Using the historic bent to this argument, which is, and should be, what we, as Americans, do, with our vaunted (not sarcastic) Constitution and Bill of Rights, and capitalist Republic background, let's take an outward look on all you brilliant minds have said, and have forgotten...
The Revolutionary War, and all of it's references, this being the basis for what our laws and society have been built upon: None of those guys could have forseen the world as it is today. Johnny Tremain got a silver hand, and tossed tea into the harbor, and what did he know about it all? Consider the average Internet user, which no one who bothers to read this post for half an hour is, Johnny Tremain. People were mad. They rose up and did shit. How many "Indians" thought about the repercussions for the captains of the ships who were hauling that tea? Kevin Rose is one of those captains. When you wake in your bunk and a bunch of natives are trashing your house, what do you do? You yell for a bit, then realize if you keep it up, you'll get a dunking, too, in the least, and, most likely, you'll get fired and lose all you have.
Mr. Rose, being a capitalist, did what he thought he had to do to "keep his ship afloat." He counts on users for ad revenue. No court or politician is paying his salary. He had no choice but to appease his target demographic. If his side loses the legal battle, his company goes down, but he is fine, maybe even an eMartyr.
I'm not judging anyone, this is purely Devil's advocate.
But, if we want to stay on the Founding Father tip, which I love, because fighting for what you believe in is pretty damn noble, then we HAVE to respect the capitalist point of view in this, because that's what we are: a capitalist Republic.
I love open source. I am, also, and arguably, an artist. If I put out an album, or a video, I want to get paid for it. I might release some teaser footage, or a free song, but , as artistic as I might be, still need to eat. Alyssa Milano's mom tried to get naked pics of her daughter taken off the net. Because she wanted her share? I doubt it, I think it was about respect and what was due. Alyssa gave herself to us to enjoy, but she deserves to be rewarded for it. My band, as much as I like playing, needs money to continue. Digg needs viewers to continue.
The Founding Fathers knew that supply and demand drove not only their personal wealth, but a healthy economy. They established a government to protect the ability for that supply and demand to dictate daily life. No one should be screwed, we should all go out and get what we want, without stepping on toes. If an artist creates something, he should be rewarded for it. If a "sandwich artist" makes you a sub, THEY are rewarded for it with their hourly wage. It's only fair, we work for our money.
As the sleeping pills kick in, I will try and summarize my point. "Pursuit of liberty and happiness" doesn't mean stealing from others who are doing the same. If Digg wants to stand up, and be a venue for public revolt, fantastic! We should all be encouraging an ammendment to the Constitution that points out that presses aren't the only means of distributing information any more, that the Internet, broadcast news, etc., that our Founding Fathers couldn't foresee and include, should be added to this most fundamental of our country's rules. And, if we're going to be a capitalist, information-based Republic, then our information bases need to stand up and say that they can't be held accountable for what their users say and do. But, they have to do this on principle, not principal. In other words, not because that's where they get their paycheck, but because they will not be bullied by a corporation, which, in theory, has fewer rights than the individual.
So, stop stealing. And, if you won't, stop bitching when the people you steal from try to stop you. You come into my house, I will bear arms and blow yer freakin' head off.
You had to be invited to write the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and you have to be invited to the Congress now, or the courts, but anyone can post online. Preserve the right to post, and make the Foundation understand that points made online are valid ones. Just don't ruin this public forum with inane and selfish (to quote the original author, "greedy,") claims.
We want them to leave the Internet alone; give them a reason to.
The Revolutionary War, and all of it's references, this being the basis for what our laws and society have been built upon: None of those guys could have forseen the world as it is today. Johnny Tremain got a silver hand, and tossed tea into the harbor, and what did he know about it all? Consider the average Internet user, which no one who bothers to read this post for half an hour is, Johnny Tremain. People were mad. They rose up and did shit. How many "Indians" thought about the repercussions for the captains of the ships who were hauling that tea? Kevin Rose is one of those captains. When you wake in your bunk and a bunch of natives are trashing your house, what do you do? You yell for a bit, then realize if you keep it up, you'll get a dunking, too, in the least, and, most likely, you'll get fired and lose all you have.
Mr. Rose, being a capitalist, did what he thought he had to do to "keep his ship afloat." He counts on users for ad revenue. No court or politician is paying his salary. He had no choice but to appease his target demographic. If his side loses the legal battle, his company goes down, but he is fine, maybe even an eMartyr.
I'm not judging anyone, this is purely Devil's advocate.
But, if we want to stay on the Founding Father tip, which I love, because fighting for what you believe in is pretty damn noble, then we HAVE to respect the capitalist point of view in this, because that's what we are: a capitalist Republic.
I love open source. I am, also, and arguably, an artist. If I put out an album, or a video, I want to get paid for it. I might release some teaser footage, or a free song, but , as artistic as I might be, still need to eat. Alyssa Milano's mom tried to get naked pics of her daughter taken off the net. Because she wanted her share? I doubt it, I think it was about respect and what was due. Alyssa gave herself to us to enjoy, but she deserves to be rewarded for it. My band, as much as I like playing, needs money to continue. Digg needs viewers to continue.
The Founding Fathers knew that supply and demand drove not only their personal wealth, but a healthy economy. They established a government to protect the ability for that supply and demand to dictate daily life. No one should be screwed, we should all go out and get what we want, without stepping on toes. If an artist creates something, he should be rewarded for it. If a "sandwich artist" makes you a sub, THEY are rewarded for it with their hourly wage. It's only fair, we work for our money.
As the sleeping pills kick in, I will try and summarize my point. "Pursuit of liberty and happiness" doesn't mean stealing from others who are doing the same. If Digg wants to stand up, and be a venue for public revolt, fantastic! We should all be encouraging an ammendment to the Constitution that points out that presses aren't the only means of distributing information any more, that the Internet, broadcast news, etc., that our Founding Fathers couldn't foresee and include, should be added to this most fundamental of our country's rules. And, if we're going to be a capitalist, information-based Republic, then our information bases need to stand up and say that they can't be held accountable for what their users say and do. But, they have to do this on principle, not principal. In other words, not because that's where they get their paycheck, but because they will not be bullied by a corporation, which, in theory, has fewer rights than the individual.
So, stop stealing. And, if you won't, stop bitching when the people you steal from try to stop you. You come into my house, I will bear arms and blow yer freakin' head off.
You had to be invited to write the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and you have to be invited to the Congress now, or the courts, but anyone can post online. Preserve the right to post, and make the Foundation understand that points made online are valid ones. Just don't ruin this public forum with inane and selfish (to quote the original author, "greedy,") claims.
We want them to leave the Internet alone; give them a reason to.