SOPA Debate... Or High School?

from the you-tell-us dept

Fri, Dec 23rd 2011 6:00am — Mike Masnick

James Temple, for the SF Chronicle, has finally found the perfect analogy for what the SOPA debate is like: your everyday high school teen drama "replete with name calling and a stubborn refusal to let the nerds talk." He covers, of course, the angry fight between Reps. King and Jackson-Lee over whether each other was boring or offensive:

Late last week, Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa, Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and their colleagues managed to grind the session to a halt as they exchanged taunts that boiled down to: You're boring. Yeah, well, you're offensive! Nu uh, you're out of order!

But, of course, the bigger deal is the refusal to hear from the actual experts -- which Congress repeatedly referred to as "the nerds." Temple extends the analogy even further, to figure out why Congress is so quick to take Hollywood's side on this bill, despite the concern of actual experts, and the widespread outcry among the public:

Here, we come back to our tween picking out that smart phone. In the case of Congress, the media industry seems to be playing the dual roles of influential friend and paying parent. And they're willing to splurge on that shiny new iPhone 4S while the tech industry is only coughing up enough for last year's Android.

When it's difficult to distinguish the details between high school spats and Congress, it seems like something pretty serious is wrong.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: congress, copyright, sopa

33 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Mike C. (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 5:20am

Too much credit
To be honest, I think comparing the SOPA markup sessions to high school is giving them far too much credit. I have two kids, 10 and 14 and over a dozen nieces and nephews ranging from under 2 to mid-20's. The most apt comparison I found was to kindergarten playground bullies vs their victims.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:04am

No wonder they keep using "for the children" as an excuse for certain agendas: they have the same mental age.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:22am
  
  Re:
  "For themselves"...sounds about right!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Suja, 23 Dec 2011 @ 5:40pm
  
  Re:
  yup, nailed it
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:11am

Now I understand the "for the children" it is self serving propaganda since they are the children.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Michael, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:12am

Send the message
Just because they can send their lobbyists to Washington with bribery cash shouldn't mean that the media conglomerates can purchase regulatory powers. The internet isn't the government's property to sell to the highest bidder.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 8:47am
  
  Re: Send the message
  Neither should broadcasting monopolies or cableco monopolies be. These should be abolished, along with taxi cab monopolies, laws that deter restaurants and other venues from hosting independent performers, and all of of the other many many anti-competitive laws in this country.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:28am
  
  Re: Send the message
  Unfortunately, reality isn't the cyber-utopia you (and I) would like.
  
  Money can buy laws.
  
  The Golden Rule: Whoever has the Gold, Makes the Rules.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 12:14pm
    
    Re: Re: Send the message
    In cyberspace the gold is knowledge so the nerds get to make the rules.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2011 @ 3:43am
    
    Re: Re: Send the message
    Who has the gold?
    
    Go daddy or customers?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - btrussell (profile), 24 Dec 2011 @ 3:50am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Send the message
      Above comment is mine.
      
      Trying Microsoft and forgot to sign in.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- tsavory (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:29am
  
  Re: Send the message
  Watch them try though.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Devil's Coachman (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:29am

Sounds like "spare the rod' is not working in Congress
So, perhaps it's time some good old fashioned butt whippings were applied to these maundering cretins, followed by maybe a twenty year time out.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Greevar (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 7:14am
  
  Re: Sounds like "spare the rod' is not working in Congress
  When you have lots of power and almost no accountability nor discipline, you tend to act like a child. This whole thing reminds me of Lord of the Flies.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Mike C. (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 5:44pm
    
    Re: Re: Sounds like "spare the rod' is not working in Congress
    I saw this in a copy of a speech posted online in 2009 and have taken it to heart as well as tried to teach my children the essential meaning:
    
    So I have to say what I mean by honor? It is more than acting lawfully. It is that, certainly, but it is more. It is also how you behave even when you can do as you please, especially then. Honor, at the least, means not exploiting the trust of vulnerable others for your own advantage�including strangers�who are relying on certain basic standards of human decency.
    
    If you go by that, it's easy to see that a majority of our representatives have absolutely no HONOR in the least.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mr RC (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:30am

Ignorance... is this...

