IP: Frezza: The Internet Vs. Tyranny, and Other Parting Thoughts

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>
>From: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah@shipwright.com>
>
>Wherein Bill Frezza, my only reason for an InternetWeek subscription, signs
>off.
>
>
>So long, Bill, and thanks for all the fish...
>
>:-).
>
>Cheers,
>RAH
>
>
>
>At 10:08 PM -0700 on 12/6/00, InternetWeek Newsletter wrote:
>
>
> > Opinion: The Internet Vs. Tyranny, And Other Parting Thoughts
> >
> > Writing a regular opinion column is an invigorating tonic, a deadline-
> > disciplined interlude of forced reflection, providing an opportunity
> > to follow where the muse might lead. With this column, I have tried
> > to examine the broader impact of Internet technology on business,
> > public policy and society. My approach has been rooted in the firm
> > belief that ideas matter and that fundamental principles worked out
> > long ago can be applied to novel situations to guide us toward
> > discovering not only what might be but what ought to be.
> >
> > Working against the backdrop of a society that has deeply embraced
> > moral relativism has provided ample opportunity to lay bare the
> > hypocrisy that permeates both the business and political leadership
> > of our day. Judging by the mail I've received from so many readers
> > over the years, this has delighted some and infuriated others, which
> > was exactly my objective.
> >
> > Our industry, the telecommunications industry, and its newborn wonder
> > child the Internet, are shaking up the world like no revolution
> > before. Of course there are historical developments that had greater
> > impact. But none has affected so many people over such a brief
> > period. And, thanks to the acceleration of events brought about by
> > the Internet itself, we are all in a position to see the results of
> > the choices we make, unlike our predecessors who played largely to
> > posterity.
> >
> > Most encouraging, the power to innovate is decentralizing, with the
> > rewards for success so unabashedly disproportionate that
> > extraordinary efforts are being called forth from people who might
> > otherwise be content to lead ordinary lives. Progress has always come
> > from the motivated few over the objections of the complacent many.
> > The way these few are treated determines the future. The most
> > profound contribution of the American experiment to human happiness
> > is that we have freed the basic impulse for improvement from the
> > tyranny of hidebound culture. The Internet has become both the source
> > and the conduit to export our culture of success to the rest of the
> > planet, smashing ancient chauvinism by exposing one and all to the
> > Darwinian hurricane.
> >
> > Capital has been pried from the grip of those whose main objective
> > was to preserve it, set loose in a global arena seeking market-driven
> > returns. Talent has been released from the prison of place to make
> > contributions far beyond the reach of local customs and constraints.
> > The price to access knowledge has dropped so precipitously that
> > anyone can stand on the shoulders of everyone, scaling heights that
> > would otherwise take lifetimes to achieve. The cost of failure has
> > been reduced to such acceptable levels that this marvelous teacher
> > can instruct without maiming, making its students stronger as they
> > prepare for the next challenge. Coercive force wielded by prince or
> > mob is receding toward impotency, unable to have its way as the prime
> > productive asset becomes the power of unfettered minds.
> >
> > These are good things to remember as we head into a cyclical economic
> > downturn. Many will question the value of what has been created. The
> > reactionaries will preach ruin and the envious will gloat, claiming
> > the Internet bubble was an aberration. They are wrong. The
> > businesses, technologies and entrepreneurs that survive the cleansing
> > fires will form the foundation for the next round of growth. The
> > failures will be its fertilizer. This is as it should be. Unlike the
> > Roaring Twenties when the central government was powerful enough to
> > turn a recession into a protracted depression, today's government is
> > so palpably broken, careening headlong toward a chronic dysfunctional
> > state, that it can be discounted. Washington will remain a bleeding
> > tax on progress, but as a tapeworm rather than a cancer. The
> > innovators will outrun it, along with its European counterparts who
> > foolishly believe that coalescing into a single ministerial glob will
> > assure bureaucratic immortality.
> >
> > Thank you, dear readers. It has been a great six years. This is my
> > last column, at least for the foreseeable future. The press of
> > business and the closing of our newest venture fund demands my full
> > attention. I am also deathly afraid that I am becoming a bore,
> > preaching the same themes in variations that can only be appreciated
> > by diehard free market capitalists--a misunderstood minority even in
> > the best of times. Hence until I retire, a good 10 years from now, my
> > harangues will have to be reserved for my poor dinner companions.
> >
> > Happy thoughts for a happy future. Farewell, until we meet again.
> > --Bill Frezza
>
>--
>-----------------
>R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com>
>The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
>44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
>"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
>[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
>experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'



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