Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Paddy Chayefsky?

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:1/1/1999; 5:29:36 PM
Topic:Person of the Millenium?
Msg #:1793 (In response to 1792)
Prev/Next:1792 / 1794

>>no human civilization could exist in political, economic, or cultural isolation ever again

That was the theme of today's NY Times editorial page, and was also the theme of my piece on this, that at the beginning of the millennium people lived in isolated villages at dramatically different stages of civilization. At the end of the millennium we are in danger of losing all our uniqueness, due to the flattening-out effect of TV. I heard a report on NPR that 80 percent of the homes in the Persian Gulf have DSS, and get their news from CNN. It won't be long before the polls are measuring them too.

I talked about it with a friend yesterday and she said that medicine was the greatest accomplishment of the millennium, that thanks to medicine we all live longer and healthier, much more so than in 1000.

Maybe instead of looking back, the choice for POTM should look forward. Maybe it should be like a mega-scale Nobel Peace Prize. Who's ideas have proven most prophetic? Martin Luther King? Teddy Roosevelt? John Lennon? Paddy Chayefsky?

http://www.eonline.net/Facts/Movies/0,60,12140,00.html

Just some more thoughts, thanks for reviving this topic, I think there's still a bunch more juice in it.

Dave

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