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MPAA Funds School Programs In Copyright Dogma
Matthew Skala writes "This article from the Boston Globe describes the 'What's The Diff?' program, in which U.S. students and teachers can win prizes by learning to endorse the MPAA's version of copyright law. They're using volunteer labour from Junior Achievement - not an organization I would have expected to see doing this kind of thing. I guess I'll have to move its card over in my mental Illuminati: New World Order game."
It's a bad move.
Something that is accepted as the truth without proof.
If you mod this up, your slashdot background will turn into a beautiful sunset!
I don't know, back in the dim and distant past when I were a lad, it was considered harmful to use brainwashing and coercion in education. I guess that's the price you pay for progress though. I hear they're moving onto aversion therapy next - "just put this down your pants lad, no it doesn't matter where, trust us, we know what we're doing..." ZZZAAAPPP
Doesn't this also count as political education - I mean the MPAA/RIAA are making a big deal about buying senators and so on to fight their "cause". You'd have thought they couldn't have their cake and eat it!
Oh well, it's a damn sight better than the UK at the moment anyway, with the mad blind fascist Josef Blunkett attempting to ID all and sundry
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
"We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control"
Isn't it interesting how you come to recognize posters based solely on their sigs???
....now Microsoft is making deals with Universities for students to soley use their software and follow the Microsoft way of life.
Oh, wait!
O_o
Schools teaching kids that stealing is wrong. What is the world coming to?
Nooo, dogma, dogma, let them find their own way!
Seems to work. Pity SCO can't work out how to use such a simply command.
What the hell? They're going to just start exploiting schools in order to dump their brainwashing propaganda on young people? Does anyone else think this is completely ridiculous?
Sure, they would be talking about something which is illegal, but that doesn't make this right. The children and parents should have time to discuss things like this and make their own decisions, without being misguided by the people who want to make money.
It sort of reminds me of this "War on Drugs", except the "War on Drugs" is actually more reasonable.
"Students learn to repeat the program's motto: ''If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it."
That is so incredibly wrong I don't even know where to start.
Have I stolen the contents of the Harddrive on my linux box?
Have I stolen the concerts I downloaded from etree?
Have I stolen the toys I picked up at the last trade show I went to?
And the worst part is that young kids are really prone to being manipulated and indocternated.
Let's make a difference
Is it just me who is sickened by the use of middle school students? You can't claim it's part of a broad legal education such as most citizens should have; they're not teaching them about anything but media piracy. And why would any school allow a special interest like that to "educate" middle school children?
When I went through school DARE was just getting started. Everybody was jumping behind it as a way to target kids right in the classroom early-on and say "Don't do drugs." However, DARE has been an awesome failure. Some of the buggest potheads that I know sat right next to me in those classes, parroting the lines that "Officer Jim" told us.
I believe that this program will have similar results; Little Suzie says "I'll never download, that's bad" at school then goes home and gets the whole new Britney Spears album because, ya know, it's free!
Also, this part is particularly interesting:
The ''fair use" doctrine allows the public to use copyrighted material for educational purposes. One can use another's work to parody, review, or critique that material. You can even legally swap material, as long as it's not for commercial gain, said Seltzer. ''People tape movies on their VCRs and swap it with friends without getting arrested for piracy," she said.
so, by that logic, all P2P is legal. I'm not getting any commercial by sharing files out, nor are the people that I download from. What's the diff in having 3 friends that swap movies off HBO or 3 Billion friends swapping some AC/DC albums?
need i restate the obvious ties to 1984 and a brave new world. and of course look who they target, disadvantaged kids... sad...
There are two issues the industry is facing. The first is piracy, where people sell illegal copies of movies at a lower cost and give no compensation to the producers. The second is downloading, where consumers want to see a movie (probably poor quality) before plunking down $20 to buy the DVD. The one that costs the industry money is the first, not the second. But they're addressing the second. It seems like this program is counterproductive. Instead of getting people to reject piracy, they're trying to get people to reject downloading. This is a message that is more likely to get ignored, and as a result people are more willing to pirate movies. After all, "if I'm breaking the law already, I might as well make some money off of it"
This is as bad as that swill known as channel one that is pumped into classrooms for 10 minutes everyday. I just can't wait until they start a program to convince school students that the TCPA is a great idea.
Kids are some of the sneakiest people alive. (This is not open for debate. We were all kids once.)
Even little ones are all over music/movie piracy. They already know the thrill of getting something for free rather than asking your parents to buy it.
That thrill and the associated material benefit far outweighs anything the RIAA/MPAA or teachers can do to endorse a strict policy of legal distribution.
The coolest voice ever.
We hate the MPAA, we don't give a fsck about the children, yet we cry out over how they are "abusing" the poor little suckers. We're no better than the MPAA here.
I say take the lesser of the two evils. What's better, attempting to brain wash 12 year olds, or suing them? I'd go with the brain washing, then at least the smart ones will survive.
You just got served! With a subpoena!
- - - - - - -
"All hail the glory of the Hypnotoad."
Coming Soon: The Junior Anti-Piracy League?
Orwell is teh r0x0rz.
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
What they need is a presentation on how to create content that can be legally shared (history of GNU, Creative Commons, and so on).
"Fsck you i wont do what you tell me." -RATM "Killing in the name of"
There is copyright law, and then there is wishful thinking ("Hey, since it is soooooo easy to download this stuff, it should be legal").
If Junior Achievement recieved sigificant feedback from "concerned parents" who do not approve of an supposedly neutral and exists-for-the-benefit-of-minors organization like Junior Achievement being used as a hired hand for the PR firms of corporate interests and would as a result in the future not consider Junior Achievement to be an organization they would want them or their children affiliated with... do you think that might cause them to rethink things perhaps?
