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DON'T BLAME TECHNOLOGY
by Dale Brown, 2009

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT Facebook.com/AuthorDaleBrown, 9/6/09

The panel on "Meet The Press" this morning was discussing the long-awaited resignation of Van Jones as the "Green Jobs Czar" because of the stir caused by his comments about white kids at Columbine, calling Republicans "assholes," and signing a petition calling for a commission to investigate what Pres. George W. Bush knew about 9/11.

One of the panelists, author, columnist, and economist Thomas Friedman, said in response to the furor over Jones' remarks: "David, when everyone has a cell phone, everyone's a photographer. When everyone has access to YouTube, everyone's a filmmaker. And when everyone's a blogger, everyone's in newspaper. When everyone's a photographer, a newspaper and a filmmaker, everyone else is a public figure. Tell your kids, OK, tell your kids, OK, be careful. Every move they make is now a digital footprint. You are on "Candid Camera." And unfortunately, the real message to young people, from all of these incidents, OK, and I'm not here defending anything anyone said, but from all of these incidents, is you know, really keep yourself tight, don't say anything controversial, don't think anything--don't put anything in print."

Friedman may not be defending Jones or anyone else, but he's certainly giving out two false messages here: be afraid of technology, and don't speak your mind. Both are horribly wrong.

Friedman seems to be saying that Van Jones was cornered and bushwhacked by folks with cell phone videos of his racist, political, and crude remarks, that perhaps they were taken out of context, or perhaps Jones would not have said what he said if there were "conventional" press cameras and reporters there at the time.

Wrong. Jones is a Communist, a racist, and a far-left idealogue. Don't blame someone with a cell phone camera for exposing him. Just because it was an amateur cell phone video and not NBC or the New York Times doesn't invalidate what he said.

Friedman also cautions our kids to be careful, that everything you say or do will be recorded and that you should not be controversial, be a blank slate, stay tight-lipped, be anonymous, never speak your mind for fear that your thoughts will be posted for the whole world to see and hear.

Wrong again. Technology has given us the opportunity to share our thoughts with the whole world. Why is a globalist like Friedman afraid of our kids doing what he does every day--share his thoughts and opinions with the whole world?

Obviously, if you do something stupid, or dangerous, or say something embarrassing: YES, the whole world might see it. But the lesson here should NOT be to "stay tight" or avoid situations where someone might have a camera--you would have to live in a hole in the ground to avoid that these days--but to NOT DO OR SAY embarrassing or stupid stuff!

Don't want to have images of you smoking weed from a bong get posted on YouTube? DON'T SMOKE WEED FROM A BONG! Don't want to be labeled a racist? DON'T SAY RACIST STUFF!

But if you believe what you believe, then DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY IT! Van Jones says racist stuff because he BELIEVES it. Rev. Jeremiah Wright says racist stuff because he BELIEVES it!

AND THAT'S OKAY! If you strongly believe in something, why not tell the world? Is Thomas Friedman implying that Van Jones doesn't believe the filth he spews? Does he think that the world is worse off because Van Jones was exposed, or that the Obama administration unfairly or undeservedly lost a valuable appointee?

Our kids shouldn't be afraid of ridicule, criticism, misinterpretation, or spin--in fact, counter-opinions or even outright falsehood should embolden our kids to make their voices heard even more. If you're embarrassed or ashamed of something you've created or an opinion you hold dear, either it's not really your idea or you should learn to believe strongly that your creations have value, no matter how loud the criticism.

Richard Bach wrote, "Don't be afraid of anything that is said about you, anywhere in the world, even if what is said is a lie." Be a bigger person, and the lies will only expose the critics as liars.

In his resignation letter to Pres. Obama, Van Jones said opponents were mounting a "smear campaign" and the "lies and distortions" were hurting the Administration's agenda. But did he resign or was he FORCED to resign?

Whatever the real reason, Jones lost favor with Obama for the same reason that Pres. Obama left Rev. Wright's church and later completely renounced his pastor of 20 years: it was too politically damaging otherwise. At one time it was politically expedient to embrace these folks as friends and kindred souls, but when times changed and their thoughts became politically unpopular or controversial: BYE BYE.

I thought it was clever about exactly WHEN the resignation was announced: early Sunday morning, after the Sunday morning papers went to press, and on a holiday weekend. It wouldn't appear in print until Monday morning; fewer folks would read it or hear about it until Tuesday morning, and by then it's old news. Obama's elementary school address, his health care address to a joint session of Congress, and Congress' return from vacation would grab all the attention. Slick move.

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