Wasn't it "Annie Hall" that turned the phrase 'negative space' into
a catchphrase/punchline?

I actually heard it used seriously the other night, in a show about
cinematography... and it occurs to me that it could be morphed into
a concept called "negative intelligence" that refers to *the quality
that prevails when intelligence is absent*.

And what I notice on netnews is that negative intelligence rules
almost everywhere-- newsgroups are great sucking black-holes of
negative intelligence, where the greatest bigots have the loudest
voices, and the greatest say...

The way people get smarter, generally, is by looking at multiple
points of view, and letting these pov's 'debate among themselves' in
the most even-handed manner possible.  But in newsgroups, people who
try to lay things out evenhandedly get massively squelched by fucking
idiots...

just my opinion  ;^/

j