[Re: Loose Cannon: Nobody, In Particular, Direct Newsline, Monday, November 19, 2007]:

You seem to miss the Facebook point completely. If you are a "trend setter," of course others will wish to emulate you. "Follow-the leader" is a way of life in America, the modus operandi of the general public. How else could elections be so predictable, Republicans voting Republican and Democrats voting Democrat regardless of the individual candidate's qualifications, with only that 4% of "independent" (read: un-American) people deciding the actual election outcome?

The point is, my friend, it saves those valuable brain cells for things like, which TV show should I watch tonight (better go to Facebook and see what everyone else is watching).

Why else would celebrities, known as deep thinkers on big issues, get so much press when they endorse important issues or politicians? Anything that saves the general public from that dreaded disease of independent thought, or God forbid, research before action.

Facebook is simply making it easier for you to emulate your favorite celebrity by allowing you to share your borrowed or adopted opinion with others. Remember Orwell: Ignorance is Strength.

So, when you see my "face" in Facebook, consider it a sign of the apocalypse.

Not that I have an opinion.

Mark Amtower
www.EpiphanyBook.com
Highland, MD

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A very good critique.

Why doesn't Facebook go with consumer ratings like Ebay, or consumer review and comments like the on-line book sellers?

If Facebook is filled with ads, they've lost the ball game. Nobody would read Ann Landers, Dear Abby, or "Tips from Beth" if they weren't purely personal-interest texts, with no disturbing interruptions.

Fred Morath
Fred Morath Direct Marketing
Natick, MA