:P
I mean, this is of course just hypothetical, since after all, how many slashbots actually have kids
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Why was this modded down? Its a different opinion, and I don't agree with it becuase it fails to address the obvious coproprate propaganda tie-ins that this program comes with, but geez, a website the claims to support freedom of information and opinion sure seems to contradict that idea when it comes to unpopular opinion.
The volunteer and the teacher worked from a 25-page classroom guide to explain the concept of using a computer to download files, which they called ''morally and ethically wrong." The students played roles such as ''The Film Producer," ''The Starving Artist," and were asked questions such as ''Has anyone ever copied your homework? How did this make you feel?"
By the end of one session, the teacher asked one boy: ''Will you stop copying music online and download the right way?"
''Yes," he answered. ''I'll go to the music store and buy more CDs."
Students learn to repeat the program's motto: ''If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it."
I'm not even going to get into how wrong this is...
"Anyone who quotes me in their
Yet Darrell Luzzo, senior vice president of Junior Achievement, defends the industry's antipiracy program by saying it's not meant to cover all aspects of copyright law.
Of course it doesn't cover all aspects of copyright law. They seem to have forgotten about section 107 (fair use).
Ryan Kennedy opposes comm
As opposed to the typical slashdotter, parent-supported, socialist, "we shouldn't have to pay for anything" version of copyright law?
I propose that this will be as effective as the war on drugs. Sure, some kids will write their essays, get some free stuff, and the salespeople, uh, I mean, volunteer educators, will feel as if they did a good job.
But consider the following:
1. Low income children do not have the access to computers and network connections that more well-to-do children have. I doubt, therefore, that they're reaching their target audience.
2. What's more effective at influencing behavior, some JA instructor or your cool friends giving you a copy of the latest hit song/album that they ripped off the net?
3. One sided propaganda campaigns may make people feel good, but they gloss over serious issues (ie, copyright, fair use, etc) and end up breeding a ridiculous environment in which people claim to want such rules and laws yet break them anyway.
All of this sounds a lot like the war on drugs. We have our "just say no" campaigns in schools, celebrities tell us to stay off the drugs, and we make all these claims about how bad drugs are for you while ignoring or outright suppressing the truth about their effects as we trample civil liberties. And just how effective is that?
-- Fugacity: Confusing chemists since 1908
I'd like to see 'em try that. They could invade anybody they want!
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
ok...a lil ranting (hey its a rainy sunday, so why not?)
..dayummmm...
this is just pure fuggin brainwashing, I skimmed over the article a bit and
I can believe this, I suppose, that MPAA would try to sneak info into kids heads like this, but....do people that run school districts pay attention?
Id ask folks 'what has this world come to?' but after watching it slide into the crapper for the last 20 years or so, its pointless...
MPAA/RIAA really only exist to serve themselves and NOT artists. If the MPAA was about the artist, then folks would have heard the name 'Mike Jittlov', and maybe he would not have been ripped off (but thats another story)
ok, the other side of the coin is the usual 'free advertising for p2p'...
I dont think MPAA has fully considered the implications of this, ala 'war on drugs' style...this will just promote more use of p2p than deter it...kids are not that damn stupid, especially when the cooler ones say 'screw that, im gettin what i want from p2p'
ok im done ranting, im goin to play in the rain.....
Of course it'd be more difficult to explain that to kids... whereas telling them to not use Kazaa is pretty simple.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
You don't know the powerrrr, of the dark side.....
Matthew Skala writes "This article from the Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the 'What's The Diff?' program, in which German students and teachers can win prizes by learning to endorse the Nazi Party's version of social law. They're using volunteer labour from the Hitler Youth - not an organization I would have expected to see doing this kind of thing. I guess I'll have to move its card over in my mental Illuminati: New World Order game."
...I don't really see what exactly inherently outrageous about this. Granted, its a slippery slope, having unions finance educations...but come on, who can really defend pirating whole movies? Dont give me that shit about "its not worth 10 bucks to see it in a theatre or the 20 bucks for the DVD," either. If you don't want to PAY for something, you dont deserve to have it. And if you have an honest problem with the pricing system, then refuse to pay. Just because you might think a car is over expensive doesnt mean you just jack it and ride, do you? (And of course i'm referring to blatantly luxury items like movies.) The bottom line here is that most people just dont have any respect for other people's work. And thats where it's really at, respecting another person's product enough to, if not purchase, then at least not blatantly steal. Just because something is in an easily transferable medium does not mean that it should be free. Thats bullshit.
I don't think copyright education (brainwashing) is anything new, in fact I'm surprised it's not more widespread.
I remember watching a video in class entitled "Don't Copy That Floppy" (the song went, "don't copy...don'y copy that floppy!). I liked the movie so much in fact I took the betamax home, ripped it with Dr.Divx, and shared it over Kazaa.
My point is this: if there was such a permeation of the evils of piracy back then, when it was impossible to conveniently share, then why not now?
Anyone remember this?
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/floppy.php
http://www.ninjaculture.com/articles/057.asp
And they're both in the pokey for file sharing.
I think that one of the problems with this sort of thing (referencing mainly from drugs are bad things) is that just just block it out. Its like advertising- im not saying adverts never effect me, but the average person sees what, several hundred adverts a day? 99% of them they just ignore.
I remember one time in high school (several years ago) we had a policeman come in to talk to us about drugs. He actually talked to us sensibly, rather than enforcing a "drugs are evil and if you use them youll go to hell" idea.
I cant rememeber most of it, but I do remember 2 things he said: (which is pretty impressive)
a) if you want to do drugs, fine. Do NOT do heroin and cocaine. They will fuck you up.
b) Dont inhale sprays. Some girl sprayed aerosol directly into the back of her throat, and the cold caused her throat to contract and she suffocated.
