The OLPC project

Most people have now heard of the One Laptop Per Child project that has been around for a number of years. And I agree with most people, that is it a brilliant device to bring our world, particularly our 3rd world up to speed with what is happening around the rest of the place.

Great!

Well, no actually. As much as this project excites me, it also brings up a bunch of questions I can't help but ask myself. There are some issues I feel I should express as I think this whole idea of providing technology we take for granted to people who don't know what a calculator is might be uneccessary.

Why do I think this? Well, I'm going to give you a brain dump, it might not make sense, but here it goes.

The whole idea behind the OLPC project is to provide children in poverty stricken countries the same opportunities as our more productive and successful nations like the United States, Europe and Australia give our children and adults much the same.

But, when I look at what litters the Internet these days. I often wonder why this would benefit someone is Africa. What use does a child in Uganda have for a MySpace account? Why would they be browsing Ebay for a new iPod? What benefit will there be when they discover things like redtube or spankwire, or end up downloading illegal media much as mp3's or avi's?

My story has two sides. I can see how a child or adult would benefit from watching a few videos from TED. I can see how a person could video chat to their cousin studying in France. I can see how with the aid of a computer, an internet connection and google, one can pretty much accomplish anything. I'm generally lost if there is no Internet connection around. My life, my work and my free time are consumed by it.

But there was a time when it wasn't. I had no computer, I had no Internet, no email, no web, no skype. I survived. We all did! So, back to my question, why does a hungry child with a huge potential to attract some form of virus or disease have any sort of benefit from receiving a tiny, green laptop, possibly with an internet connection? And who's going to pay for the connectivity? The laptop is funded by us developed country folk who have had all these opportunities and the money to have more of it.

So, is the OLPC project's aim to transform these countries into ours? Do we want an entire planet where everyone is highly successful? Do they need to have a lifestyle change where it goes against what is said in this 40 minute video on Linux.com regarding how the aim is to remove barriers and avoid conflict like when countries which the OLPC is aimed at were once colonialised by the countries providing the funding for the laptops in the first place? I've never held a grudge. Okay, maybe once or twice. I'm only human. And why should I compare the OLPC projects aim to something our great great grand parents might have done? Well, the comparison is that we're both doing the same thing. Butting in on someone elses land and saying "No, no, no, no, no. This is what you need! Come with me and I'll show you how brilliant it is." It's the same thing that was said to the slaves, it was the same thing that was said to the Jews. And it's the same thing now.

The video talks briefly about such events and learning about them, avoiding them in the future and being against them. Part of colonialisation is to influence the receiving end to the point where you eliminate their existance by destroying their heritage and their past by replacing it with something from your world, not theirs and subjecting them to these brilliant things that work well in our society, but most probably will not benefit theirs.

My thoughts are contraversial, it goes against the OLPC project's goal. Because I see a different aspect of it. A sadder story that will ultimately lead to failure. You could say I'm just looking at it from a different view, a negative one. And with that attitude, of couse it will fail. But I'm not saying the project itself will fail. I'm saying the projects aim is inaccurate and missing the point.

Am I right in thinking this? I'm not saying I am. I'm confused as to why something I thought was a fantastic idea has come across my thoughts all of a sudden as something that could have the potential to harm more than benefit.

Thoughout history, people have looked back at atrosities from the past. We have learnt [somewhat] from these and attempted to never repeat such acts of debauchery, pilaging and inhumanic methods of torture. And just is in war, the battlefield has moved from, well.... the battlefield to electronics and the rule book has been thrown out the window [Did you just have a thought? I did. Since when were there rules of egagement in war? Can you imagine? Playing a game like tag or Monopoly, then yelling "Hey, you cheated!"], so to has this new method of colonialisation where we are influencing young minds into a change in lifestyle so radical, I can't blame them if they forget their customs, heritage and background.

Am I wrong in thinking this? Please tell me I am.