Reading Response 6: Lest We Think The Revolution is a Revolution

Cynthia L. Selfe is the author of “Lest We Think The Revolution is a Revolution” . In her essay she states the popular ways in which people view advertisements and their thoughts on our cultural background. Then she goes and states her views on what she thinks our culture is really like and what advertisements are saying. The first narrative in her essay has two parts the “Global Village” and the “Electronic Colony”. When writing her first narrative she describes ways in which people are seeing different cultures through different technology. Cynthia L. Selfe states, “One of the most popular narratives Americans tell ourselves about computers is that technology will help us create a global village in which the peoples of the world are all connected- communicating with one another and cooperating for the commonweal. According to this popular social narrative, the computer network that spans the globe will serve to erase meaningless geopolitical borders, eliminate racial and ethnic differences, re-establish a historical familial relationship which binds together the peoples of the world regardless of race, ethnicity, or location”. Through this quote I see that Cynthia L. Selfe is saying that having social networking sites and the internet will help the world become connected. Meaning the world will be one happy family. I think Cynthia L. Selfe is mistaken because she overlooks the strong feelings of distrust and antagonism some countries have toward one another. Also she doesn’t realize that on many social networking sites people are mainly writing to friends and family. People don’t always talk to strangers or people they don’t know that are half way around the world. People all around the world may be using the internet but that doesn’t mean they are using it together. Even though people are starting to communicate more with other countries in order to help them it doesn’t mean everyone will. Recently the United States has found ways the help with relief in Haiti. That is one out of many countries around the globe. How much of a bigger disaster is it going to take to get the whole world united? Some cultures we don’t even know exist until we go on the internet and look them up. But what do we do with the information once we receive it? The answer is mostly nothing. When have you gone online and found out someone was in need and did something to help? We see ads almost every day saying we should help someone or we should donate to a cause. We see commercials for kids in Africa and Haiti with little to nothing asking for help. We also see commercials for the ASPCA asking you to help injured, unhealthy, and abandoned animals. Have you picked up the phone to help? Once everyone in the nation lends a helping hand then we will truly be united and one big happy family. I used the arguing the other side strategy and my response shows this by proving in many ways why she is wrong and many things she may not have thought of.