HarvesteR Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It seems we are on the verge of a very large shift in the way humanity deals with knowledge and information. It could go one way or another, and the outlook can be very grim if it goes in the opposite direction. I\'m talking about the SOPA and PIPA bills, of course. Mind that what follows is my personal ramblings and (hopefully) paranoid ranting, It\'s not Squad\'s official stand on anything. After going through the webs yesterday, looking at the net-wide protest we proudly took part in, I\'ve realized that this threat is here for a very understandable, though nonetheless evil, reason. Ultimately, this is a battle for the intellectual freedom of humanity.Look back 30 years ago, before the webs existed. All the content you\'d see on the media was produced and deliberately controlled by a very small, very powerful group: the content providers (no names named here). Those were in charge of all the information the masses would ever receive, and that is a position of dangerously great power. What happens then? The internet comes along, and the people start taking content production and dissemination into their own hands. This gradually rises, until the very nature of the mass media channels starts to become threatened. We start claiming the right to view what we want, when we want it, and to not be subject to 4-minute-long interruptions every 5 minutes. We are perfectly entitled to that, and now we have a way around the canned, pre-digested content mass media feeds us.Mind though, I\'m not making an apology to piracy here, far from it. I\'m saying we are witnessing the birth of a new way of delivering content. One in which the public is no longer a passive spectator, but an active, decision-making, opinion-wielding entity. One which the content providers saw not as a humankind-improving trend, to lead us out of an intellectual dark age, but as a threat to their ways and, powerful as they are, took actions to destroy it. Instead of embracing the new way of things, they mean to push us back down into their idiocracy.This is a time where we are slowly realizing we don\'t want to be fed a pre-digested goop of content, insterspersed with ads that tell you how you should be living your life. We want to make those choices ourselves, and we want to make ourselves heard. That is an undeniable right of every living human being: The drive to learn, make decisions and improve oneself. They mean to take that away from us.What we are seeing then, with these SOPA and PIPA bills, is nothing less than a cultural holocaust. The systematic demolition of the free flow of content and information, disguised as an anti-piracy law. It becomes VERY easy for them to take down any \'subversive\' offenders, by simply having them closed down on an accusation of piracy that doesn\'t even need to be proven. It\'s an Intellectual Inquisition, meant to take down the freedom of our new ways. To regain control, and put us back on track.I thought this up yesterday, when I was feeling pretty grim about all this. This morning though, came a surprise, which lifted me up quite a bit:http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71618.htmlIt seems we have made ourselves heard after all. It\'s very little, but it\'s a start, and although the enemy is far from being dead, we are standing our ground, and they\'ll find we\'re not so easy to push aside. We can change the ways of the world here. We are at the brink of a very important shift in society. If they win, there\'s no telling when we will see such a golden age again. But if we win, we\'ll have changed the world. We, the small guys, sitting at our computers at home, are taking a joint stand against the mass media oligarchy. We are saying we don\'t want to feel brainwashed anymore, and we are free to enjoy the things WE decide should be enjoyed, and to shun the things we dislike. We are fighting for a world where everyone is free to dismiss advertisements they don\'t care about, where we can truly be free in choosing when and what we want to watch, play, or listen to. Where no one is fed the same goop as everyone else. Where the cats freely roam the tubes, and the things we like are sent across the length and breadth of the world for everyone to share and enjoy. Today I\'ve seen us take the first step towards that goal. Today I\'ve seen the world united against a common threat, taking it\'s stand in unison.We are the absolute, undeniable masters of our culture. We are the internet. We will prevail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sordid Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Today I\'ve seen us take the first step towards that goal. Today I\'ve seen the world united against a common threat, taking it\'s stand in unison.We are the absolute, undeniable masters of our culture. We are the internet. We will prevail. *celebratory gunfire* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flixxbeatz Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Some powerful words there...Here. regarding about SOPA and PIPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeal Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Simply Brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altair1371 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I think we need a cheering army for Harv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moach Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 may this humble step towards enlightenment be the first of a journey towards a world where people are TRULY part of a democracya world where decisions are made by individuals together reaching consensus, not by politicians egos seeking victorywhere laws are tailored often and enthusiastically to accommodate innovation, not built to suppress it in the interests of greedwhere masses can be heard without the need for desperate acts of feverous protest, but calmly and amicably over openly accessible means of communicationwhere advertising that cannot be dismissed is remembered only as a tale of harsh old days, told by grandfathers reminding unappeased children to be patientwhere more money is spent by companies for creating things of real value than for conveying ideas of values that are not all therewhere people see events while they happen just as they really are, rather than through the lenses of corporate/political thinkingwhere the truth is an institution as solid as the ideal it representsa world of intellectual and cultural prosperity - where men are free to know and seek knowledge - this is our time - this is the internet - we are it as it is us - together as many, each as his own SOPA must die! *a crowd of muzzles flash towards the sky* :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We are fighting for a world where everyone is free to dismiss advertisements they don\'t care about, where we can truly be free in choosing when and what we want to watch, play, or listen to. Where no one is fed