MaSSSoftech

"In Vino Veritas," the Latin phrase meaning "In wine there is truth," was a tactic employed at the White House this week, it seems.

It was a surprising (and refreshing) next chapter to the Gates-Crowley story that many people wish would escape the front pages.

Prominent Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, who is black and in his fifties, is a well-known documentary filmmaker. Police Sergeant James Crowley, who is white, arrested Gates for "disorderly conduct" July 16th. Gates was returning from a trip to China and found his door jammed. After forcing it open, he was confronted by Crowley, who reportedly began the interaction with the sort of language African Americans know mean trouble: "Sir, please step off of the porch"--one important aspect of the escalating event that has not gotten much attention.

Information technology has advanced calendar and address book management, but still falls short for conveying the social realities at the heart of many such conflicts. Obama left his famed Blackberry out of sight.

Crowley has not appologized. Obama, with his "beer summit" as a "teachable moment" was trying to share information -- to communicate the experiences of the African-American community to law enforcement and vis-a-vis. Lack of communication is after all, the most prevalent and impactful type of lack of access to information.

The Internet, with all it's power, simply brought millions of more people into the Gates-Crowley misunderstanding; it is unclear if it has helped focus us on the fundamental truths to be discovered and shared.

Beer, it seems, may have helped more. But that's no surprise, considering small circles of people, gathered like this to exchange Vino-equivalents and their thoughts, have shaped social agreements dating back farther than recorded history. Now there's a great information technology.