nobody@oberon.USC.EDU (Unprivileged user) (02/10/88)
read in this newsgroup. It seems that the question must be raised, what exactly is "cyberpunk" meant to describe? From: cwyatt@ascella.usc.edu (Christopher Wyatt) Path: ascella.usc.edu!cwyatt People like Phillip Glass and Laurie Anderson have been labeled as cyberpunk by the Los Angeles Times, without much explination. Cyberpunk is a concept of what the future may hold for man. Movies such as Blade Runner and Brazil depict technology gone awry, as does portions of Laurie Anderson's "concert" which is more of a performance. In general cyberpunks have a slightly negative view of society's use of technology. However, that does not mean that they see technology as a threat - man is the threat. Cyberpunk is not some teen hackers gone mad. It is a word used to describe the people who watched "Alive from Off-Center" on PBS. Cyberpunk is the avant-garde of the now. Occasionally it even dares to mention ideas was considered existential (i.e. Laurie Anderson's paraphrasing of Sartre - "You were born and so you're free, so happy birthday.") Cyberpunk is the idea that men must learn to care about living. We are too habitual, concerned with an eternity which may or may not exist. The concept is to prevent Brazil from becoming a reality by reflecting what man MAY become in our art forms. Cyberpunks are warning society, not just making fun of it. It's actually an old idea - Live for now. Just had to get it out of my system. Christopher Scott Wyatt USC Mainframe Consulting 922 E. Cambridge Visalia, CA 93277 Note: I'd appreciate further comments, additions, and corrections to my thoughts. I exist - at USCVM and USCMVSA - on BITNET as CWYATT.