So there you go. Teaching kids the IMPORTANT things, rather than blanket bombing everything you dont like.
College campuses are the biggest hotbeds for illegal file sharing because students are presented with wide-open mega-fast Internet connection, and no parents hovering over their every move with it...
Obviously the MPAA/RIAA cannot get "directly" into the schools, so they use Junior Achievement to get in under the guise as "business education". How much of a "bone" did they throw JA to allow this?
Second, once the school finds out what the "topic of the day" is for JA, why do they allow it at all? Unless the teachers are mindless sheep, this kind of "eduation" should not be allowed!
Concerned parents should be asking some hard questions of both the School Boards and Junior Achievement about this, because if they are not going to show both sides of the issue, they should not be there at all!
Kids are some of the sneakiest people alive. (This is not open for debate. We were all kids once.)
This is open for debate. Just because you were a sneaky kid doesn't mean that I was.
When I was a teen, there were always those adults who were hell-raisers when they were my age. They'd look at me with a 'knowing' eye and tell me that I couldn't fool them, they were a kid once.
I didn't like it then, and now, that I'm an adult, I still don't like it.
I didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs as a teen. I didn't lie to my parents or steal. I had good grades, and obeyed the law.
Stereotypes are bad, no matter who they are applied to.
You know it's too bad they don't, say, just donate the money they're spending on this program to help improve schools. I know it's a pipe dream, but I still wish I could see them donate money toward better textbooks, more teachers, smaller class sizes instead of some ridiculous program that the kids either won't understand, or already do understand and hate the MPAA anyway.
Sig!
Remember Hitler Jugend. That was a youth organization too...
School Principal: Well, it's been four weeks and I'd say we've done a stellar job of making Ultra Cola available to our students.
Marketdriod: Well, you might say so, and I'm sure I'd agree with you but unfortunately that won't hold up in court.
School Principal: Huh?
Marketdriod: The idea wasn't making the product available to the students. It was making the students available to the product. The Ultra Cola people say your sales aren't what they should be. You do want to make your quotas, don't you? Or the school won't get that nice big check.
The schools aren't making a lesson available to the kids.
The schools are making the kids available to the lesson.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Don't copy that floppy!
I totally agree. The fact that teacher says it's wrong makes piracy even more enticing!
I see a lot of 1984 comments but I wouldn't worry about that. We still live in a society where multiple points of view are allowed (for now) so as long as we support organizations like EFF, Down Hill Battle, etc. kids will be able to learn something.
Get involved!
Escape Pod Films: Sketch Comedy and Web Series
Back in the eighties Junior Achievment taught us how to make money being a pimp. Now they're cutting out the middleman and teaching impressionable children how to whore themselves out for free DVD's.
Liberals call everyone Nazis yet they are the closest thing to it.
Women trade sex for physical and financial security. As a single male, I've always thought it's a raw deal.
But now I'm going to log off and start watching World Championship hockey with a six-pack and a pile of sandwiches...
. . . I've told my children that copying isn't theft. But I've also warned them that many others have been brainwashed to think it is, and to be careful with whom they talk about it. Mine will be smart enough to pretend to believe in copyright in the workplace, but won't believe it. Let's hope there are enough others that we avoid the next dark age.
Oh come on. It has nothing to do with parents by the time kids get in college.
Here's the reason: Two words. They're both "bling". College kids don't have nearly as much dispensible income as singles with real jobs, and love listening to music.
Free music is 100% more delicious.
MPAA, is that the organization which represents the movie studios that are constantly copying the plots etc. of each other? The "let's make a James Bond movie with Vin Diesel and call it XxX" guys?
Bah.
What next, will they have NAMBLA come and tell the kids their interpretation of age-of-consent laws? How about letting the KKK educate the kids about how laws regarding blacks should be?
The students played roles such as ''The Film Producer," ''The Starving Artist," and were asked questions such as ''Has anyone ever copied your homework? How did this make you feel?"
Do they have one kid dress up in a suit, steal everyone's money, and drive away in a Porsche? Because we need a Jack Valenti.
--
I guess its a step up from soviet russia, over there School Programs fund the MPAA!
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
I belive it was Noam Chomsky that said: "Education is a system of imposed ignorance"
I used to disagree...
File sharing and shoplifting are not theft!
I think a different view of this is that if a generation of children is allowed to grow up thinking that music, movies, software and anything else they can find on the Internet is there for the taking we are looking at some fundamental changes in both our way of life and our economy. And this applies not just to the USA but to Europe, Australia and (probably) Japan as well.
For example, what use is there in having a library when all books are free? Why would anyone donate books to a library or check off a box when the vote to fund a library with more tax dollars? Assuming the library actually pays for their books, music, art and so on, wouldn't we have a generation of people just thinking that was stupid?
Folks talk about how buying music is funding an obsolete distribution model and nothing really goes to the artist. Fine - if you have a high-speed Internet connection, maybe you can make the decision to "only download" music and never buy another CD. What if you don't have that connection? What about the folks that need to spend that $50 a month on food rather than the Internet? There are still a large number of people (more than 50% in the US I believe) that do not have access to the Internet at all at home or work. Sure, they can go to the library - but I thought we were closing the libraries as obsolete anyway.
I think there are a lot of issues here before it can be assumed that physical distribution is obsolete.
Anyway, if we aren't to raise an entire generation thinking that anything that can be distributed digitally should be free, then it makes sense that eventually all industry groups associated with anything covered by copyright will be promoting their cause in schools and anywhere else they can get a forum. This is their last hope for the future, folks. If they cannot succeed in convincing people that their ownership/property rights/copyright/whatever means something then we need to start figuring out what the effects are going to be and how to deal with them right now. All I've seen here is the blanket assumption that
- There will be no serious effects
- Artists will be compensated, somehow.
