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I love David Weinberger. Quick bio, via Wikipedia:
“David Weinberger (born 1950 in New York) is an American technologist, professional speaker, and commentator, probably best known as co-author of the Cluetrain Manifesto (originally a website, and eventually a book, which has been described as “a primer on Internet marketing”). Weinberger’s work focuses on how the Internet is changing human relationships, communication, and society.
A philosopher by training, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and taught college from 1980-1986. He was a gag writer for the comic strip “Inside Woody Allen” from 1976-1983. He became a marketing consultant and executive at several high-tech companies, and currently serves as a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, where he co-teaches a class on “The Web Difference” with John Palfrey. He had the title Senior Internet Advisor to Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, and provided technology policy advice to John Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign.”
The man is a genius and an American institution, who get too little credit.
On NPR’s site, David wrote a piece today, “I’m A Lefty And I Like Obama’s Pick Of Rick Warren“. I hope you’ll read it in full over there. Here’s a bit of it:
“…Â pardon me if I take a moment to give some advice to my fellow liberals and progressives: Chill out, will you?
You’re already out criticizing our president-elect for betraying our side. He’s gone soft on wiretapping, on raising taxes on the wealthy, and now you’re having conniptions because Barack Obama has invited Pastor Rick Warren onto the Inaugural podium. The shame! The horror!
Rick Warren believes things that are anathema to liberals like me.”
“[The]Â problem is that we’re so damn angry at one another. All the time. For decades. We can barely live in the same country. The blue states sneer at the red states. The red states think the blue states aren’t really America. We can’t go on this way.”
“And to Barack Obama, I believe Rick Warren’s participation is also a symbol. Obama is modeling yet again how we can live together by finding what’s good, and admirable, and right in what others believe, and not getting stuck only on what we disagree with.”
There’s more, but you get his point. And so do I. Weinberger is not wrong per se, just wrong because of this; read my comment, which I posted on NPR as well:
“David,Â
I’m a huge fan of yours. I read your blog often but I savor everything you post on Twitter. Interestingly, when I first heard the choice of Rick Warren I was dismayed, then angry. Then I got it: Obama has said he is going to be the president of all the people. And he is choosing people not for what’s “bad” or “wrong” with them, but for what’s “good” or “right” with them. And I thought, OK, I can support this. It’s time, (as you said) to let go, stop being angry, do what our president-elect wants: unite.Â
But then I heard Pastor Rick Warren on CNN say that he equates gay marriage with incest, and I had to go back to being angry. Warren is too divisive a figure. I don’t want to rail against this choice. I don’t want to give in to the Right’s seeds of hate I hear them plant daily, I want us to get on with the business of being Americans, not Democrats or Republicans, not the Right or the Left, not Liberals or Conservatives. I want us to be a people tied to good sense, love of neighbor, and of country. And I will do my part to move that dream forward. But when my dream of marriage for me and my partner is so viciously attacked, I can’t stop fighting. Not yet. I wish I could agree with you. But I have too much at stake.”
I would have written more but, like Twitter, there’s a character limit. (Fortunately more than 140!) (Hyperlinks added here.)
What do you think?
Is it time to give in and give up the fight?
I think not. I, for one, have too much to lose.