands that it would
be far more effective and far more efficient to evolve functional settlement patterns Community-wide.
A functional environment would be better for all women – pregnant or not – and for all small children – with or without a pregnant mother. The bottom line it would be better for everyone. This better alternative of functional human settlement patterns is explored in the “social impact chapters” (8 and 9) of The Shape of the Future and specifically in the discussion of “It takes a Village” in Chapter 9, Box 3. Also see “A Yard Where Johnny Can Run and Play,” 1 December 2003.
If Blogger Bob would bother to run the numbers, he would understand the need for functional human settlement patterns. Does he do that? No, he parades out The Pregnant Mother of Two who in his mind must be given the opportunity drive a Large, Private Vehicle to a big parking lot outside a store to get provisions for her family regardless of the cumulative consequences.
This is typical of the strawperson tossed up to obfuscate attempts to eliminate settlement pattern Myths.
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By the way, if you did not pass the Monday Morning Test you may not understand.
More responses in due course.
EMR