- Creative works will still get made for the joy of doing it, not for some dirty profit.
- Maybe there will be no effects at all...
I think we need to think this through a lot more before deciding this. The potential consequences are there and some discussion of how to adapt is worthwhile.The difference is that most people will defend every other part of the school system; the versions of history, science, obedience and social herding behavior that they grew up with because the indoctrination methods used are very effective and very hard to break after even a few years of it.
While there are several qualities in the school system I consider valuable, (getting to interact with everybody else in your regional society regardless of their social and financial bearing, providing a common place to forge lasting friendships and organize your own learning and exploration with others of like-mind, and providing the illusion of 'Scholarly Authority' which you have about ten years to learn how to see through, overcome and in fact manipulate to your advantage before you get out into the so-called 'real' world. But very few of these valuable points had anything to do with sitting in front of a chalk board.
The MPAA presents the least of the challenges today's kids have to deal with.
I KNOW for certain that I would have been one of the kids sitting at the front, calling "BULLSHIT" down on the MPAA's crap.
Making somebody question their teaching career by pointing out the truth is a harsh but fairly necessary thing to do once in a while. And the students usually like to see the stuffing knocked out of the system which they instinctively know is screwing with them.
-FL
It wouldn't be an "educational" program, it would be a "re-education" program, used to reprogram young youths to prevent piracy.
Reminds me of what Communist used to spread their propaganda, except this time the message is much different :)
And in 2 generations its heresy to say it used to be round.. The MPAA isn't the only organization doing this. So much of our history and future concepts of right and wrong are being perverted by teachings to the children. They are in it for the long haul.. and we must all be always diligent to teach our children the real truth..
---- Booth was a patriot ----
It's pretty straight forward when it comes down to fighting this kind of bullshit....
:-)
:-) They're slowly moving over to linux, but that'll only truly happen when all the games work under linux and are easier to get running.
Step 1) If there any kids in your family which you have a good relationship with, show them how to download good warez off the internet. (Suprnova.org - thank you for making life so easy)
Step 2) Tell them that those who have a direct interest in making money off this stuff will pay people to come to your school and tell you it's wrong.
Step 3) Show them how to burn warez to CD's and distribute to friends on a regular basis, they'll all thank you for being so nice.
Step 4) Students no longer give a shit what was said in the class room and will happily use their downloaded mp3s/games/movies.
Simple as that - it worked for me. My 12-year old brother, and 17-year old sister have been doing this for some time already.....
To quote JA:
"Tell what you liked, didn't like, would like to see more or less of, whatever is on your mind."
Guestbook here.
I think it is time for a major boycott against the RIAA. Downloading copyrighted material released under a CC or GPL type license is perfectly LEGAL.
Is there no organization that has as its #1 goal the reduction of copyright lengths, the removal of patents from software, the promotion of the public domain all in one? The 'Anti-IP' groups, if you want to call them as such, need to come together.
Also I think that the Green Party could do very well to implement a progressive 'Intellectual Property' adgenda.
But calling stupid people idiots is redundant. Man, I can't wait until the revolution comes so I can go on a stupid people killing spree.
Anyway, I don't see anything new here at all. Yeah, there's way too much corporate influence in the classroom - so let's talk about all those schools that have replaced milk machines and cafeteria lines with soda and sandwich vending machines and made the Nike swoosh part of their campus decor.
When I was in the sixth grade I was grounded from recesses for weeks because I started a petition for longer recesses. an innocent bit of play snowballed within a day and soon there were dozens of handwritten copies of my petition circulating in classrooms. When they found out it was me who started it, rather than take the opportunity to demonstrate real world governenace, I instead got a lecture and made to write something stupid like "I will not create disturbances in class." Which, ironically, means I really did get a lesson in the real world - unfortunately, not the real world as we had been told in the classroom (petitioning the government, speaking out, etc). Obviously this real lesson had a lasting effect on me, as I still can't remember what it was I was supposed to write but the message sent still rings clear 30 years later: don't try to buck the man or you'll get stepped upon.
This program is certain to spawn a new generation of adults with similar memories. Indoctrination of this sort is doomed to fail as soon as the child begins to realize she can think for herself.
Now, getting back to those school lunches and corporate sports programs...
What's the diff in having 3 friends that swap movies off HBO or 3 Billion friends swapping some AC/DC albums?
2,999,999,997 people.
*snicker*
"The success is measured in how many kids did learn from it."
A *LOT* of kids learned from DARE. They just didn't learn the lesson their teachers and the police expected. The course may be diffrent now, but back when I was an elementary and middle-school student (10-15 years ago), the emphasis was on shocking the kids into obedience, not giving them real information. The first lesson we learned was that drugs will mess you up, destroy your life, and eventually kill you. Then we had friends who smoked a little weed and didn't get addicted, messed up, or killed. Then we learned the real lesson of DARE: Our teachers, our school principals, the police, Nancy Reagan, and that girl on TV with the frying pan lied to us all through our childhood.
0 1 - just my two bits
I remember when I was growing up back in the late 50s, we had several industry group sponosored programs.
My favorites were:
How to be Kool! - sponsored by RJ Renolds and the tobacco industry.
Never drink on an empty stomach - sponsored by by the Johnny Walker company and the spirit distillers lobby.
Hell, I rember my grandpa talking about the sheet music industry going schoolhouse to schoolhouse talking about the evils of the player piano. Said it was a deamon straight from hell playing that music and by even listening to it, they were going straight to hell.
When my kids were growing up, they started piping in Channel One which meant a less subtle hidden commercials for Snickers and Pepsi. They are now pushing 300lbs each.
