One of the things I like about the web is that one can drop a pebble into it… and the ripples appear elsewhere.
For those (few, I know) who may have followed here but not elsewhere, there has been quite a lot of reaction to the posts on piracy, mostly ignited by Richard Sudworth’s repost to my posts. I thought it’d be useful to do some aggregation:
Pete Rollins’ counter to Richard
Jonny Baker’s middle-way reflection
Maggi Dawn’s thoughts [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
Bill Kinnon’s thoughts on Jonny and Richard’s thoughts
Backburner’s thoughts on piracy and the economics of information
What’s interesting of course is plotting the different degrees of separation from the original posts of the different comments. Not a value-judgement, simply an observation about our modern reading habits: we so rarely bother to read the full texts of that which we are commenting on.
Not sure I’ll be waging in any further into the debate, as 7 posts is quite enough on the subject for a while at least! Given the level of response though, suffice to say the seams that Pete and I and others are mining are either really right, or really wrong. I’ll let you decide.
Comments
7 responses to “Rounding Up Pirates…”
‘really right’ or ‘really wrong’ or perhaps we need to inhabit the in-between spaces.
thanks for the thoughts…
I think this is a ‘really right’, ‘really wrong’ situation. Not on the surface phenomenon but at a structural level. Of course there is a lot of ‘middle way’ at the level of manifestation. But the idea of negation of negation is either right or wrong. The problem with some of the debate has been that it has not focused on the structural issue. The result is that there is lots of ‘I like pirates’, ‘I don’t like pirates’ talk. I am looking for someone to take me on at level of the dialectic that Kester and myself are employing.
Pete if only I had the academic prowess to take you on I would! But I don’t and so I won’t. Which gives you all the power – use it wisely…;-)
In case you didn’t see this … http://www.newsweek.com/id/216108
I’ve really appreciated the debate and have posted my thoughts on a particular aspect of yours and Peter’s thinking – the use of dual narratives – at: http://joninbetween.blogspot.com/2009/09/of-orthodox-heretics-pirates.html.
I conclude that: “The reality of dual narratives in our lives and practices is, it seems to me, something that we are often fearful of admitting within the Church. Instead we often speak and act as though there is only one story, one interpretation of scripture, and one ‘pure’ motivation for our actions and practices. Brewin and Rollins are among those challenging the naivity and, sometime, hypocrises of this position and, therefore, they receive flak from those with vested interests to defend.”
As a pirate lover and Christian dreamer, your posts about theological piracy really resonated with me.
Thanks for the insights!
I was reminded of the song “Pirate’s Gospel” by Alela Diane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwSxHiiNSw
Simon C – so was I. Great song.
And thanks, Kester, for kicking this all off. Looking forward to the book.