SOPA Debate... Or High School?

from the you-tell-us dept

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.
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Filed Under: congress, copyright, sopa


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  • icon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]

    • identicon
      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 ]

    • identicon
      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 ]

      • identicon
        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 ]

      • identicon
        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 ]

    • icon
      tsavory (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:29am

      Re: Send the message

      Watch them try though.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    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 ]

  • icon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Dec 2011 @ 6:53am

    Can someone get me some Demonoid invites? Thanks

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]

    • icon
      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 ]

    • icon
      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 ]

      • icon
        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 ]

      • identicon
        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 ]

        • icon
          btrussell (profile), 23 Dec 2011 @ 9:20am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Time for your nap.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          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 ]

        • identicon
          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 ]

        • icon
          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 ]

  • icon
    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 ]

    • identicon
      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 ]

  • icon
    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 ]

  • identicon
    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 ]


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