Could the Internet have been created by private industry? Without government’s help as funder and convenor? I don’t think so. Here’s why.
Facts can be insensitive swine. They have no consideration for the feelings of people with rigid outlooks. They never stop to think that the hidebound ideologies that they challenge might be precious to somebody, and that the myth they debunk might be the lynchpin for someone’s worldview.
There are those valiant few with the courage to stand against facts: plucky organizations trying to right the balance between how the world actually is and the much simpler and more pleasant story they help to tell. Working with little more than a few dedicated souls, an immense bank account and a massive network of pliant media outlets, they actually do make some headway, casting doubt on everything from global warming to President Obama’s birth certificate.
But facts are implacable, and continue to mercilessly slash away at beloved beliefs. And like hyenas stalking the weakest members of a herd of cute gazelle, they target the cutest, sweetest and most inaccurate of those beliefs… like the one that government can’t create anything worthwhile. Such as the Internet.
So please: whatever you do, if you were heartened by a recent article claiming that government didn’t build the Internet, then for heaven’s sake, don’t read that TechPresident post.
