Nobelist: Blogs Might Have Stopped Hitler

In Lecture On Literacy, Le Clezio Says Ridicule On Pre-WWII Internet May Have Prevented Nazism

(AP)  The spread of information on the Internet has given the world a new tool to forestall conflicts, Nobel literature prize winner Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio said Sunday.

In his Nobel lecture to the Swedish Academy, the 68-year-old Frenchman said an earlier introduction of information technology could even have prevented World War II.

"Who knows, if the Internet had existed at the time, perhaps Hitler's criminal plot would not have succeeded - ridicule might have prevented it from ever seeing the light of day," he said.

Still, the globe-trotting writer noted that access to computers remains a luxury to many in the developing world and said eradicating hunger and illiteracy remain the "two great urgent tasks" of humankind.

"Literacy and the struggle against hunger are connected, closely interdependent," he said. "One cannot succeed without the other. Both of them require, indeed urge, us to act."

Le Clezio was praised by the Nobel jury at the Swedish Academy for his "poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy" in such works as "Terra Amata," "The Book of Flights" and "Desert."

Though he was born in France, Le Clezio's father is British and he holds dual nationality with Mauritius, where his family has roots. He spends much of his time in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Recalling his beginnings as a writer, Le Clezio said the books that had the greatest impact on him were anthologies of travelers' tales, including those of Marco Polo.

"Those books gave me a taste for adventure, gave me a sense of the vastness of the real world, a means to explore it through instinct and the senses rather than through knowledge," he said in a speech delivered in French.

Le Clezio called on publishers to make books available to a broader public in developing countries and to publish more material in lesser-known languages.

"In Africa, Southeast Asia, Mexico, or the South Sea Islands, books remain an inaccessible luxury," Le Clezio said.

He will receive the Nobel Prize in literature at a ceremony on Wednesday. The medicine, chemistry, physics and economics prizes are also handed out in Stockholm, while the Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, Norway.

[mystgreen-2009]

...Imagine the world if we could have inserted hitler into stalin''''s arse!

Posted by impeach___w at 08:52 PM : Dec 08, 2008

He would have given birth to a lawyer and we would all be speaking German now.

[fush2]

no stinking blogs did not stop hitler

[babooph]

Id did not stop Bush &the US prpaganda system-many are still brainwashed into support!

[spiritwalk]

Nobelist: Blogs Might Have Stopped Hitler....

That is ridiculous. The Nazis were masters of the media and they would have been masters of the internet as well.

Anybody who followed the blogs during the last election knows that they were used to promote hate, division and innuendo...AND, it worked...AND...it was mainly coming from impotent idiots bloging from their room in their parent''s basement.

If Joseph Goebbels had the internet to work with he could have turned the blogers loose and the Nazis could have walked into Poland and Britain and France would never have opposed it. Probably they could have then invaded Russia and the British and French public would have been manipulated into wanting to join in the attack.

After seeing Kerry and Bush in the 2004 election I cam away wondering just what really was the level of intelligence of people coming out of Yale. After reading this I am wondering what to think of the people getting Nobel prizes. This person''s understanding of history and current trends is amazing in its lack of depth.

[mitch5511]

Blogs have helped educating folks about the Bush/Cheney regime.

[checkthepast]

Blogs Might Have Stopped Hitler

Too bad it didnt stop the election of a socialist government this year in the USA.

[earache4]

They sure stopped McCorpse and Bible Spice....

[lila356]

Blogging and posting has not stopped Bush or Cheney!

[txgrouch2007]

But what if Superman had fought for the Nazis?
Posted by newsthought1 at 06:12 PM : Dec 08, 2008

Finally, a LEGITIMATE comment!

If Superman fought for the Nazis, it could only mean that he was drugged or under the influence of some evil Nazi power ray or something.

Then what he''d do is, he SNAP OUT OF IT, see, right while he was IN THE THICK OF THEM NAZZIS.

Then he''d turn on the WHIRLING FISTS ATTACK, and he''d spin around and around like a tornado. He''d be smackin'' and smashin'' Nazis left and right, and they''d be flyin'' all over like cow pies off the back of a manure spreader.

Yup, that''s what Superman would have done all right.

[txgrouch2007]

Hitler like you feared anyone who thought different from him.
Posted by downsteamjim at 09:50 PM : Dec 08, 2008

You mean, like the libtard Democrats who are constantly spewing taunts like "Bush is Hitler?"

Yah, a prime example of those who can''t tolerate a different opinion.

[downsteamjim]

tggrouch: To you a Nazi is anyone who is not in far left field and has the ability to think for themselves. Get a history book and read about Hitler. Hitler like you feared anyone who thought different from him.

[impeach___w]

Just one shot could have stopped hitler during either world war.

Imagine the world if we could have inserted hitler into stalin''s arse!

[txgrouch2007]

Three-quarters of the posters would have been Nazi officers.

Half of them would have been ridiculing Hitler''s opponents.

The other half would have been ridiculing Hitler. And half of those would have been Nazi officers planting ideas for ways to ridicule Hitler, to bait those who would REALLY ridicule Hitler.

Then that one-quarter would be shot.

[txgrouch2007]

If all the ridicule didn''t stop THE BAILOUTS, I doubt ridicule would have stopped Hitler.

It would only have shown him who to shoot next.

[kesac4650]

That''s like saying Ghandi could have prevented Stalin. Those peaceful methods don''t work against a murderer. Poking fun at Hitler, or Mao, or Saddam would be difficult, you might have a hard time living till the punch line.

[clathrate]

This guy is insanely naive. The Nazis would simply have censored the internet the same way the other authoritarian governments around the world do (China, Burma, Iran, etc.). This is the typical silly nonsense that "men of letters" waste their time thinking about instead of solving the real problems of the era.

[impeach___w]

What if Nazi''s had the internet or a computer ? how stupid.

[newsthought1]

But what if Superman had fought for the Nazis?

[vranger]

"Neocon Republicans are cast drom the very same mold as Nazi''''s. Thats what I believe. No different, now way, no how. Identical in every way. If Bush had a mustache and if he put on his war hero bomber jacket you would think hes a modern day twin. Dont think for a minute he wouldnt put working families and union members on a train. Dont think for a minute he wouldnt."

You really must be a complete and utter moron. There is NOTHING REMOTELY similar about even the most right wing Republicans and the Nazi party.

And whether or not you agree with particular actions, Bush was dealt a tough hand immediately in his presidency with 9-11, and attack whose roots started growing during the Clinton administration. At that point Bush and his people work quite hard to keep something like that from happening again, and they succeeded in that effort, and against an enemy who doesn''t play by ANY RULES AT ALL.

He took a lot of heat and never complained about it. He just did the job everyone wanted him to do, starting the after noon of 9-11. You and your little wuss friends had the luxury of conveniently forgetting what that job was and what it entailed. Bush didn''t. Once started, it had to be followed thru on.

[mystgreen-2009]

The blogs are filled with morons spewing idiot conspiracy theories and hyperbolic insults and accusations. I think the NAZI''''s would have made great use of blogging.

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Posted by hotwitch at 05:18 PM : Dec 08, 2008

I totally agree with you. If nothing else, they had a very powerful propaganda machine that would have used this medium to spread their ideals to their target population. They would have milked it for everything that it is worth.