Governments for the past half century have delighted in television, which has kept more people off the streets than nearly anything. Driving down most streets on most evenings, glowing television sets immobilize the vast majority of citizens who have, with their own money, purchased the television sets that tell them what to think.
“While they’re sitting there, we get to feed ’em full of whatever we want.”, say gleeful officials. Not only are we kept off the streets, but also, we’re brainwashed in as many ways as there are to brainwash us. Governments thought TV was wonderful. Each set was at the end of a licensed, well-controlled one-way street that carried whatever they wanted straight into the minds of viewers.
Over time, home computers evolved. The internet quickly followed. In a few years, the smarter people had left their TVs and gone to their computers. New worlds opened up, in which all were much freer to access whatever they wanted. Worse yet, from the governments’ point of view, they could respond.
They were off the streets, but on the information superhighway. Suddenly, information and opinions traveled in many directions. Governments are cracking down, but it’s harder than they thought. Suddenly, nations of couch potatoes are making their opinions felt. For the first time, expensive government programs are being questioned. Huge lies are being exposed.
For the first time in history, people are off the streets and still making trouble.
