[Nettime-bold] <NETTIME>---The Stage - Un-necessary illusions:

http://futile.dezines.com/stage.html

And "necessary illusions"

That was the phrase used by Reinhold Niebuhr, the leading moralist who was called the "theologian of the establishment." His conception was that ignorant slobs - the great mass of the population - are incapable of rational thought. "Rationality belongs to the cool observers," he said - folks like us. So what we have to do is create necessary illusions and emotionally potent oversimplifications, so the ordinary folk don't get themselves into any trouble. The idea throughout is that the general population is plainly incompetent to make reasonable decisions. They won't know what to do, so it would be immoral to let them participate in public affairs. It would be like letting a three-year-old child play with a kitchen knife.

The Radical Vocation: An Interview with Noam Chomsky (1990)

The Stage is the first part of the Antarctica [working title] project. The stage is a net_art piece which will explore the ideas and issues facing our world. The Stage: is an open platform for anyone with something to say, to say freely and openly. This the first Stage, is now open for your contributions. The subject of this stage is Un-necessary illusions: the idea is to point the finger at organisations/ institutions/ the media, and the 'cool observers' amongst us, that are guilty of treating us as the great mass of irrational, ignorant slobs, in their unceasing drive towards wealth at any price

The Stage: http://futile.dezines.com/stage.html

or submit your ideas etc, here: johnmurphy@euskalnet.net

http://futile.dezines.com