My grandkids now need to deal with this crap!
At least when I went though the indoctrination programs we got government sponsored cigarettes and whiskey. What do kids get today? Aside from the threat of totalitarianism and re-education camps.
are you suggesting we make the parents take responsibility for their children? I dunno what country you live in buddy, but where I come from, we let the legislature take care of stuff like that...
Someone go get a few of those middle schoolers to bring up DeCSS.
That will "encourage student debate" for sure.
How many people will even listen to the RIAA when they learn the simply illogical arguments behind the DMCA?
Defenestrate Windows...
Wait isn't education suppose to be about teaching students the basic skills of living? I agree that the theft of music etc. is excessive.
Except...
a)there is evidence that theft of music has a minimal negative effect, and might even have a possitive effect.
b)companies should not have the right to engage in vigilanty justice.
c)companies should Not dictate to our education system.
d)the statement that theft of music will lead to a world w/out music is the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard.
What happened to the three R's?
Reading, 'Riting, Ripping
hehehe.
Shick's Law: There is no problem a good miracle can't solve.
All the more reason parents need to take the initiative and teach their own children about this sort of thing before the schools brainwash them.
I present to you, the song "Sheep" The second to last song in Animals, their album about the pitfalls of capitalism. Just see that the sheep [brainwashed children] being led by the dogs [**AA].
Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away;
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.
You better watch out,
There may be dogs about
I've looked over Jordan, and I have seen
Things are not what they seem.
What do they get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!
A look of terminal shock in your eyes.
Now things are really what they seem.
No, this is no bad dream.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water.
Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
Have you heard the news?
The dogs are dead!
You better stay home
And do as you're told.
Get out of the road if you want to grow old.
Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
I thought iRate was a great idea but when I tried it I could only d/l one song at a time and I basically had to just sit at my computer to do it. Have they fixed that yet?
Boy Suspended for Questioning MPAA Lecture
s'wut i sed.
How can we forget!
The NRA will be coming to teach you that gun ownership is your right!
"So now you see why owning a fully automatic M16 assult rifle is not only safe, but it protects you and your family"
And now for the... American Tabacco association! yey!
"Hi kids, i know what your thinking, smoking is bad! but im here today to tell you that smoking is ok! theres no prooven link to heart problems!"
Ok everyone, time to get out your Coke books! yes, its time for "Coke is Good For You(tm) Maths!
"If Jimmy drinks one can of Coca Cola(r) and Sammy drinks 1 can of another brand, who will have saved the most money and provided more Coca Cola(r) sponsored computers to their school?"
And now for a special guest whos here to tell you about abstinance
"Ok kids I want you to remember one thing: When you have sex, protected or not, you are playing russian roulette! er whats that? [wisper wisper] Oh im sorry apparently the NRA has informed me that im tainting their organisations image by refering to guns and STD's in the same sentence. Just remember, its not ok to have the feelings your having, and what you do in the privacy of your own home is the Presidents Business!"
After lunch we've got another exciting visitor for you! yes its mr big from Durex Condoms! [Man in a big condom costume walks in]
"Hellooo everyone! Im here to tell you that what the other guy said this morning is all wrong, aslong as you only use Durex(r) extra strong condoms we'll keep you safe!!"
Hi my names Darl McBride, and im from a company called SCO...
--
Ok so does anyone now not see a problem with allowing any old corporate interest to be pushed on school kids at the highest bidder and for schools to be essentially bribed when they should be getting enough money to run properly anyway!? AFAIC its the same deal with politicians, bribery is not capitalism!
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
... no one in our society remembers what this means anymore do they.
The MPAA & RIAA are the worst organizations I have ever seen. The MPAA and RIAA are stupid. A couple of whiners who spout dumb-ass propaganda like a third rate 'iraq regime' or 'oppressive big brother'. Fuck the MPAA and RIAA. Fuck them up their stupid asses.
I'm just not going to worry.
Ignorance kills, complacency kills, hatred kills, but usually not the ones guilty of them.
I'm putting my kids into private education when I have kids and they're old enough to go to school, and if any private schools endorse this shit, bam, they're going to a school that doesnt endorset his shit
this is basically a move to make kids report their parents, friends, or themselves for anything, even if it isnt illega, as long as it's something the MPAA can use against them.
"oh yeah, my daddy records tv shows to tape! and he recorded a few movies off of HBO one time!"
next thing you know that kid's father is getting sued, the entire family is out on the street, except him, he will also probably be in jail for breaking "copyright law"
welcome to a new age of fear.
Bet you were and likely are just LOADS of fun to hang out with there, Mr GoodyTwoShoes. You just chose one stereotype over another.
Reminds me of my undergratuate "ethics" class. The underlying message: "loyalty to the company always". As if a company (or, more precisely, the directors) would recipricate the sentiment.
So, you've made us a fortune yet we've paid you a pittance and you're no longer profitable to us. Sorry to hear you have a mortgage and baby on the way. Thanks, good-bye.
1. First you use drugs
2. Then you sell drugs to pay for your habbit, making it self supporting
3. Profit
From the article "If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it". Should be didn't.
The very best they could hope for would be that their "education" campaign will be as effective as anti-drug education.
But it's unlikely to be anywhere near as effective as that.
Many students can understand why drugs might be bad, since your brain can get fucked up, you can go to jail, getting hooked costs a lot of money, and the social impact can be pretty disgusting (crack whores, etc.).
But file-sharing actually saves the students money ; the theat of punishment is much less than with drugs ; and the most visible impact on society is that rich, sleazy executives will get a little less bonus next year.
However, the parallels are interesting. In both cases, they want to "educatate" young people not to participate in black markets. But they can never dare to address the most basic issue of all: If black markets exists, then it implies that the legitimate markets have somehow failed us.