the same goop as everyone else. Where the cats freely roam the tubes, and the things we like are sent across the length and breadth of the world for everyone to share and enjoy. Today I\'ve seen us take the first step towards that goal. Today I\'ve seen the world united against a common threat, taking it\'s stand in unison.We are the absolute, undeniable masters of our culture. We are the internet. We will prevail.But Harv, you start scaring me... seriously... I mean.... cats and tubes... you wouldn\'t be a 4channer, would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mincespy Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We are the absolute, undeniable masters of our culture. We are the internet. We will prevail.THISYES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sordid Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 cats and tubes... you wouldn\'t be a 4channer, would you?Isn\'t everyone? :-\Though lolcats aren\'t a 4chan thing, they\'ve been around for nearly a hundred years already. As for tubes, that we have the Alaskan senator Ted Stevens to thank for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvesteR Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 you wouldn\'t be a 4channer, would you?Not a 4channer, but a big memebase fan Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayvenQ Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 So it Begins, Megaupload just got nailed by the US DoJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobug Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 ...[a world] where laws are tailored often and enthusiastically to accommodate innovation, not built to suppress it in the interests of greed..This. So much.Piracy will only exist for as long a industry refuses to adapt. This is the age of information, completely different from anything that has come before it. As a result, it\'s still not very clear what the best method of utilizing it to its full potential might be. One thing is for sure, though; Inhibiting natural change in favor of keeping an obsolete marketing model alive will only make things worse. Much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mincespy Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 So it Begins, Megaupload just got nailed by the US DoJWHATNOWE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypocee Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Mmm. Of course, what a shame that broadcast media producers just happen to own the cables and towers. Shame if anything happened to them - like maybe if, say, Google, who So Bravely Took A Stand against SOPA, were consistently working with Verizon to overturn net neutrality so they can just squeeze unpleasant traffic out rather than cutting it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakomis Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 FOR FREEDOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sneakeypete Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Don\'t want to be a downer here, but i wouldn\'t say a bunch of guys blacking out their signatures and avatars a 'win'. Sure there was a short blackout, but i honestly don\'t think that was significant either. Companies that rely on the internet for revenue could not sustain that for long at all. Also, i think that the entire threat of this is way, way overstated. The internet isn\'t going to be shut down. People will still be able to blog, create, chat, discuss.But anyway, that\'s my view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volt Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 ^Thing is, the blackouts and virtual protests recently have laid down the standard for protests to come should the two bills or any illegal action such as the shutting down of MU continue. And they had the effect of raising awareness amongst laymen; I had the whole of my Ethics class full of 15 year olds talking about it earlier. Most of them wouldn\'t have given a damn about it had Wikipedia not been there when they needed it, in fact they would have repeatedly shunned me for mentioning anything to do with it. Something has started here that will surely prevent things from going any further.By the way, HarvesteR, that post was inspiring. I was trying to work out who it reminded me of, then someone posted the picture below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Sneakey, the point is that although the Internet isn\'t going to be shut down, massive numbers of US websites will be shut down for copyright infringement or \'copyright infringement\' [sOPA doesn\'t require proof from the complainant to have the site shut down], and massive numbers of international sites will be blocked to the US.I\'m surprised Facebook isn\'t doing anything. The place must be full of links to sites putting up copyright infringing or \'copyright infringing\' material. Though Facebook being shut down would, in my view, be no bad thing. The entire site is a confidence trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goddess Bhavani Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Could use a like button here right about now.*likes* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LoSboccacc Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 problem: they\'ve heard the sound of losing voters. their position on sopa didn\'t change by an inch.they\'ve heard the voice, and they know they are losing support over this. and support is power. but they have a stronger force driving them: lobbist money.now, expect very vocal contrapposition on this provision, while more of the same will come in the next law. I won\'t be surprised if they put this very resolution in acta and play the 'hey, it\'s an international treaty, nothing that we could do about it' card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JupiterII Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I won\'t be surprised if they put this very resolution in acta and play the 'hey, it\'s an international treaty, nothing that we could do about it' card.But it\'s not international. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LoSboccacc Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 But it\'s not international.Acta is. Follow the whole concept, not single words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JupiterII Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Acta is. Follow the whole concept, not single words.Great, more stupid things to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flixxbeatz Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 So it Begins, Megaupload just got nailed by the US DoJThat\'s probably just the start. Let them block mediafire, and shit will definitely go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panichio Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We need a Martin Luther King Jr. impersonator to read this... =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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