Term Paper on "Unconscious: Book Burnings in WWII"

Term Paper 7 pages (2145 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The venue for these forms of cultural communication has moved from primarily written documents and spoken words to a vast, digital environment that enables rapid and transparent communication across an entire world populous.

A manifestation of this new demand for unfettered access to information of every type can be seen in the open universities that are currently burgeoning. What makes this movement all the more remarkable is that it has been endorsed by major private universities across the United States, and in other locations across the globe. Where the Internet was once core to the existence of marginalized technologically savvy social misfits, it is now the platform for completely legitimate new ways of providing education. What is perhaps most remarkable about this change is that, in many places, access is provided for free or at a deeply discounted rate that does not contribute to any real profit of these major institutions. Remarkably, in some arenas, this open-university coursework has been viewed as a way to ensure institutions of higher education have access to the extraordinary minds and talents of young people who live their lives in digital spaces. When universities fail to attract these technological geniuses, business enterprises are stepping in. Entrepreneurial creative think tanks are popping up in cities long associated with high tech, such as Cupertino, San Mateo, San Francisco, Seattle, and Redmond. If higher education cannot -- or will not -- meet the needs of these mostly young high tech experts, then businesses will provide the venues.

The material conscious of book burning contributed to a determination to create and maintain openness and acceptance of diversity. Certainly, the line from the actual burning of books just prior to World War II to the new open source culture is a tangential one, nurtured as it was by enormous social change that rode the coattails of technological innovation. Moreover, diversity has been embraced in the larger society to a degree unimaginable in the run-up years of the two world wars. Of the many groups of people who are categorized as diverse in contemporary society -- a contradiction in and of itself -- are the technical experts that bolster the new global information and communication societies. Few groups that are identified as divers -- existing somewhat outside the margins of the common social norms -- have achieved the status of the technical experts of today. Consider that this evolution from geeky outcast to revered expert has occurred in just one generation, and it seems to be without a precedent of similar scope or nature.

A parallel can be drawn between the social position of Helen Keller and the geeks of yesterday -- if not today. Possessing skills and a singular focus beyond the typical experience of most people in society today, the techies of our world are accepted because of what they contribute -- and because their capacity exceeds the range of what is considered to be normal. The remarkable tenacity of Helen Keller, combined with her intellect and finely tuned moral compass, is similar to the singular sort of focus exhibited by technology experts who seem to live in the digital environments they create and prowl. While geeks deliberately create an internal world that few with lesser talents and experience can comprehend, Helen Keller lived in an internal world that was not of her making, on the one hand, but very much of her making on the other. A person with less determination, not as bright, and perhaps without the coaching, cajoling, and support of equally determined teachers could not have created such fruit from such barrenness. The world has changed greatly since Helen Keller's book was burned, but in places, it has changed not at all.

1

[Type text] READ MORE

How to Reference "Unconscious: Book Burnings in WWII" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Culture Theme Essay

Spheres: Men and women and the 'battle of the sexes' before and after the film

Adam's Rib

Man's love is of man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence.… read more

Essay 8 pages (2773 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Assessment for Training of the Metropolitan Police Department Term Paper

Training of the Metropolitan Police Department

Context of the Problem

Brief History of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area Police/

Community Relations since World War II

Major Problems Preventing Positive… read more

Term Paper 47 pages (12930 words) Sources: 30 Topic: Crime / Police / Criminal Justice

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>