Imagine you're living up in Island 1, 2 or 3. What the heck will
people protest about. It seems that protests and democratic action
are necessary to get people invested in the political system.
save the rainforest, save the dolphins, anti-pig farming because of
waste streams, anti-garbage dumps, etc will all be moot.
It's unlikely that the Habitat's will allow people to immigrate if
there are no jobs for them, so the poverty angle is gone.
Affirmative action seems to be out the airlock as well considering
that everyone up there will be qualified in some fashion or another.
Zoning disputes will probably also be moot because I tend to think
that the built-out design of the Habitat will have already been
thought out before it is completed.
Sure there may be ideological battles for education pedagogy for the
children's schools, local governance issues, but what world/society
changing issues will people get all worked up about?
TangoMan
people protest about. It seems that protests and democratic action
are necessary to get people invested in the political system. "Just say no to ice-mining in the rings of Saturn"? "Cetaceans in space, NOW"? We might be surprised to find some old political controversies here on Earth still alive and well out in space, such as Socialism vs. Capitalism. Though I suspect, as you seem to indicate, under better circumstances. Last week I saw a spokesperson for the American Socialist Party on CSPAN. She was explaining away Socialism's unblemished record of failure as being a consequence of the socialist society always being surrounded by capitalist society and of socialism being enforced from above, rather than flowing from below. I've always thought that orbital space habitats would make ideal social experimentation laboratories. Let any group go off and isolate themselves and try any system for living that they think they can make work. The beauty is not only that they would have the opportunity (an opportunity rare-to-nonexistentin a society without frontiers), but that their system would either stand or fall on its own merits. If the society collapsed, they'd have to acknowledge the shortcomings of the system, rather than blaming it all on neighbors they didn't choose, an energy crisis, population pressures, resource depletion, crop failures, etc.
Mike Combs
>> Imagine you're living up in Island 1, 2 or 3. What the heck will
>> people protest about. It seems that protests and democratic action
>> are necessary to get people invested in the political system.
> space, NOW"?
>
> We might be surprised to find some old political controversies here
> on Earth still alive and well out in space, such as Socialism vs.
> Capitalism. Though I suspect, as you seem to indicate, under better
> circumstances.
>
> Last week I saw a spokesperson for the American Socialist Party on
> CSPAN. She was explaining away Socialism's unblemished record of
> failure as being a consequence of the socialist society always being
> surrounded by capitalist society and of socialism being enforced
> from above, rather than flowing from below. I've always thought
> that orbital space habitats would make ideal social experimentation
> laboratories.
> Let any group go off and isolate themselves and try any system for
> living that they think they can make work. The beauty is not only
> that they would have the opportunity (an opportunity rare-to-
> nonexistent in a society without frontiers), but that their system
> would either stand or fall on its own merits. If the society
> collapsed, they'd have to acknowledge the shortcomings of the
> system, rather than blaming it all on neighbors they didn't choose,
> an energy crisis, population pressures, resource depletion, crop
> failures, etc.
I think you underestimate people's ability to make excuses.
Xenophile (who only posted this because of his GF, his sister's cat,
and Hollywood making an abomination of _I, Robot_)
> Imagine you're living up in Island 1, 2 or 3. What the heck will
> people protest about.
choice of loacation at beach paries. This is plainly unfair to those
with a philosophical aversion to bodily alteration! (See, Dr. Seuss's
the Sneetches).
http://www.geocities.com/uulongviewtx/sermons/bellies_with_stars.html
Are the habitats' AIs entitle to human or corporate rights?
Should medical resources be devoted to brain-dead patients?
What constitutes acceptable surveillance? And should the information be
available to all or just "authorities"?
Will copyrights or patents claimed by Earth-bound entities be honored?
In the sport of moopsball, how many frisbees should flingers be allowed
to replicate?
What sort of human forms are acceptable issuing from the medical bays?
Does merging with a computer bank count as suicide or life-extension?
What happens to the person's bank accounts? Does the computer gain
control of them?
What should the foreign policy of the habiats be in regards to a distant
conflict over mining rights on another asteroid?
How much research should be devoted to defense against rogue nanonbots?
Should kids be required to unhook from virtual reality?
Etc.
--Paul
--- In ssi_list@... "Paul D. Fernhout"
> > Imagine you're living up in Island 1, 2 or 3. What the heck will
> > people protest about.
>
> Those people with stars tattoed on their bellies are allowed first
> choice of loacation at beach paries. This is plainly unfair to
those
> with a philosophical aversion to bodily alteration! (See, Dr.
Seuss's
> the Sneetches).
>
http://www.geocities.com/uulongviewtx/sermons/bellies_with_stars.html
>
> Are the habitats' AIs entitle to human or corporate rights?
>
> Should medical resources be devoted to brain-dead patients?
>
> What constitutes acceptable surveillance? And should the
information be
> available to all or just "authorities"?
>
> Will copyrights or patents claimed by Earth-bound entities be
honored?
>
> In the sport of moopsball, how many frisbees should flingers be
allowed
> to replicate?
>
> What sort of human forms are acceptable issuing from the medical
bays?
>
> Does merging with a computer bank count as suicide or life-
extension?
> What happens to the person's bank accounts? Does the computer gain
> control of them?
>
> What should the foreign policy of the habiats be in regards to a
distant
> conflict over mining rights on another asteroid?
>
> How much research should be devoted to defense against rogue
nanonbots?
>
> Should kids be required to unhook from virtual reality?
>
> Etc.
>
> --Paul
thoughts that protests, like much other human activities, will act
like gas laws, the protests will expand to fill a vacuum, regardless
of the issues at hand. Something will tend to bug people and they'll
need to voice their displeasure.
TangoMan