Stop Online Piracy Act, SOPA, is greedy corporations trying to strangle the internet user by restricting her possibilities to obtain knowledge. Of course, the deeply rooted capitalistic approach are giving these profit hungry wolfs the right. I mean, they are allowed to take back what is legally theirs, right? An intangible product that is bought for practically nothing and refined into a glowing diamond that will bring in cash forever. That is just business as usual, isn´t it?
Stealing and murder
And I can understand why they think like they do. What I don’t understand is the egoism that shines like a new pressed cd record when corporations think that they can restrict a whole world just because a few is stealing their shit. What gives them the right to decide what I should do and not do? If people were killing each other online I could see the point of such act, but people are not killing each other. They are taking something that makes rich people having 5 Ferraris instead of 8. An that is what makes Stop Online Piracy Act so fucking perverted.
Today we can see Wikipedia, Reddit and many other sites keeping closed to protest against Stop Online Piracy Act. Knowledge is for everyone, they say. Sure, the record companies reply. As long as we haven’t put our dollar-green stamp on it.
Creating for money
Republican John Conyers said, "Millions of American jobs hang in the balance, and our efforts to protect America's intellectual property are critical to our economy's long-term success." Are you fucking kidding me? The internet has brought forward new business models that have replaced the old industrial society’s iron claw. People are no longer creating art because of an extrinsic motivation such as monetary reward. Ok, some might. But honestly, are these creators actually adding something valuable to our life?
Fear of change
I can understand that the record companies are shitting their pants; content is king these days, and it is very hard for a big company to have the best content when there are millions of competitors that can be a part of the market from home. Add to that the possibilities to use the same resources that earlier was only for big companies and you got the actual reason for Stop Online Piracy Act. Fear is a dangerous feeling. A tiger that is corned will do whatever it takes to get out of there. So will multibillion corporations that are looking back on the happy days of the 90´s where they could wipe their ass with Benjamin Franklin. .
Stop Online Piracy Act – Stuck in a worldview
What Mr. Conyers doesn´t understand is that there actually is other ways of an artist to get paid than the old system. His problems and many others are that they have such a firm belief of what things should be like that they impossibly can imagine that there is another way. Their worldview is rooted deep as a deer that is sitting between the teeth of a lion. Because what would happen if their view of the world was just wrong? What would they have left to fight for if it showed that the view on what is worth fighting for has changed? This is the time of humanity, collaboration and goodness – the age of greed, selfishness and materialism is disappearing as fast as the polar ice is melting on the South Pole. Unfortunately, Polar bears are vanishing in a much more rapid pace than greedy CEO´s.
Build together, create together, and stand up together
Standing upon the shoulders of others should be much more important than preventing piracy through Stop Online Piracy Act. Personally, I have started to reflect on what money actually means to me. Sure, money is a fun thing to have. But to have the conscious to destroy both human and the civilization that we have built up just to make the shareholders wallets thicker is just evil. To fight so hard for something that is made up by people living 7000 years ago is sick. Because that is what Stop Online Piracy Act really is about. It is up to us if we want continue the development of a free and open society, or fall back into the routine rhythm of blissfully unawareness and dumbness. As the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata would have put it; “I would rather die standing than live on my knees”. Stand up for the right to share, invent and teach whatever you want, whenever you want.