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From the Editor's Desk
I've been reading with some interest over the past few months reviews of a highly anticipated digital camera. I've also read with mild amusement the great debate that has shaped up on the Internet over this particular camera. The lines are drawn out like this: those who like the camera and or the company are defending it with every last letter typed. Those who don't snipe at it gleefully point out all its shortcomings. In a way, it's funny, because, like me, I'd imagine about 90 percent of the folks weighing in on this issue don't and will never own this particular camera. Considering the fact that the body alone costs about five grand and the cheapest lens (new) starts at about a grand, I don't think this claim is too much of a stretch. I've even typed out my thoughts on the thing. Likely wasting my time in the process. But this debate is nothing really new. There are plenty of places where you can find an even greater amount of vitriol online if yo so desire. If you're a computer geek, try wading into the Mac versus Windows debate somewhere. I've read that people even come to virtual blows over debating the merits of various phones of all things. It's Ford versus Chevy, Coke versus Pepsi, the list could go on and on. The Ford versus Chevy debate is probably as old as the truck itself. A certain kind of window sticker depicting the competing brand's logo being "wet down" shall we say, is just one of the latest incarnations. Of course, now we have the Internet, and we can dispatch our opinions to the rest of the world with Mercury's swift feet. In some ways, it amplifies the debate. Anyone can weigh in, and without the fear of things getting physical even normally shrinking violets can be as outspoken as the next guy. So, why not call that guy who drives a Ford and uses a Mac an idiot? It's not like he can punch you in the nose for it over the phone line. I think our modern world in general also fosters this elevated level of acrimony. We're all frustrated. Most of us don't make enough money to keep up with the Joneses; job security died 20 years ago; the price of gas and healthcare is up and our coverage is down; we're either getting cancer or salmonella from everything we eat, and corporations have turned into faceless global behemoths that seem to care very little about anything but the bottom line. How to blow off steam? Go online and tell somebody he's a moron for buying that brand of (insert your favorite product here). Finally, it's starting to seem like we're all wired for seeing life as a zero sum game. If my choice is right, then the other guy's must be wrong.
You're welcome to disagree, and maybe we'll both be right.
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