Among the taliban

Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 13 March 2007 05:06

Opinion and Analysis

Fundamentalism is a frequent topic of conversation these days but it is discussed only in the context of religion. Overlooked is the fact that this attribute can exist among the operating system faithful as well - a breed I call the operating system taliban (hereafter referred to as the OST).

 
If, like me, you happen to be write anything about operating systems you'll come across them frequently. Their vision of tomorrow is yesterday; their system of belief knows but one mantra: I am who I am and I am right.

If you were to liken them to George W. Bush, he of the "you are with us or you are against us" credo, you would be shouted down loudly. Yet this very act of denial only proves the point - here is a breed which has just one point of view.

Invective is a major part of their armoury - if someone has written or said anything against the operating system which they espouse, then that individual has to be wrong. He or she also has to belong to the worst sections of society; in short, a pariah. And the best way to prevent debate is to abuse the debater. This approach underlines the insecurity that the OST feel but try telling that to this brand of true believer and you'll experience a firestorm.

Oft times, one happens to be the recipient of praise from this breed when, by chance, putting forth an argument with which the breed agrees. That's rare, but it happens. But just a small deviation will suffice to bring about an outpouring of righteous wrath.

Disagreeing with the OST is easy, given that this breed thinks in straight lines. When this happens, the OST have one of two approaches. If you've carefully crafted an argument based on years and years of talking and listening and advance the same in your own words, then the OST take one look at it and say: "Nah! can't be right. No figures are quoted. No survey is cited. All said off his own bat. Fool!"

The first time this happens, the individual who advances the argument tends to think that if he or she were to put forward a case based on a survey/study/scientific principle, then the OST would have no leg on which to stand. This, however, is not the case.