Das Leben der Anderen, "The Lives of Others" Options

[gomi]

Has anyone else seen this recent film? I saw it the other night, and could not stop thinking (I know, sick!) about Wikipedia. The movie depicts the East German secret police before the fall of the Berlin wall, and their surveillance of a German intellectual/playwrite. A senior minister takes a fancy to his girlfriend, and a capable underling is dispatched to spy on the playwrite and, in effect, to find an offense where there is none.

Now, I do know how horrid East Germany was, and no one at Wikipedia is thrown in prison or shot. So spare me the histrionics. But the depiction of the way in which the Stasi went about controlling everyone was such a perfect analogy to the wikipedia admin's control of things, it was astonishing. The depiction of the fundamental corruption of unchecked power and the creation of a climate of fear was subtle but devastating.

Forgetting Wikipedia, see the film -- it is sad but very worthwhile.

[Somey]

Dang, I could've gone this past weekend, but we decided to go see "300" instead.

Oddly enough, that movie sort of reminded me of Wikipedia too...

[Jonny Cache]

I finally picked up a disc of Stranger Than Fiction — which we had missed getting out to see when it came and went over the holidays last year — and I was rolling on the romper room carpet the whole time.

Needless to say ...

Jonny

This post has been edited by Jonny Cache: Thu 29th March 2007, 4:18pm

[Jonny Cache]

Has anyone else seen this recent film? I saw it the other night, and could not stop thinking (I know, sick!) about Wikipedia. The movie depicts the East German secret police before the fall of the Berlin wall, and their surveillance of a German intellectual/playwright. A senior minister takes a fancy to his girlfriend, and a capable underling is dispatched to spy on the playwright and, in effect, to find an offense where there is none.

Now, I do know how horrid East Germany was, and no one at Wikipedia is thrown in prison or shot. So spare me the histrionics. But the depiction of the way in which the Stasi went about controlling everyone was such a perfect analogy to the wikipedia admin's control of things, it was astonishing. The depiction of the fundamental corruption of unchecked power and the creation of a climate of fear was subtle but devastating.

Forgetting Wikipedia, see the film — it is sad but very worthwhile.

Back to the less diverting aspects of the theme in question.

I've been trying to understand the dynamics of fascism for quite some time now, long before I found myself morosely marooned on the mega-moronic shores of Wikipedia — sorry, DT, the alliteration made me do it.

What strikes me now in reading the plot recap that you give above is the theme of using "polite" excuses as a cover for acting on personal motives.

Something to muse on ...

Jonny

[Herschelkrustofsky]

I think that there are certain universal characteristics of oligarchic rule, that crop up in a wide variety of contexts. After all, from what we know of human history, the oligarchy has been the dominant model for most of it. Plato said that there was a cycle of anarchy to tyranny back to anarchy, if no one intervenes to set up a republic. I think that Jimbo thought he would impose order on the anarchy of the USENET model, but it doesn't seem to be working.

[JohnA]

I think that there are certain universal characteristics of oligarchic rule, that crop up in a wide variety of contexts. After all, from what we know of human history, the oligarchy has been the dominant model for most of it. Plato said that there was a cycle of anarchy to tyranny back to anarchy, if no one intervenes to set up a republic. I think that Jimbo thought he would impose order on the anarchy of the USENET model, but it doesn't seem to be working.

It's impossible to rein in an anarchy, but its possible to loosen the reins on a dictatorship. If Wikipedia had started with very tight rules, which were gradually relaxed then it would work.

Wikipedia is the worst of both worlds: an anarchy and a dictatorship - without the advantages of either, only the disadvantages.