but the truth is, muhf*ckas don't know how to use what we got already. i could rattle off a list of a dozen subjects that have been cyclically beaten to death on these boards... its one of the reasons i stopped posting as much on activist (in the absence of significant current events *cough* war). ish had me feeling like Groundhog's Day, having the same discussions/arguments over and over: what was the race (sic) of the ancient egyptians? should the bible be taken literally? what's up with affirmative action? where did AIDS come from?...

this info is all available in our own archives. but what is missing is context. now multiply that times a googleplex and you get the status of the whole internet. all the information is available, but how does one REALLY know anything from it? how does one give weight to various arguments and opinions when the mere fact of their existing appears to give them equal weight?

but, if we're talking about fasting, and i read a post by uta, there's a level of credence i can give it because: a) his previous posts about the subject coincide with things i've learned about the subject independently, b) he actually practices these things**, c) resources that he cites in support of his views on fasting, etc., check out, to the degree that i've followed up on some.

>So what's your idea exactly? The about.com type thing?

that may be a good or bad analogy, but its the best one i could come up with at the time.

when i talk about the cyclical nature of this board, its because we always have a steady turnover of people, ideas. and when you're exposed to information that runs counter to the constant propaganda/conditioning that "we" (universalizing on behalf of all subjects of western culture ;-), there's a few things that i observe to take place:

1. proselytizing phase -- you want to pull as many other people's coats as possible. its exciting and worthwhile to 'you', and you assume that it is so for everyone else. which is cool. but that energetic phase may result in your going out and spreading info that you have not fully grasped, and by doing so you could actually do damage to your 'cause' by not being able to back up your assertations.

2. credulous phase -- believing *everything* that's 'contrary' or 'alternative' because you see the magnitude of the lies you'd previously believed. case in point, some folks get so excited to learn that classical african civilization predated that of the europeans, but then can't separate the real from the conjecture from the wildly speculative, and may be running around believing that the ancient kemetians had this magical crystal that vibrated in tune with circadian rhythms to activate their pineal glands allowing them to fly across the desert leaving melanin vapor trails.

3. baby with the bath water -- contrarian mindset taken to the extreme. take capitalism for example. no matter how much you or i may hate it (as an ideal, or in its application), no amount of protestation on our parts diminishes the fact that we take part in it. unless someone is living in a teepee, eating only food they've grown, and are connected psychically to the internet, they are participating. those kind of folks (gross generalization alert) generally spend more time denouncing what they don't like than articulating what they do like.

>Umm, isnt that what a search engine is for? Or do you mean a
>specific space to find specific topics written in discussion
>format?

maybe i'm getting overly esoteric, but i'm thinking about, in addition to presenting the information, providing folks info on how to analyze the information -- knowing and 'ways of knowing'.

that's not going to work for every topic, of course (*cough*, religion), but it should help folks filter the information they're exposed to.

if i'm interested in learning about christian doctrine, i'm going to do a search on osoclasi. it may or may not change my mind on things, but seeing the way he argues and responds to questions is extremely informative.

similarly, if i have questions about what the NGE believe, allah (dre) is the best source of that info, and from reading his previous exchanges from folks, i can add to my understanding.

if i want some insight on how libertarians or conservatives view things, i can look for expertises posts (and counter-posts).


** when i mention different okayplayers as actual resources and real people, its from the perspective that while i've never met any of y'all, several of y'all have met in the physical, and lend some degree of corroboration to each other's existence. if utamoroho is NOT some tofu eating, capoeira-doing guy in atl, and is actually a middle-aged white man in indiana who also posts as solarus, ananse, kemetian, etc., in an elaborate cyber-hoax to get more cats eating wheat grass then i stand corrected.

>Thanks for the input.
>

thanks for the post. its a great idea.
>
>Make sure you know the guidelines before posting:
>http://okayplayer.com/guidelines
>
>Not happy about your post being locked? Want a thread
>archived? See a post that shouldn't be up? Feel free to
>Inbox me at Quest4Knowledge or E-Mail me at
>KemeticSunrise@aol.com
>

peace & blessings,

x.

"I'm on the Zoloft to keep from killing y'all." - Iron Mike