Literature and the internet could have beat Hitler

The Nobel prize is an accomplishment of great order and a source of pride for any winner. Often an entire lifetime of work is summed up in this one award. And there is no question that colleagues respect those that have won.

For those of us in the general populace the Nobel Prize is beyond our expectations. Most of us do not work in various fields of science and mathematics that many past winners like Albert Einstein and such delve into. But in the area of literature we all can dream of witting that one, or several, novels that capture the essence of life and imagination. Thus many of those that have won for literature are well known to us all, or become so.

But this year, as has happened in many years past, the winner of the Nobel for Literature - Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio of France - has taken that dream of the populace and added something different. He postulated that perhaps, if the internet had existed in the time of Hitler in the 1930's, he might not have been able to do what he did.

Now this has of course drawn criticism of all sorts. I even read one article where many modern day despots and such ilk were discussed and shown to be without concern for the internet. So it is true that the internet by itself is not an answer. And that is the key.

Like writing fiction, life requires imagination. And it is the imagination of say the blogosphere that can ignite the inspiration required to buck trends and question authority. While it may not be possible in North Korea, or China, where the internet is censored and restricted to high levels it is possible in many free nations. And once that inspiration takes hold it filters to the rest of the world.

Maybe Hitler would have been denounced and ridiculed enough to prevent him from gaining an audience. Perhaps his faulty logic could have been laid bare by the comments and attention to detail the internet can provide. Perhaps it could have been as simple as a Youtube video of a gaff that could have dashed his hopes. Maybe not.

But it is the thought that it might have that is important. Because if it might have in the past, it could in the future. And that is the point I think Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio was trying to make. That if we can inspire it, and discuss it, it is possible.

The internet allows for the breaking of every barrier that has existed for millennia. Borders, language, trade differences, religion, and nationalism are all useless. And if we can have the imagination we can spark inspiration. Just like writing does and can do.

And I for one, if I understand this Nobel winner correctly, like that idea. Whether or not it would have worked in the past I can imagine it. And that can inspire us all for a better future.