Electronic Books

In Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn, Robert Bringhurst essentially outlines the change in medium that writing and storytelling have experienced throughout history. He identifies pros as well as cons, but his tone towards electronic books is notably skeptical throughout the article. He argues that the “tangible form of a book” is “rewarding” because it “stands for an intangible reality alive in the heart and mind” (Bringhurst and Bay 2). To anyone who has read a printed book, this point rings true. Something about turning a page in a book cannot be duplicated by simply scrolling down a computer screen. However, at this point I would argue that Bringhurst might not feel the same way today. E-Readers have gained a great deal of popularity in the past two years, and many of these devices mimic the “feel” of a book quite well. The user can swipe the screen, which then mimics a page turn. The lack of the page turn was one of the most fundamental differences between print and electronic books.

Bringhurst’s position on electronic writing seems clear in light of what he says about electronic writing: “The result may be typographically inept; in fact, it may be downright ugly, as most things typed on computers now are—and it may or may not have literary value” (Bringhurst and Bay 5). It seems obvious that the intrinsic value of a book is not determined by the medium in which it is developed but by the content and meaning of its words. I fail to see how something beautiful that is typed on a computer is somehow less valuable than the exact same thing written on a page. Admittedly, I may be missing the point. Bringhurst could simply be arguing that writing a print book is more difficult than writing an electronic work. Therefore, the number of low quality electronic books is inflated. If so, I would argue that many poorly written or ugly books have been printed over the years. The quality of the work is determined by the skill of the author.

Even though electronic books may still not be able to mimic the experience of printed books, electronic books have not developed completely. Even in the short two years since this article was written, electronic books have evolved to some degree. I believe that this change is not over yet. We will continue to see development in the near future. So will electronic books ever truly replace printed books? I do not know, and I cannot know until the electronic book is fully realized.

WORKS CITED

Bringhurst, Robert; Bay, Heriot. “Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn.” World Literature Today 82.5 (2008): 20-26. Web. 18 February 2011.

Slanderous Blogging

Blogging is a tool that is used in different ways by different people. I have begun to see this in the short five years that I have been exposed to it. In early high school, my peers primarily used it as a sort of online journal. Often times, they would say harmful things that were directed at other students. I believe that this is because of the emotional state in which most of my peers tended to blog. I almost never saw a completely levelheaded blog. The writer was usually extremely happy, deeply sad, or exploding with anger. Those same feelings were often directed at or attributed to some person or thing. Rumors were frequently spread through blogging as well.

Behavior like this takes place in schools all across the country and has for many years. The only thing that has changed is the form that it has taken. Bullying is something that goes as far back as the public school system itself. Although cyber-bullying in particular is relatively new, bullying has been around for a great deal of time. The question that the reading asks is this: does the First Amendment protect blogging? First off, I would like to say that there seems to be a common misconception about what free speech really means. It does not mean that one can say whatever, whenever with absolutely no consequences. There are some exceptions (although they are very rare). Furthermore, the first amendment was not intended to protect all speech at all times in all places. It is important to note the spirit of the law as well as the letter.

I think that this article fails to address the true problem. The problem is bullying, not cyber-bullying. I admit that my experience could be different from the norm, but no one that I know personally has been bullied anonymously online. However, I have seen many people be bullied anonymously without any interaction with the Internet whatsoever. I am not a bully myself, but I can think of many ways to bully someone anonymously without going near a computer. The problem may be that cyber-bullying is almost impossible to prevent. Teachers and students cannot know when someone will be slandered next, and they cannot hope to prevent it unless students know that cyber-bullying will have consequences. They must know that what they say online carries the same weight as what they say in everyday life. I firmly believe that if a bully wants to bully, he or she will find a way. Of course, this is not to say that we should give up the fight. The consequences for cyber-bullying should be more severe if it is more harmful. I do not believe that blatant bullying was meant to be protected from any consequence by the first amendment. If it goes against a policy of the schools, and it hinders the educational process than it should definitely be punishable.