How disturbing is this statement? A corporate association is going to try to define for kids what is moral and ethical.
And look at the spin from the Junior Achievement guys.
"Yet Darrell Luzzo, senior vice president of Junior Achievement, defends the industry's antipiracy program by saying it's not meant to cover all aspects of copyright law. Rather, the idea is to encourage student debate. ''We are learning ways to enhance classroom discussions."
To have a debate, you're supposed to argue both sides of an issue. Do you really think they would allow a student to express an opinion other than the one they want? I doubt the "volunteers" they send in to do these things even understand the laws enough themselves to truly debate the issues they are "teaching".
"But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
When I "share" an MP3 with another firned, I am not giving him my only copy of the song. I am making a new copy and giving that to him. Maybe you don't realize it, but this is a huge difference! In fact, this difference is the basis for copyright law - the control over distribution of copies of creative works.
By that logic, it's acceptable to tape a movie off of HBO onto one (1) tape and one tape only - but not legal to make a copy of said tape? What the fuck kind of sense does that make? Especially since HBO broadcasts any movie they show at least five times a month - so you could easily make five copies of 'Basic' with just a single VCR. Are you telling me that's illegal, but making one copy isn't?
It's the "distrubution" part that gets thorny. Making a copy of one movie or song and giving it to one person isn't considered "distrubution" (to most people, anyway) - but making a hundred thousand copies and giving them out (by Kazaa or on the street corner) is (to most people). The problem is the borders between legal swapping and illegal distrubution aren't set - so every one has their own intrepretation.
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
coke parody - this is a parody of the MPAA actions in schools. Rather funny, once you read it all.
If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it.
I haue not payed for sweet sunshine
Nor haue I payed for words that rime
I haue not payed for e or pi
I haue not payed for "Greensleeues".
Oh, what a thief am I
I haue not payed for sun or skye
Oh, what a thief am I
I haue not payed for "Greensleeues".
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
It saddens me that things like this can fly. This basically amounts to a corporate brainwashing. Can't people see that corporations are beginning to run everything, now they are going to the schools. I don't mind the advertisments (coke,pepsi), but when they start telling us what to think, that is when we should draw the line. If we kicked out religion from our schools for being "bad", same should apply to corporations.
I have this horrifically produced avi on CD where the SPA (? the software equivalent to RIAA/MPAA) made a moral parable hip hop rap "don't copy that floppy" so kids in school wouldn't copy oregon trail (or the like) and play it at home...
.. almost as amusing as those clips mpaa sponsored theatrical trailers where the set designers try to say how piracy hurts them the little guy...
very amusing
*Shrug* I should divx that and put it up somewhere... (they actualy give you permission to redistribute THAT PSA turd ironically enough...)
e.
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
You've clearly forgotten about fair use rights. Don't worry, it's a common mistake made by all freedom-hating people.
...and now you post to slashdot all day long.
I think people like you are the exception to the rule here. =)
"Quoting famous computer scientists out of context is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming." - K
As some one who has been a slave^H^H^H^H^H^H coerced volunteer for JA in the past, their current programs lack any redemption as far as educational content.
All the lesson plans go something like this:
"Volunteer": Hey Kids ! Guess what we are talking about today?
(Silence)
"Volunteer": That's Right! Money! Who has seen or handled money before? Can I get a show of hands. That's great! Today, we are going to play a game that will prepare you for your future job as a cashier or other retail clerk!
The teachers only do it because it gives them about an hour of down time. The kids only like it because they don't have to listen to that old hag prattle on about whatever for about an hour. Other than that, it's a complete waste of time --- educationally.
Only is there value in having the kids interact with random members in the community (in this case all the new undergrads).
This program is about what I would have expected out of the likes of JA: establishmentarian bullshit.
I behaved in my teen years as you did. But during my junior year of high school there was some stupid-ass rule about limiting time in the Library to one period per student. The other advanced mathematics kids and I had to wait at least two periods on Tuesday and Thursday for a very late afternoon class, so we submitted false class schedules to the Librarian to acquire multiple phony Library ids and "permission" to read and study beyond our quota. It felt good to walk on that wild side!
The really sad thing about this is that I hear similar things re: quality of free software all the time. Basically "it wouldn't be free if it were any good." And now, "its bad if you don't pay for it". Since when does free == bad, either morally or quality-wise?
If ANY of you have kids going to take these classes then I beg you to type up some binary saying something offensive, or even a song in binary. Get your kid to hand it in and go "Look, This is what the new Britney spears album looks like, you just took that off me, you stole Britney spears new album, I'm going to sue you".
--- [Insert intresting Sig here]
The only reason people think so much about the music and movies that have a price tag is because they are heard over and over and over again on public air waves. Up until the mid 80s there was a law that required a percentage of the content that traveled over public air waves to be non-commercial and public. How much free movie and music content do we see comming over our public air waves? None. It's time to get laws passed that reclaims the publics stake in public airwaves. How about 51% of the airwaves be used for public domain artists and movie makers. It's a good start. It raises the question why public airwaves are used for commercial use at all. Commercial content can be accessed via the internet. If poor people watch commercial TV because they can't afford broadband that should tell us something about why they are having problems prospering. Right now I'm picturing a national garage band TV channel run by an administrative mechanisim based on a network of colleges. cow
Stop invalid scientific research. Ask your local scientists to feed their lab rats with a phytoestrogen-free chow.
If your first thought was that schools shouldn't be teaching this stuff,
.sig
then you've already slid too far down the slope.
You've already accepted that government run schools with required attendance is right and proper.
Why do we need schools at all?
Why are they manditory?
Who has the right to decide what is taught in them?
