Michael Crichton – Disclosure – Comment

 

Disclosure was first published in 1994. Like millions of people around the planet, a new Crichton novel hitting the newsstands was a seminal event. The author’s books continue to sell at an extraordinary rate despite his premature death in November of 2008 from Lymphoma. Considering it had been close to 30 years since reading this novel, coming back to it was a gesture of sentimentality. We could count on a Crichton novel to be published once a year, usually around Christmas. Although picking it up again years later read familiar, after three decades, in many respects, the novel felt to be brand new.  

One can count on a Crichton novel to be prescient, especially in the sciences. Jurassic Park was a deep dive into regenerative genetics. The novel State of Fear was a compelling argument against the hysteria of global warming. One of his last novels, Prey, focused on the science of nanotechnology, and its dangers when technology is misused and exploited. Most of the author’s novels delt with different sciences and technology that could be exploited for nefarious ends.  

In Disclosure, Crichton combines a pressing social issue, sexual harassment in the workplace, and the growing CD ROM and virtual reality industries in the northeastern U.S. CD ROM technology was unknown to the masses in 1994. Sexual harassment in the workforce was indeed becoming a ‘thing’ in the late 90’s. At the time, most cases were women accusing men. Crichton decided to turn it around and write a case about a woman executive sexually harassing a male executive and what a male came up against when making such a claim. Of course, most of these cases are filed by women against men. The prescience of this novel reveals that cases of female harassment has rose significantly over the decades.  

The novel’s action happens over a single week. Thomas Sanders is a department head in the fictional computer company, Digicom. An old lover of Sanders has arrived and has been appointed to head of all operations in the company. The woman is strikingly beautiful and has expertise in marketing but zero understanding about the technical side of the business. Most of the staff in the company are surprised believing Sanders would have gotten the job. She also has a special relationship with the founder and CEO of the company. This leads to the typical sexes comments that she “slept” her way to the top. However, the situation is much more sinister and complex.  

On the first day, Merideth Johnson, the newly appointed head of operations, invites Sanders for a meeting in her office after hours. She orders Tom’s favorite white wine and proceeds to seduce him. Crichton writes this scene graphically and expresses Sander’s thoughts and feelings during the encounter. There are short moments when the sex appears to be consensual, a gray area, though it is apparent to the reader that this was clearly harassment.  

After the incident, Sanders acts like a dumb and confused male: he does not report the harassment, he does not tell anyone including his wife, believing it may have been a misunderstanding. Walking into work the next morning, the proverbial ‘shit’ hit the fan. Based on rumor and inuendo, in a matter of hours, he is viewed by the staff as a sexual deviant. He knows he is innocent; he knows he was the victim here, but in the court of public opinion, in cases of sexual harassment, the man is always the perpetrator. The case moves along so fast that he is offered a transfer to a sister company in Texas. What can he do? The man’s entire life is on the line. At the end of the day, he decides to fight. He knows the entire system is against him, and winning such a case would be impossible.  

As is the case with most of Crichton’s novels, the pace gains momentum, ending in an explosive climax where all the questions are answered for the reader. We discover the entire conspiracy when the characters use virtual, computer-generated technology. In 1994, for the common person, this was pure science fiction. Now, placing goggles on your face and experiencing a reality-based virtual world is something most middle-class families can experience in their own home.  

What really brought me back to this novel was a lecture Crichton gave on fear-based prophecies, like Y2K, and over population, that can be seen on You Tube.  

A wonderful novel in 1994, and just as entertaining in 2023.  

 

A Look-Back at 2023. (Part 1).

 

The most significant event in 2023 is Israel’s attempt to absolutely destroy Gaza and erase Palestinians from the face of the planet. This is not “antisemitic” because the ultra-right-wing politicians and military leaders in the country has openly stated this intention to the world. It is really disturbing how our leaders and certain opinion leaders continue to justify Israels war crimes. As it turns out, those supporting this genocide are powerful and wealthy individuals. Their power is overwhelming, destroying journalists, writers, academics, and even the lives of young people who have the courage to stand up to Israeli atrocities. How can Israel’s actions turn out well for them? This war can only end badly for all concerned.  

 Now that we are coming to the end of 2023, it is obvious to many that Ukraine has lost the war and must vie for peace. Certainly, many people placed Ukraine flags on their front lawns and social media accounts without understanding the history and context of Russia’s invasion. Celebrities gave their Oscars to Zelensky and pinned medals on Ukranian nazis. Now that this war is virtually over, (the US will not give them more $) news of the war has waned in a big way. People now would rather forget the whole thing and move on to the next war.  

