The Future Lies In The Past.

by Louis B. Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved


The papacy became vulnerable to attack in the 15th century due to the greed, immorality, and ignorance of officials at all ranks of the hierarchy.

Vast, tax-free church possessions, in some estimates amounting from one-fifth to one-third of all the lands of Europe, incited the envy and resentment of the land-poor peasaantry.

Humanism represented the beginning of classical learning in the 15th century. It displaced Scholasticism as the principal philosophy of Western Europe. It also deprived church leaders of their monopoly on learning.

More importantly, it destroyed their monopoly on teaching.

Ordinary people studied ancient literature. Scholars such as the Italian Lorenzo Valla critically appraised translations of the Bible. It wasn't long before people were challenging dogma and tradition that had stood sacrosanct for a thousand years.

If you substitute 'corporatism' for the papacy, and once you consider the fact that the internet is a great equalizer, then it is no wonder that mainstream media make fun of media such as the internet, facebook, youtube, bloggers, independent film-makers, self-published authors, and citizen journalists.

I see it as a kind of gallows humour.

I find the internet to be interactive, even kind of intuitive. And that's way better than passive and stupid.

At some point a show geared to 14 year old kids meant nothing to me.

Now I don't have to watch crap programming. If nothing else, I can create my own.

And sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, it's really good programming.

That's the part that worries me.

Because it is one hell of a responsibility.

Guys like me hold the fate of the world in our hands. That makes us thoroughly dangerous men.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And you have to admit, I'm pretty ruthless.

In the world of the future, you will have six to ten billion channels to choose from.

And I promise not to bore you to death.