Antennas and the Ears of the Gods

Antennas and the Ears of the Gods / Rosa Maria Rodriguez
Posted on October 30, 2013

It is not my invention, it was on Cuban TV where they announce the
creation of national social network called "The Clothesline," for
domestic users. Do you think they're finally respecting our rights to
have Internet? Hopefully! But in any event it wouldn't be a "half
respect" nor even a half measure of respect, but the total lack of it,
for them to limit or prohibit our access to sites like Twitter and
Facebook to constrain our social, virtual and mental frontiers.

To force us to interact entirely within the country is a violation of a
fundamental human right and also, ironically, almost like inviting us to
a prison to take part in a conference about the freedom that will be
offered to someone condemned to 55 years in jail.

A friend — the very best of friends — and reader called me on the phone
to tell me about Cuban social mesh. She noted the coincidence with a
writing of mine that she couldn't remember the title of, but she did
remember the metaphor. I remembered it too, but I had no idea of the
approximate date nor the context in which I used it. Later I hunted for
more information and was able to recall it. I put the noun "clothesline"
in the XML code I keep the blog in and it appeared in the post SOS: The
Weapon of the Word, which I published on 16 August 2011.

In the third paragraph of the text I stated: "But here we are and will
be as long as God allows it. I will continue using the clothesline — in
the original text it's not in bold — of WordPress to hang my opinions
without letting myself be intimidated by those who come along with their
shears, cutting freedoms to feed despotism."

Coincidence or inspiration? Don't know if an official "liked it" and
borrowed the term, like Aida says. If that is what happened, I think
it's a real shame that they don't have the same 'ears' when it comes to
paying attention to the multiple political and economic proposals that
we, the opposition, have been working on throughout the years; proposals
whose implementation would help untie the knots of many of the problems
which, as a country and as a nation, we suffer.

However, I invite them to continue visiting the websites of the
political organizations — illegal according to the dictatorships — and
the blogosphere of the emerging alternative civil society, and which
there are many talented people who have spent decades offering antidotes
and paths in an endless stream, preventive and therapeutic solutions and
ideas.

Let's drink from our own source in a respectful, participative and
diverse dialog, including the range of cultural identities. No matter
what the discriminating historic leaders say, we still have more, "much
more to give!

27 October 2013

Source: "Antennas and the Ears of the Gods / Rosa Maria Rodriguez |
Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/antennas-and-the-ears-of-the-gods-rosa-maria-rodriguez/