 Again, the warmongers in DC (neocons) have failed once more. Indeed, they have been failing since the US’s devastating loss in Vietnam. The problem is people are easily swayed by unfounded fears of another country or dictator. For sure, the neocon tool of calling any perceived enemy as Nazi Germany or leader, Hitler, is unimaginative, and intellectually lazy at best. This comparison continues to work for the masses, though in 2023, more people are waking up to their incompetent lies.  

 Aside from writing about Julian Assange and general literature commentary, censorship has been my main topic and concern in 2023.  

 It was Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter (now X) that broke the dam of diabolical censorship on the American people and free citizens across the planet. It was interesting to watch journalists Taibbi and Shellenberger face a congressional hearing and witness the utter ignorance and bias of congressional members.  

 Since November 2023, the EU’s DSA is coming down hard on freedom of speech and have appointed themselves the arbiters of Truth. They are currently attacking X (formerly Twitter) and threatening unspeakable fines and hints of shutting them down. The EU’s DSA is organization of censorship terrorists, intent on destroying democracy. See my article on Sub stack: The new EU censorship laws are radically undemocratic. (substack.com) 

 In 2023, the trust in legacy media has continued to plummet. Reliance on independent news sources is on the rise, including, ironically, the relentless attempted censorship by the establishment.  

 People are waking up since the start of the Israel/Palestinian war. 

 

End of Part One. 

The new EU censorship laws are radically undemocratic.

 

Elon Musk of X has been arrogantly warned by the EU’s authoritarian Digital Services Act (DSA) to remove all disinformation, misinformation, “hate speech’ and pro Hamas posts (antiwar posts) and “illegal” posts (anti-establishment) or will be fined enormous amounts of money. Independent journalists in many countries are calling this authoritarian move a blow against freedom of speech and internet freedom overall.  

 Many see this self-appointed organization’s (DSA) new rules as a grand attempt to silence any dissident voice against the establishment, enabling a single voice, that of the powerful elites and politicians, who wish to remain in power.  

 Who decides what is true information and misinformation? There is no such animal who is an omnipresent body, or expert on propaganda and misinformation. Indeed, over the last several years, many individuals have dubbed themselves to be all knowing when it comes to what is true and false. This is blatantly impossible. As human beings we are naturally biased. As history has revealed, censorship is a central tool of the totalitarian state. For sure, history has revealed that those who desire ultimate power, whether a dictator or nation state, will burn books, jail writers and journalists, to ensure there is a single narrative, their narrative.  

 Personally, as an antiwar voice, my criticisms of the Russian/Ukraine war went directly against the establishment narrative. Unfortunately, I was attacked and lost a few lifelong friendships because of my views on the war. This was to be expected as it goes with the territory. What the DSA is attempting to accomplish is the silence of every person who writes contrary to the elite narrative. This of course is anti-democratic to its very core.  

 Censorship has been a growing industry since at least 2016. President Trump was ruthlessly attacked as a Russian agent, relentlessly pushed by the legacy media, which in the end, once the Mueller Report was published, turned out to be an utter fabrication. The mainstream media was not censored for this 4-year-old lie. In fact, the NYT’s awarded themselves with Pulitzers for their reporting.

In the 2020 election, the Hunter Biden Laptop story was censored and labelled Russian propaganda. Once Biden was securely in the Oval Office, the contents of the laptop was revealed, showing corruption and international finance crimes. One must ask: If the laptop story were released before the election, would Trump have won the presidency?  

 This is an example of elite censorship to interfere with an election. For many, this suppression of the laptop story showed the absolute corruption of the elites, and the fact they will do anything to reach their unholy objectives.  

 In a true democracy, freedom of the press and speech is absolutely necessary for a democracy to remain a democracy. The US founding fathers wrote this into the Constitution for a reason – to keep the powerful honest.  

 It was believed by many that the internet was the perfect tool for the public to be heard: a public square for many to express their views and opinions. The authorities, corporations, certain political parties, and influential billionaires despise free speech because it can thwart their goals of remaining in power.  

 The DSA is an undemocratic entity. Their stated claims are to protect us from those voices that might hurt us, but this is an effort to quash dissenting voices and consolidate the internet into one authoritarian voice.  

 The DSA is the most totalitarian, anti-democratic organization to raise their reptilian heads since Stalin’s Soviet Union.  

 Is this the end of free speech on the internet?