Long Distance, the Wrong Distance?
Not that Ontology in Cyberspace was not examined enough the past decade, but one must put one's own two pennies worth in this "new" and uncharted field.
That the very notions of what defines space were completely chattered by cyberspace, is no secret. If I speak of collapsing limnalities and bringing together irreconcilables then social networking in cyberspace is a remarkable example and proof of how the very concept of space is compromised once and for all.
Who in the past decade, who had access to this space, did not experiment with the so-called "long-distance" relationships?
We even have a Hollywood movie to prove it, 'You've Got Mail'.
We were all seduced by the ease of cyberspace and how physical and actual distance and the workings of Time were all manipulated to our benefit. To our interests, whims, and desires.
What a beautiful seduction that was.
We disregarded any "practical", pragmatic if you please, consideration and went along with the incredible sense of possibility.
It was possible to talk to John, Mark and Stephen. It was the order of the day to chat with someone from Malaysia, Russia or India.
While access to the Internet remains problematic in parts of the world still, only the affluent have the resources and know how, the achievement is nevertheless extraordinary.
And I played with the possibility, dabbled with the opportune randomness, experimented too.
What would it be like to actually have a "long-distance" relationship in a precarious, contingent, uncertain space as cyberspace.
If the Apocalypse is based on the idea that time and space will accelerate and converge to unprecedented degrees, then millenarians must be thrilled with cyberspace.
But how can one resist?
There it is, in front of our very eyes, a layer of existence, if its not the "usual" one, present, verbal and sometimes, if you are lucky with a good webcam, visual as well.
There it is all figured out.
It could have not been more perfect.
The perfect illusion.
And in our context, such hostile and adverse context where men (yes, I fucking used the term "men") are scarce and chances of meeting anyone of interest are scanty, "the illusion" becomes necessary.
Nay, imperative.
And if the eccentric morbid queen could get men lined up at her door, from all over Western Europe, India, and the Americas, and her passport won't, then cyberspace seems the only way out.
Even Beirut had its share!
Despite my general aversion to the pretentious Lebanese bunch.
And we, I, allow ourselves, mentally make the choice, psychologically, intellectually, make the choice to "allow", "permit" ourselves to succumb, acquiesce to the dictates of this illusion.
Suddenly we are amore, enamorados, we are in love!
Our passport does not matter, our country of origin does not matter, our education does not matter, true equality, in the sense of equal access to all!
Take that EU!
But before we celebrate this faux-egalitarianism, what kind of ending does one get of this scenario?
We wake up in the morning, "chat" while we are working, go back home, "chat" while we are eating, "chat" till we have to go to bed, and rinse and repeat.
Some had the happy ending, Mark, Stephen or John took the first plane to Cairo whisked, Mahmoud, Karim or Fathy off their feet and flew them back to London, Paris or Berlin.
Perfect scenario.
Even Sex and the City can not measure up to that.
But Manjam, or Gaydar are not Amnesty International, and if some Mark and Mahmoud managed to make it work, there are thousands of Johns and Karims who couldn't.
And there are eccentric morbid queens who are just as bitter about it.
When will long distance stop being the wrong distance?
That the very notions of what defines space were completely chattered by cyberspace, is no secret. If I speak of collapsing limnalities and bringing together irreconcilables then social networking in cyberspace is a remarkable example and proof of how the very concept of space is compromised once and for all.
Who in the past decade, who had access to this space, did not experiment with the so-called "long-distance" relationships?
We even have a Hollywood movie to prove it, 'You've Got Mail'.
We were all seduced by the ease of cyberspace and how physical and actual distance and the workings of Time were all manipulated to our benefit. To our interests, whims, and desires.
What a beautiful seduction that was.
We disregarded any "practical", pragmatic if you please, consideration and went along with the incredible sense of possibility.
It was possible to talk to John, Mark and Stephen. It was the order of the day to chat with someone from Malaysia, Russia or India.
While access to the Internet remains problematic in parts of the world still, only the affluent have the resources and know how, the achievement is nevertheless extraordinary.
And I played with the possibility, dabbled with the opportune randomness, experimented too.
What would it be like to actually have a "long-distance" relationship in a precarious, contingent, uncertain space as cyberspace.
If the Apocalypse is based on the idea that time and space will accelerate and converge to unprecedented degrees, then millenarians must be thrilled with cyberspace.
But how can one resist?
There it is, in front of our very eyes, a layer of existence, if its not the "usual" one, present, verbal and sometimes, if you are lucky with a good webcam, visual as well.
There it is all figured out.
It could have not been more perfect.
The perfect illusion.
And in our context, such hostile and adverse context where men (yes, I fucking used the term "men") are scarce and chances of meeting anyone of interest are scanty, "the illusion" becomes necessary.
Nay, imperative.
And if the eccentric morbid queen could get men lined up at her door, from all over Western Europe, India, and the Americas, and her passport won't, then cyberspace seems the only way out.
Even Beirut had its share!
Despite my general aversion to the pretentious Lebanese bunch.
And we, I, allow ourselves, mentally make the choice, psychologically, intellectually, make the choice to "allow", "permit" ourselves to succumb, acquiesce to the dictates of this illusion.
Suddenly we are amore, enamorados, we are in love!
Our passport does not matter, our country of origin does not matter, our education does not matter, true equality, in the sense of equal access to all!
Take that EU!
But before we celebrate this faux-egalitarianism, what kind of ending does one get of this scenario?
We wake up in the morning, "chat" while we are working, go back home, "chat" while we are eating, "chat" till we have to go to bed, and rinse and repeat.
Some had the happy ending, Mark, Stephen or John took the first plane to Cairo whisked, Mahmoud, Karim or Fathy off their feet and flew them back to London, Paris or Berlin.
Perfect scenario.
Even Sex and the City can not measure up to that.
But Manjam, or Gaydar are not Amnesty International, and if some Mark and Mahmoud managed to make it work, there are thousands of Johns and Karims who couldn't.
And there are eccentric morbid queens who are just as bitter about it.
When will long distance stop being the wrong distance?
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