“Hermits in Candyland”

Oh my, I can’t remember the last time I have disagreed with an author on almost EVERY point and at almost every turn.

Sunstein presents a hypothetical world in which complete individuation dominates modern society. He then goes on to describe, with such horror, our newfound fantasy land. Much like Candyland the new utopia looks magical and enchanting in almost every way, but with its lollipop gardens and two free turns there are also pitfalls that can lead your demise, i.e. a society devoid of public controversial discourse.

Sunstein contends that with the current trend towards individuation everyone will end up living in some sort of environment akin to the bubble boy, never interacting with others dissimilar to ourselves. However, I disagree with Sunstein because the new “worlds” that we create by further subdividing ourselves on the internet causes us to form relationships with people and allows us to discuss, learn, and explore other interests.

For instance, a chat room designated for single mothers in their thirties will of course expand from gripping about too little time in the day to get everything done (i.e.: work, cooking, cleaning, attending recitals and soccer games, etc), to other areas of their lives like religion, politics or entertainment. We will forever be learning from each other; it is the medium by which, that is changing and not the action itself. Therefore Sunstein’s argument that reducing the number of, or importance of, public forums will cause a catastrophic downfall of the modern society is ridicules!

No matter how popular the internet becomes, people will still interact in the grocery store, picking up the dry cleaning, and at the car wash. Again, like I said in a prior posting, the world is far too small (and getting smaller) for anyone to become a hermit.