SOPA/PIPA uproar as an example of how to make change

You've been on Facebook, or on NYTimes.com, or talked to someone who uses a computer regularly and you've heard about SOPA/PIPA. 

Maybe you don't know exactly what it is all about, but the general gist you've gathered is that people are worried about having a censored internet.

Today Wikipedia is "dark" for the day in protest of SOPA/PIPA.  If you need to find out random facts, or want to "create your own album title by using he random articles link" you will have to google or wait until tomorrow.

Obama just released that he does not support this piracy legisaltion, so you can take a deep breath that for now our internet access won't change for the time being.

My understanding is part of the actual purpose of SOPA/PIPA is to cut down on the types of sites that allow for large amounts of pirating of information (music, movies, etc), which are typically not US based websites.  What has a lot of people upset is the implications of what else they could censor, and the fact that nothing should be censored, we're freaking America.

While I'm not really thrilled at the idea of having less access to free stuff, if there are copyright infringements, then frankly there probably SHOULD be some regulation to be taking better care of these things.  Think of your friends who are local artists and how they will now have a much harder time making any money on the album they put together because people can download pirated copies versus paying a buck a song on iTunes.  This relly hurts the little guys.  The big stars make most of their money doing tours and concerts, and frankly that change came when lovely Napster reared its ugly (but at the time awesome) head.  But still, if we aren't paying for what we consume, it hurts someone, likely the little guy.

The big internet guys - Facebook, Google, Reddit, etc. have come out and said that the current legislation that is trying to be passed isn't good enough, and that a lot of revisions would need to be made to make sure that the consumer and the web based companies are both protected but also remain with free will/access to whatever they please. 

This is a funny "Day the Music Died" parody abou SOPA/PIPA.

The reason I'm posting about this is not because I'm worried about the internet.  I think that it will work out, we're loud enough as a community (the internet community) to really make changes.  Look what happens when some large websites protest, and people spread the word on things like twitter/facebook.  Everyone knows about it, people are up in arms, and then Obama, or whoever is forced to take a stand about it. 

This is true with anything. 

If we make enough noise we can make change happen. 

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I have to be honest.  While I really am anti censorship and stand behind making sure the regulations are fair and realistic, I'm a little embarrased by the sheer volume of outrage at this legislation compared to other issues.

Why?

Because I have never seen so many FB statuses, so much discussion, etc about ANY other cause/legislation/etc. 

Even the Occupy movement was more splintered and there were a fair amount of people who posted about it that were annoyed about the change trying to be made (or maybe just the way it's being gone about), but even something bigger, dealing with something bigger, didn't get as much of a push as SOPA/PIPA is.

When we feel our day to day life is threatened, when we worry that we won't be able to read Perez at work, or when we worry that we might have to pay for those movie downloads, we act out.  I'm not saying we shouldn't act out...but where are our values, what is most important to us?  What about the people who don't have much of a voice, people without internet, what about their struggles?

Why are we not as motivated or pushed to raise our voices all together to call for change about education in this country, or about the poverty we have IN this country, or about woman's rights, equal rights, etc etc etc etc...nevermind all the things/aweful scenerios we can get upset about happening abroad.

I don't know. 

I feel it's necissary we stand up for what we feel is important...but when did the internet trump actual human issues?  I'm guilty of it too...this isn't about you, it's about all of us. 

I use Facebook a lot.  I blog.  I email.  I read my news online...But I also think it's important that we get this loud about things that are more fundamental like health, wellness, education, etc.

Look what is already happening from our voices about SOPA/PIPA.

Imagine what we could do if we all came together like this and were really loud about something else, something more...important, dare I say.

Until next time (if I'm not censored),

E

ps.  Can Pippa sue the SOPA/PIPA legislation for accidental defamation of character? I bet it has some people confused. :)