On Fri, Dec 14, 2001 at 01:43:02AM +0100, Amara Graps wrote:
>
> Finally, I observed a transformation in America, that frankly scared
> me. It's there now, and is trickling outside. Fear, suspicions,
> sometimes paranoia. Boundaries and borders are being heavily
> fortified, civil rights are being trampled right and left, and for
> the most part, I didn't hear people complaining about that
I think this is worth worrying (and doing something) about. Paranoia
is a very unextropian emotion: you suspect others of being up to evil
things of which you have little or no evidence of, so you take steps
to prevent these ill deeds, hence initiating escalation and at the
same time getting into a mindset where contradictory information is
viewed as suspect, possibly disinformation from those others, and
discarded. There is a fine line between reacting to a real threat and
becoming paranoid; I would say paranoia is best defined by its
self-reinforcing quality, while being careful is self-limiting.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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