Talk:Borg


 * That companies become "borged" has considerable currency and relevance.
 * There is an energy and momentum within an economy which is not human, and which can become very difficult to control.
 * It is an interesting paradox of a capitalist economy that perhaps its greatest virtue, competition, is so vulnerable to itself.
 * The BORG is more than a metaphor.
 * Eisenhour's original concern about the military-industrial complex wasn't that man would abuse it; but that it would abuse man.
 * derivation of "borg" probably in science-fiction (remember Jules Verne?); perhaps closely associated with "cyborg"; my intent with this article is not to study the derivation of the name so much as the activity of assimilation, with appropriate links to examples thereof, most notably privatization and globalization.
 * Perhaps the native North Americans and Pacific Islanders weren't so much 'borged' as they were 'eradicated'; but the distinction can be pretty blurry in the 21st century.
 * Perhaps we can prevent further decimation of indigenous cultures if we agree to regain control over The BORG.
 * Perhaps those who support The BORG have already been assimilated by it.
 * Resistance is NOT futile; it is essential.

I confess to not being a Star Trek aficiando and never having come across the word before. That aside, I read the text three times and couldn't figure out what it meant. Just in case it was me - or a term in widespread use in North America but not Down Under - I checked with Sheldon. He thought it should go too. I've re-read it again and still can't follow it. Sorry.


 * Perhaps AI can persuade child-son to elaborate. I'm also not a Sci-Fi fan, but in pondering The BORG I considered it to "have more currency" with a younger, or more Sci-Fi oriented readership/contributorship. Globalization and Free Market Capitalism have very definite components of mergers and acquisitions. At least thats what its called in the corporate and financial market place. The kids and other outsiders who aren't caught up in it, see it from the outside, and they call it what it is to them, The BORG. "mergers and acquisitions" could be a kind of doublespeak for them.


 * I see "borged" a lot in IT/ISP/telecom oriented discussions where companies are being "borged" (assimilated) all the time. That gives it real life context for me. I suppose the article would look different without that context. Perhaps someone, even I, can fix it up a bit over time. Check groups.google and www.google for +borged +company


 * There may also be other interpretations than assimilation; for instance perhaps indicating a transformation of humans from considerate, caring, individuals with heart toward more cyborg automatron behavior organisms without heart; in a way which can be seen in distinguishing small mom/pop shops from transnationals and monopolies.


 * I'd like to leave it and see if anybody can actually enhance and incorporate it better.

-- Re "borged" .... well, M, I must report that ZDNet, discussing a video game, suggests that the future of "artificial intelligence" IS "the Borg".... ;-))))

A quick Yahoo! search brought up:


 * Wikipedia: Borg.


 * article -- "Have You Been 'Borged'" -- written in 1995 by cyborg anthropologist Scott Frank, believe it or not. Frank said then that "we are all undergoing 'borgification'" ... "we are all becoming cyborgs."


 * Some Borg History.


 * A wiki definition for "borg": "To completely absorb and integrate something. Often with callous disregard for the uniqueness of that something. Compare fleshing. Taken from the Star Trek villain 'The Borg' and their emotionless, dispassionate purpose of assimilation." A number of computer tech examples follow, including converting html format into wiki as a form of "borging."

A significant point here might be that the concept of "borging" -- and the "Collective" (1987) -- sets the stage for acceptance by a number of generations already indoctrinated to it.

... and then I came across this definition for "The Borg" on a page entitled Diplomatic Relations: "Relentless, emotionless, cybernetic beings that roam the galaxy assimilating entire civilisations to satisfy their pursuit for perfection" ... and immediately the term "neoconservative" came to mind!

10/31/03 07:45 (EST) AI ---

Reading AI's comments I thought, regarding the assimilation, "but that's right there on the topic page since I started the article." Alas, I must confess and apologize that such existence was only a matter of my imagination. Mea max culpa. So I've added it now; doing so earlier may have spared us this fine discussion. Perhaps 'relentless' should be added to the definition text. Thanks, --Maynard 08:12 31 Oct 2003 (EST)

--

I don't really see this article as necessary, but I don't have strong objections to it either. However, the proper name for the article should be simply "Borg" rather than "The BORG," so I've moved it accordingly. I've also done a bit of rewriting. -- Sheldon Rampton 11:29 31 Oct 2003 (EST)

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"*Perhaps the native North Americans and Pacific Islanders weren't so much 'borged' as they were 'eradicated'; but the distinction can be pretty blurry in the 21st century. (from above outtake of original article)"

Some native groups might take issue with claims that their tribes, cultures or traditions have been eradicated. Clearly, genocide and ethnic cleansing were the official policies of 19th Century USA, but the policies failed. For sure, some families and tribes were victims of genocide, but declarations that the cultures as a whole were eliminated tread close to declarations about the legitimacy of survivors. I know it's not the intent here to do that, but as a public opus, the rhetoric needs to be accurate. "Decemated" i.e. reduced by one tenth, or by a significant portion, might be more accurate, though 1/10th is not technically accurate either. What's the real number? 1/2 or more? I don't know; what matters is many survived. How much can I, son of immigrant refugees, know about genocide of his hosts, anyway?

The "BORGing" of indigenous people and of other distinct cultures in the US's Jim Crow era was often labeled "the great melting pot." Countervailing propaganda urges the US toward more of a "patchwork quilt" approach to the inclusion of diverse cultures. Anyway, Sheldon's rewrite was fair and accurate, so this is just talk.