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Author | Topic: Al Gore, the Internet, and the Gullibility of the Populace | |||||||||||||||||||||||
contracycle Inactive Member |
He's still a lame-ass carpetbagger taking credit for other peoples work.
I don;t recall the then-president taking credit for atomic power. I don;t recall the then-president taking credit for the telephone, or the light bulb, or whatever. Mostly, politicians have allowed the actual inventors to take the credit, and made some genuflection to the national spirit of ingenuity and natural creativity of the [insert state] people.
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Monk Member (Idle past 3952 days) Posts: 782 From: Kansas, USA Joined: |
Problem? I don't see a problem
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind. ---Albert Einstein
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Rrhain Member Posts: 6351 From: San Diego, CA, USA Joined: |
minnemooseus responds to me:
quote: It was an open letter they sent everywhere. Here's one reference to it:
Net builders Kahn, Cerf recognise Al Gore Rrhain WWJD? JWRTFM!
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Rrhain Member Posts: 6351 From: San Diego, CA, USA Joined: |
contracycle responds to me:
quote:quote: (*blink!*) You did not just say that, did you? Do you think anything happens without money? Considering that they were using a military network system, do you think it could have been done without Congressional approval and spending? There was more than one networking protocol at the time. Ever heard of BITNET? If you didn't use VAXen, you might not have. It had the big relay chat thing long before the Internet was ever heard of.
quote: ".com"? What is this ".com" you speak of? There was no such thing as ".com" in 1983. The first name server didn't come online until 1984 and .com, .net., and .org domains didn't appear until 1985.
quote: "HTTP"? What is this "HTTP" you speak of? The advent of the browser wouldn't appear until the 90s. The Internet as we know it is from 1983. Do not confuse the fact that you are seeing a pretty picture rather than plain text with some sort of new "version" of the Internet.
quote: And how is that not developing the networking protocol used by the Internet? What do you think the "I" in "IP" stands for?
quote: But they didn't! Where in their letter did they even hint that Gore had anything to do with programming the thing?
quote:quote: But he didn't. This is an awful lot like Bogie having said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca or Mae West having said, "What don't you come up and see me sometime," or Carl Sagan having said, "Billions and billions" in Cosmos None of those things happened. Lots of people think they happened, but they never did (that last was an invention of Johnny Carson doing an imitation of his friend, Sagan.) Gore never said he "invented" the Internet. I've quoted him at least twice. Surely you can remember what he said by now:
During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system. How does one possibly interpret this statement to mean that he "invented" the internet? Wolf Blitzer certainly didn't think it was weird when Gore said it straight to his face and nobody in the media thought to say anything about it for two days after. Only until Dick Armey decided to try and make some sort of political point about it did anybody care.
quote: And that's exactly what he did. He created what was necessary to make the Internet what we have today. The bill that does so bears his name. It's called the "Gore Act."
quote: But if you never claimed to have "INVENTED" it, what then? He didn't say what you think he said, contracycle. You bought the lie. Rrhain WWJD? JWRTFM!
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Rrhain Member Posts: 6351 From: San Diego, CA, USA Joined: |
Monk responds to me:
quote: Acutally, he did. The full recount of Florida found that Gore won, not Bush. Didn't you read the NORC report? Gore won. Rrhain WWJD? JWRTFM!
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Rrhain Member Posts: 6351 From: San Diego, CA, USA Joined: |
contracycle writes:
quote: Huh? The people whose work he's supposedly taking credit for don't think he tried to take credit for their work. Who are you to contradict them? Gore did not take credit for inventing the internet. He took credit for getting the government to make it what it is today. And he did. The bill that did it bears his name. It's called the "Gore Act." Rrhain WWJD? JWRTFM!
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Tusko Member (Idle past 129 days) Posts: 615 From: London, UK Joined: |
Isn't it scary that a public figure's words can be so utterly misrepresented, and his credibility severely damaged, EVEN WHEN HIS ORIGINAL WORDS ARE ON PUBLIC RECORD?
