debate

[Heather25]

Who here thinks that Dr.W and Nonson are the same person?

anyway, whoever you are, I want input re: the following subject:
Socialization

Your goal in this exercise is to provide an example of the sort of "controlled comparison" that Noam Chomsky discusses in the Manufacture if Consent. This means that you are to analyse Canadian and/or US press coverage (or non-coverage) of two events that are roughly similar in content but where one event is associated with either the US itself or a US ally and the other event is associated with a nation or group that is not a close ally of the US. You must submit at least 10 separate newspaper articles that are relevent to one or both of the events you discuss. Asssess how much attention the media devoted to each event and the implicit judgements that seem to underlie media accounts of these events.
[This message has been edited by Heather25 (edited 21 October 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Heather25 (edited 21 October 2000).]

[Dr_Woland]

Hello Heather

I think I can assure you, with some relative degree of confidence, that I am not the same person as Nonson :-) I'm not offended that you might have thought it, as it would suggest a degree of "cleverness" (although of a fairly perverse and pointless kind) to be able to maintain two discrete and opposed personae simultaneously. However, not only do I not have the ability to do this, I certainly don't have the time for it, and further to that, I would ask you what motivation you believe I might have for doing so?

Nonson affects a knowledge of scriptural sources which are unknown to me - as an atheist, I have little motivation to squeeze them into my limited reading schedule. Nonson cannot read a word of Russian, nor has he ever been in Russia - whereas I live in Russia, as - if you had time weighing heavily on your hands, which I doubt - you could verify from the timings on my postings. (I don't ask you to! I merely mention that it's possible). Nonson is American, I am a Brit. Nonson's spelling is a little questionable (and I don't refer here to Brit/USA orthographical variations, but plain ol' mis-spelling of words like "Apostolic") - I honestly don't have time to sit-about faking the kind of mis-spellings I might expect from him.

Hmmm, I wonder, however, if YOU might be Nonson? Chomsky is just the kind of material Nonson would affect knowledge of (he has certainly done so before). No finer cover for a fake identity could be chosen than that of someone accusing me, of being, errrr, him? And it would be fairly typical of Nonson to try to set me homework - TEN articles? Don't you think that's a little overmuch?

I must, however, excuse myself from this exercise. I do not live in the USA (nor would I ever want to), and although I try to read from a wide range of media, I only have one daily USA news-source which I read on the Net - the NYT. I couldn't, from that alone, give any estimation of how stories have been covered throughout North America - especially as most Americans get their news from TV, and I have no access to American TV at all (or any other TV - I don't watch TV or own a TV).

If I get time, and it really interests you, and you email me with some proof that you're not Nonson, I will consider your challenge. I would also like to know - what the point of your challenge is, and why you are interested in my completing it? I'd like these assurances first, because I'm offering to spend some time going off to read-up how the LA Times or Washington Post or the Globe & Mail are covering a contemporary story, compared to how it features in Argumenty i Fakty, Izvestiya or Komersant. And it would be quite disappointing to get a reply along the lines of "We Are The Borg" etc :-(

So "pay your money in the morning, you'll get your chairs in the evening", as Ostap Bender enjoyed saying.

Dr W.

PS - If you've read Chomsky, you'll be bright enough to know that when being challenged as Nonson's "imp", I would be constrained to writing an answer along the lines above - whether I was, or not! And I, dear Heather (or Nonson - who would be wily-enough for such a wheeze) am at least bright enough to see that one coming from a long way off!

PPS - If you are NOT Nonson, then please don't be offended at the suggestion - it was, after all yourself who first down the glove.

PPPS - For those who haven't got the significance of his nom-de-plume yet: "Non son" (italian) = "I do not exist". So you're right to be alerted to some peculiarity with his existence, at least :-)

[This message has been edited by Dr_Woland (edited 22 October 2000).]

[Dr_Woland]

BTW, Heather, if you are interested in sociological differences between USA and Russia, a good starting point are some of the articles by Zhenya Ponarina, a Siberian journalist now living in USA. Here homepage is here:

http://zhenya.freeyellow.com/index.htm

I particularly recommend the one called "Understanding the Russians". This is entry-level material, so don't expect Chomsky-level stuff, but it provokes a lot of thoughts, anyhow :-))

Dr W. (not the Borg :-)

[Nonson]

My dear Heather, I am not kosher. That ought to be obvious. As to D. W., he is still determining the exact degree of his quantitative lack of intelligence. I doubt that he will arrive at the two step goal. _____________________________________________ Chomsky is, indeed, one of the stars in my constellation of anarchists. I visit the archives quite often. It is there that one can find thought that explains much of the crapola afoot today. _____________________________________________ Now, my dear Heather, let me assure you that there currently is no one on this board who wishes to debate anything. Rather, it is an all-out, knock-down, gut-gunning, negotiation for power. Though not a damn one of the slime balls will admit it. Excusethe hell out of my mis-spelled, mis-placed, or just plain forgotten words. I seldom do the edit thing. I do appreciate it though when one from the Imperial Whore adorns himself in the uppity slut act for which the Brits are known. Have a good one. Peace

Greetings,

I think that DR. Wooland is unto something.
While NONSON was always hateful, the postings always had a FEMALE quality to them.

I have suspected that she was in the service of the board. I do not object to that. I just wanted to point that out.

Good Luck.

[Heather25]

Dr.W: No offense taken at all. I suppose I can provide some proof that I am not Nonson. I do not possess enough clever retorts to engage in such a battle of wits (or non-wits)....

[Nonson]

Then why, Dear Heather, do you pretend to understand literature which requires a reasonable intellect. Are a clone of Ungaro?