The MPAA is now brainwashing kids to not share files! (639 hits)
Category: SportsRating: 1.33 on 8 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by pimpbuster (View user info) at 2003-10-24 08:51:15 EDT
This is courtesy of Yahoo news, not quite the MTV of breaking events, but maybe the VH1.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031023/ap_on_hi_te/anti_piracy_lessons_1
The story is too long to copy here, if I did then the story itself would be about as long as Random Joe's reviews from yesterday. Well not quite, but long enough.
Here's some of my favorite excerpts:
"What's the Diff?: A Guide to Digital Citizenship" launched last week with a lesson plan that aims to keep kids away from Internet services like Kazaa that let users trade digital songs and film clips: "If you haven't paid for it, you've stolen it."
"This is really sounding like Soviet-style education. First they're indoctrinating the students and then having students indoctrinate their peers," said Wendy Seltzer, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "The takeaway message has got to be more nuanced. Copyright is a complicated subject."
In this case, Junior Achievement is offering students DVD players, DVD movies, theater tickets and all-expenses-paid trips to Hollywood for winning essays about the illegalities of file-sharing. Teachers, too, can win prizes for effectively communicating the approved message in class.
The last one is my favorite, giving prizes for writing essays about how it's bad to share files online. This is the first step in brainwashing. It must be nice to be an industry rep because you can do things like this and somehow get away with it. Needless to say this hasn't been getting the greatest reaction since it's very obviously a 100% self-fulfilling agenda. They don't even try to cover it up like Phillip-Morris and their heartwarming "tobacco is whacko if you're a teen" campaign.
Here's one student's reaction, this gives me some hope that there's still a smart(er) kid out there:
Andrew Irgens-Moller, 14, buried his head into a backpack on his desk and rolled his eyes as the guest teacher warned of computer viruses and hackers that could take control of a user's desktop via file-sharing programs. He objected that antivirus software could scan downloaded files and only sophisticated hackers could pull off the remote desktop computer takeover.
"If it's illegal in America, host it in Uzbekistan," snapped the 14-year-old.
I'm not really going anywhere with this, so I'll end it with saying "FIRE UP THAT P2P PROGRAM, YOU WANT SOME MUSIC FOR FREE! FUCK THESE GUYS!!
User Reviews
Submitted by pimpbuster (user info) at 2003-10-24 16:31:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Well my well being isn't being compromised. Musicians make all their money from concerts, very little of their income comes from record sales, with a few exceptions of course. I remember The Offspring wanted to put A Conspiricy Of One up for download in it's entirity, and not sell a single hard copy of it. Their record company stopped them, but we did at least get Original Prankster to download from theoffspring.com
And still, in regards to the lawsuits, I really want to know if any of the musicians are getting any of the cut from the settlements.
To get back to the point, I sure as hell wouldn't want industry reps brainwashing my kids. Especially in school. You can't argue against what they're doing here is brainwashing.
In the meantime I'll keep downloading. Sorry. (not really)
Submitted by xLisaCatx (user info) at 2003-10-24 11:51:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I think this program is a good idea.
While it may be over the top in it's means, the ends justify them. As the internet shrinks our world further, our society has become increasingly more eclectic. To the point where downright theft is elevated and actually celebrated.
I agree that the MPAA and RIAA have mishandled the situation and totally disagree with suing consumers for pirating thousands of mp3's, movies, software, porn, etc.
I'm not advocating to put "more money" in a failing industry, specifically the sales of CD's, but if your well beign was coming into question, I HIGHLY doubt you would be advocating the "fuck the system" mentality.
Submitted by pimpbuster (user info) at 2003-10-24 11:46:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
LSM- nice one!
Submitted by DJMattB241 (user info) at 2003-10-24 09:58:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
WEOO WEOO WEOO
ALERT! ALERT! WE HAVE KIDS HAVING FUN IN SECTOR 16
bogus, although they should be making a way for people to want to buy the cds... not this way.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2003-10-24 09:22:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
The same people who brought us "just say no", no doubt ah the no fun police.
Submitted by marc01 (user info) at 2003-10-24 09:00:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i hate these fuckbombers. they have NO right teaching their crap in school. the sad thing is i do see this continueing and this will just open the way for even more outside one sided views to be presented
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2003-10-24 08:58:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
What the fuck has the got to do with education?
It is as the author so correctly points out, indoctrination not education.
As an outsider and I could well be wrong here, but the impression I get is that corporations have way too much involvement in education in the US.
Sadly it is getting the same way here.
Submitted by lowsodiummonkey (user info) at 2003-10-24 08:56:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Isn't sharing one of the first things that you're supposed to teach children?