When everything blows up in their face and things go horribly wrong.. they'll be the first ones to try and blame the nerds for not telling them... even though they've pretty much stuck their fingers in their ears and gone 'LALALALALA'

If SOPA passes, I will be blocking US access to my many sites.. and I'm pretty sure a lot of other sites will follow suit...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:36am

How do we mark articles as "funny"? Because the analogy is spot on and hilarious!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:53am

Can someone get me some Demonoid invites? Thanks
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Greevar (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 7:16am
  
  Re:
  Just sign up on the first of the month. They have open signup then.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tim Edwards (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 7:16am

Beware the nerds... We run most of the world from our data centers and design studios. You may not see us in your day to day dealings with businesses, but who do you think keeps the networks running behind credit card transactions and stock trades? Congress should get their heads outta their asses and get a better grip on reality.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 7:45am

... and over here, we have the school nerd, Mike Masnick, calling both of them out.

It's comical to watch you go.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 8:06am
  
  Re:
  Yeah! Revenge of the Nerds is pretty funny. Of course, I don't remember the Alpha Beta frat boys winning in the end. Can't wait 'til you're pounding sand. Regardless of the SOPA/PIPA outcome, you will still be losers...it is coming.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Marcus Carab (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 8:11am
  
  Re:
  ... and over here, we have the school nerd, Mike Masnick, calling both of them out.
  
  You really are making a great case against SOPA supporters being like children. Way to go.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - TtfnJohn (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 8:58am
    
    Re: Re:
    a child in need of a visit to the woodshed, actually.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:11am
    
    Re: Re:
    I am not trying too, sorry schmuck. I just think Mike isn't doing any better, his endless and repeated postings about SOPA , his attacks on the writers of the law, and his desperation to find people who are against SOPA is amusing, but infantile. It look since passed meaningful, and has made it all the way up to pickling his mind in the kool-aid.
    
    So for him to call the debate childish is a laughable concept, as he got there long before any of the rest of them did.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - btrussell (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:20am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Time for your nap.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Marcus Carab (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:51am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      his desperation to find people who are against SOPA
      
      Um, it's not hard at all to find people who are against SOPA. The only desperation seems to be from those seeking supporters.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - abc gum, 23 Dec 2011 @ 10:13am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      MC -> "You really are making a great case against SOPA supporters being like children. Way to go."
      
      AC -> "I am not trying too"
      
      And yet you have, LOL. It must be a natural talent.
      
      Possibly, you need to read this"
      http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infantile
      
      AC -> "for him to call the debate childish is a laughable concept, as he got there long before any of the rest of them did"
      
      I see you lack examples of this alleged behavior, very mature of you.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Rikuo (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 12:11pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      "desperation to find people who are against SOPA"
      
      Read today's articles. Most of the people on the list for supporting SOPA are now demanding to be removed. Looks like Mike doesn't have to try very hard at all to look for people against SOPA, they're popping up everywhere.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Grover (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:55am

I just watched a YouTube video that I thought I'd share: Stop SOPA by Michael Mozart. It is worth the watch.

We have voted into office some of the most technologically-ignorant, self-serving, corrupt people imaginable � who are easily influenced by bogus, spin-doctored numbers and large wads of campaign money � and we�re now getting a whiff of the awful stench they�ve been brewing with the big media/content industries.

I, for one, will be doing my best to never knowingly give �them� another dime of my money by NOT buying newspapers, going to the theaters, or anything else I find connected to �them�.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- abc gum, 23 Dec 2011 @ 10:25am
  
  Re:
  "We have voted into office some of the most technologically-ignorant, self-serving, corrupt people imaginable"
  
  The choices were:
  1) technologically-ignorant, self-serving, corrupt
  2) technologically-ignorant, self-serving, corrupt
  
  So - yes, there were choices make and votes cast.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jeffrey Nonken (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 1:37pm

Where are the Lambda Lambda Lambdas when you really need them?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
zahirul, 24 Dec 2011 @ 5:44am

My opinion
Greetings I stumbled on your blog by mistake when i was searching Live search for this concern, I need to tell you your website is quite useful I also seriously like the design, it is great!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]