I remember a friend of mine telling me about Gore claiming to have invented the internet about a year ago. I thought it was really funny, and it seemed appropriate somehow. The image that was propogated by his opponents (that he was some kind of wooden, preppy freak) seemed to be rounded of nicely with a surreal piece of big-ego bluster. It makes a lovely narrative arc. The fact that it wasn't true obviously didn't stop it being funny, or it being propogated all over the place. Its a seductive idea - hey, maybe even a meme - and whether it is true or not doesn't have any bearing. People WANT it to be true. Often people can get these lovely funny little ideas stuck in their head about a public figure (or a personal aquaintance for that matter). This little idea becomes all you need to know about that person. It saves time and thought. Al Gore inventing the internet is one thing, but an example closer to (my) home is the leader of the Tory party "having something of the night about him" - an oft-repeated quote that has dogged him for several years now. He's supported some pretty repulsive policies, but it really aggravates me when people go "Oh, Michael Howard? Something of the night about that one!" as though thats all that needs to be said. Its shorthand for thinking. This message has been edited by Tusko, 04-08-2005 06:41 AM
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Monk Member (Idle past 3952 days) Posts: 782 From: Kansas, USA Joined: |
Irrelevant. Depending on which ideology you support, the Norc data can show Gore won or it can show Bush won.
It carries as much weight as the "Rrhain Report"
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coffee_addict Member (Idle past 505 days) Posts: 3645 From: Indianapolis, IN Joined: |
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AdminNosy Administrator Posts: 4754 From: Vancouver, BC, Canada Joined: |
Those should be accompanied by some commentary. They don't seem to be directly on the topic to me.
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coffee_addict Member (Idle past 505 days) Posts: 3645 From: Indianapolis, IN Joined: |
Those links weren't intended for debate. I just thought I'd provide some kind of info on the NORC report just in case some people don't know what they were talking about.
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Trae Member (Idle past 4334 days) Posts: 442 From: Fremont, CA, USA Joined: |
quote: Yeah, some people think Kennedy actually created the space program. We know that isn't the case because he never wrote any programing code, invented fuel mixtures, etc.
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Trae Member (Idle past 4334 days) Posts: 442 From: Fremont, CA, USA Joined: |
It is odd how some people think. I remember when this first came up and thinking, Oh he was a senator probably had something to do with moving it from government use to more general use.
What was immediately clear was that the vast bulk of media wasn’t interested in understanding what he meant or even exploring what the actual claim might be. In the conversations that have occurred, seems one topic isn’t really being discussed. What is the INTERNET. Until you define it, how can you decide anything? Seems to me that politically the INTERNET is more defined by scope and or access than specific technology.
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Monk Member (Idle past 3952 days) Posts: 782 From: Kansas, USA Joined: |
trae writes: What was immediately clear was that the vast bulk of media wasn’t interested in understanding what he meant or even exploring what the actual claim might be. In the conversations that have occurred, seems one topic isn’t really being discussed. What is the INTERNET. Until you define it, how can you decide anything? Actually, what should be clear is that politicians exaggerate, mince words, and spout gaffes. They ALL do it. The difference is that when it is done by a candidate that supports your particular ideology, it must be defended and placed in the context of a larger meaning. But when it is the opposition’s candidate then it is easier (and more fun) to ridicule.
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Rrhain Member Posts: 6351 From: San Diego, CA, USA Joined: |
Monk responds to me:
quote: Incorrect. You obviously didn't read the NORC report. It says that by every single standard that could be used to recount the entire vote, Gore won. The only way in which Gore lost is if there had only been a recount of the four counties Gore was asking for. If the recount of the entire state had been done (which the SCOTUS erroneously claimed could not be done in time), Gore won. Statewide count/Prevailing standards: Gore by 60 Statewide count/Custom standard: Gore by 171 Statewide count/Most inclusive standard: Gore by 107 Statewide count/Most restrictive standard: Gore by 115 Statewide count/Bush standard: Gore by 105 You did read the report, yes? Rrhain WWJD? JWRTFM!
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