-- this is not a
I would love to hear one of those 30 second commercials with kids asking questions...
Why do the artists only so get 10 or 12% percent of the money made on works they create?
Why don't artists just distribute the music themselves online?
Why don't radio stations play more variety so more artists can be heard?
How can a song be stolen when you've still got your copy?
Why haven't prices gone done now that CD's cost so little to create?
Personally I just use P2P for my off site backups. CD's scratch too easy.
The argument that it doesn't matter if certain laws are passed (because they'll only be applied to some offenders) is also fallacious; overly-broad legislature provides an license for bullying and intimidation.
No stereotypes required...
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates M'dna wgah'nagl fhtagn.
From the article:
At the end of the school year, students are asked to write an essay ''to get the word out that downloading copyrighted entertainment is illegal and unethical," according to the teachers' guide.
From my memory a piece of history of totalitarian: back in the communist era, we have been indoctrined in schools on many subjects. We wrote assays on how perfect socialism is, and how evil and illegal capitalism is, and what a genius a local party leader was or how soviet heros were heroical for many times every year then, also according teachers' guide.
An ideal of ethics in school was the "Moral Codex of the Communist". But it works only up to age of ten or so. Teenagers did not take it. We had a czech folk proverb in the darkest age: "Who does not steal at every hour, steals from himself and his family (Kdo nekrade kazdou hodinu, okrada sebe a svoji rodinu)."
Finally, at the end of era (1989), including party leaders no one believed any of official propaganda.
Today, all that ideology and ethics of a "real socialism" is gone. I guess, nor the Hollywood will last forever. Human is a very adaptable and inteligent animal. Every historic attempt to herd it consistently for long time has failed dramatically.
There you are, staring at me again.
How about saying neither one is important? Certainly, the tests are more important than sheepifying the children, but "new test standards" are not a good way to go about education, in my opinion.
Having recently gotten out of a school system pushing a new test standard (the WASL), I've decided that such tests are a threat to the future of many capable students. The WASL, in particular, essentially tested students' grasp of the English language (in bizarre contexts such as math story problems). Given that there were a lot of people in ESL (now called English Language Learners, for some presumably idiotic reason), it seemed like the WASL unfairly discriminated against those that were not proficient with English. The fact that the WASL is soon going to be a graduation requirement along side such stupidity as required "community service" (for everyone--not just delinquents anymore) makes me wonder what highschool dropout rates will skyrocket to in the near future.
True story.
Why not? JA has always been about training the next generation of Chamber of Commerce members, organizations which are usually just an ideological half step away from the corporate-ownership dogma of the MPAA.
I didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs as a teen. I didn't lie to my parents or steal. I had good grades, and obeyed the law.
Congratulations on wasting your youth, loser.
...and bitch about how all these Bad People are doung Bad Things, why don't the people who don't believe in copyright pay for their own little educational effort to tell the little boys and girls about the wonders of open source and Larry Lessig and all that?
Sometime you have to decide between actually trying to do something and preserving your own, and probably undeserved, sense of moral superiority.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
* I <3 Mac users, I'm not slagging them. Honestly. It's just every Mac user I've ever met is always hardcore paranoid that people will steal their work.
I'm a teacher in a really disadvantaged school. Surely these districts or schools are getting a little grant for participating in this program. Not many teachers would sell out their students for movie tickets! Even a thousand bucks is enough for some principals to say, "Yeah, we have to do this." How sad that the desperate cases will put up with this for a few bucks; maybe they are running out of paper (we usually start to around May). These students are losing class time (which they desperately need) but they're not likely the problem. MOST DISADVANTGED SCHOOLS HAVE CRAPPY COMPUTER LABS. How are they going to be able to pirate stuff? At the library? Hardly. They might buy and sell the merchandise though. It's the MIDDLE CLASS that is the problem. They should peddle this in college business classes! But we wouldn't allow our elementary or college students' class time to be taken up for this corporate BS. I really hate this kind of thing.
As someone who lived basically the same life, I have one word for you: BOOOOOOOOO-RIIIIIIIIIIIING!
I spent my whole childhood thinking that rules were there for a reason. Rules were there to protect us, to keep us safe from terrible dangers, and to keep us working towards becoming the best people we could possibly be. To me, rule-breakers were slime. They were worse than slime. They were violating the Great Social Contract that kept everyone from setting fire to old ladies and blowing up kittens.
After high school, I joined the Army. Learning a whole new and intricate set of rules was an interesting experience. I followed the rules dutifully, but ninety percent of the rules governing soldiers in Basic Training are there solely for the purpose of teaching the soldiers to obey without questioning. The need for that obedience is understandable in some situations. The military is just one of those places where sometimes lives depend on swift, coordinated action.
But in the end, I realized that sometimes the rules were wrong, arbitrary, self-serving, or simply lacking in coherence. Sometimes the process by which the rules are made exhibits the same flaws. Enforcement was either non-existent or arbitrary, and breaking them was more than merely harmless; sometimes it was the only way to get things done.
About the same time, I was becoming aware of the effects of being raised in an extremely rule-oriented religion.
Unquestioning obedience is fine for four year olds. But as soon as possible, kids need to be given explanations for the rules, to the best of their ability to understand. If they don't learn the difference between good rules* and bad rules**, then we're all doomed. The whole democracy thing doesn't work if everyone just does what they're told.
I worry almost as much for the kids who follow the rules compulsively, and are afraid to do anything without explicit permission, as I do for the ones who go around vandalizing and stealing out of boredom. I like the kids who creatively push the limits, game the system, and question those who wield power over them. Especially if they show some level of judgment about the actions that will do real damage, as opposed to the ones that merely make things more interesting.
* Don't set fire to old ladies. Never give your passwords out.
