The Internet: Nobel Prize Worthy?
The Internet has been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, but the nomination is being greeted with mixed responses.
Those who support the nomination say the Internet has vastly improved the way we communicate with other nations and cultures, bridging our differences.
But according to a recent piece in The Wall Street Journal, others question its ability to bring people together — and if the Internet is even eligible for such a nomination.
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The Guardian’s Bobbie Johnson argued that the Internet may have created more rifts among people than consensus because of the wide range of opinions that users post and exchange on it every day. But he concluded that if President Barack Obama managed to win the prize “without doing anything,” then the Internet could win too.
Barron’s Eric Savitz takes a similar stance in his humorous article, “Dumbest Idea Ever: Award A Nobel Peace Prize to the Internet.”
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In what just might be the dumbest idea of all time, the Italian version of Wired has started a campaign to give the next Nobel Peace Prize to…the Internet.
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This concept can only come from people who have never actually seen the Internet, the world wide capital of smut, hate speech, greed, corruption, mindless commerce and cheap Canadian pharmacies.
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An an alternative, I’d like to nominate my son’s pet guinea pig, Mel, who has never once tried to dodge sales taxes, never ogled naked pictures of leather-clad girl guinea pigs, never searched Google or Bing for “Lindsay Lohan,” never wasted time browsing TMZ, never spent mindless hours playing Worlds of Warcraft, never attempted to pull off a Nigerian-style banking scam, and never once tried to contact terrorists in an effort to volunteer to perform assassinations for Al Qaeda.
Despite the critics, the Internet is still seen by many as what Wired’s Riccardo Luna refers to as “a weapon of hope.” Check out the Internet for Peace campaign and share your thoughts. Is the Internet worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize?
yes, I think at least it helps many Iranians to establish democracy and share their situation with world.
The Internet has fostered both peace and violence–I think it’s made the world much better. But what the hell’s the point of giving an award to a thing? Why give an award like this a technological innovation — whose benefits gazillions of people are responsible for? Give it to a person or a group of people who did something concrete that will serve as a good example for the world. That’s the purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Internet, No.
Quizas, Twitter, i.e. news from Iran protestors, money raised for Haiti
“birds of a feather stick together” Yes definately the internet does connect people. My 3500 facebook friends are a wonderful positive lot. Gradually the world is charging & the vibration is lifting. Thoughts become things so make sure our language is positive & we watch what we focus on & continually do reframes. Instead of something being difficult it is much preferable to say…it isn’t easy.
No – just another tool. Hammer for the Nobel Prize? Been around a lot longer, makes shelter too!
Hmmm.. at the moment it just causes arguments… maybe one day it will be worth a prize
Wow, did you write this article yourself or pull it from somewhere else, its great!
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