** You must request permission to go to the bathroom, and be back in precisely three minutes.
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
Students in philosophy classes might be asked, for example, to "write comparing Kantian ethics with a utilitarian system of your choice." They are rarely asked to "write an essay on why Kantian ethics is superior to alternate systems of ethics." Even in areas where everyone agrees this isn't done: A history class doesn't ask the students to write a paper on why Adolf Hitler was a bad man. The entire point of education is to critically think through ideas, not to have a conclusion assigned before you've even started.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Interesting points but I didn't see in the parent's post any mention of following the rules "compulsively" or being afraid to do anything without "explicit permission". I for one followed the rules more or less coincidentally. I didn't smoke or drink or do drugs because I didn't see the point, or maybe because I wanted to be unique ... or maybe because I was chicken. Not because of rules.
A little off topic I guess ...
Kevin
Upon further reading, I realized that they did teach the kids a usable skill...
They tought a room full of kids who have never downloaded anything how to pirate. The even used a manual. Leave it to the entertainment industry to teach what they are trying to control.Oh well, nothing to see here...
US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
Yeah well I didn't steal or lie to my parents.. I actually smoked weed with my parents when I was a teen, drank every weekend, and I had good grades/obeyed the law.
Stereotypes are bad, no matter who they are applied to.
"He said that 500,000 movies are being downloaded every day around the world, although he wasn't sure how many of those are illegal." Of those "illegal" downloads, how many of them, if prevented, would have actually translated into sales? Just because somebody downloads a movie or song with a P2P program, doesn't mean that they would have otherwise bought it.
As for the quote "Students learn to repeat the program's motto: 'If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it.'", does this mean that people benefitting from charitable orgaizations are all thieves? From the MPAA's standpoint, all of those people in Calcutta stole from Mother Theresa. What a world...
I realize that JA, is all about promoting capitalism to our youth, which most of the time seems to be a non-bad thing. But this perversion is beyond sad.
I suggest that folks give them a call and let them know how much they appreciate this one-sided blatant shill for the RIAA & MPAA's version of copyright law.
JA Head Office (719) 540-8000
"There are laws that enslave men, and laws that set them free. " - Sean Connery as King Arthur
Christianity. The only religion that refers to its diety as "God" in english (not to be confused with "A god" or "the god" or "god" (no capital G)).
Really? Are you sure? 'Cause I've seen adherents of many other religions use the capital 'G' to denote an entity other than the Christian "God" (as defined by the Bible). In general, capital 'G' denotes a monotheistic singularity (or in the most general case, a highest god), similar to a proper name but not requiring that it always denotes the same idea ("idea" because most people have not proven their God exists). e.g. there are many people who do not believe YHWH and Allah are the same God. Some people don't even think God has a single consciousness as we know it.
Consider the belief that God is liberty and justice for all (actually just justice, but liberty comes from justice). This could be the Christian God, but that includes a lot of baggage.
Of course, if we restrict ourselves to the bulk of American heritage, you are generally correct in your denotation of "God" and it is therefore fair to make the argument that it is that "God" that was intended when the pledge was changed. Of course, I've also seen arguments about what was intended by the framers of the Constitution regarding "God", denominations, and freedom of religion (cf. early schools).
But regardless, is "under God" all that is required to establish a national religion? Or is it that Christianity has pretty much always been the de facto national religion even though individual freedom of religion is protected?
That said, being forced to pledge anything seems like a violation of some innate right and is essentially meaningless unless done voluntarily. Of course, school itself is not voluntary, and certainly moral and historical bias occur throughout "education" even without the formal moniker of "religion". This article about the MPAA is an excellent example of this.
On this propoganda piece, get them to send you the stuff, then turn it around on them, show how they were trying to use and abuse the kids (examples such as mnemonics used as a conditioning agent, using imagery to invoke an emotional reaction not in line with reality,use of word "piracy", leaving out the fact they have been busted and convicted many times for payola bribery, collusion industry wide to fix prices at obscene profit levels, abuse of the artists with loan programs based on unreasonable expectations and skewed projections, etc) in the program. Take that phrase "if you haven't paid you've stolen it". Bring up the example of the library, where copyrighted material is freely shared to as many who want to share in it, yet the book was paid for only once, etc.
Bring up how the movie and recorded audio industry have no qualms over using the very latest technology to make their copies of copies cheaper to them, while they can still sell them at the older prices that reflected higher production costs, but now they want to have a monopoly on technology, how they don't want YOU as the end user consumer to be able to make use of modern technology.
And stuff like that there, give em a dose of healthy skepticism towards the self serving interests of pure profits above all else crowd and why the predatory model of business should be avoided.
See, to me anyway, there's 3 business modalities, there isn't just one "business". The list: "Business-neutral" (more or less the norm how most businesses work in, neither highly predatory nor entirely honest or fair at all times),
"Business-predatory" ethically challeneged, morally abysmal, "anything goes",the only thing that matters is profits, no matter what actions are taken, as long as you can get away with it, "greed is good" philosophy, etc
Then there's "Business-'class act'"-non gouging, honest, real fair prices that follow advances in productivity,no scandals, always above board and ethical, etc.
should be some *interesting* discussions along those lines if specific businesses and corporations, etc are topics
[I]t's acceptable to tape a movie off of HBO onto one (1) tape and one tape only - but not legal to make a copy of said tape?
Technically, yes. The only demonstrated legal use of the VCR provided as evidence during the _Sony_ trial was the issue of time-shifting: taking a program which had been played at a particular time and shifting it, in whole, to a different time.
What the fuck kind of sense does that make?
Legal sense. Something is true only if it's demonstrated at trial, either through stipulation or jury decision. Nothing else is legally true. That fact is a key point of all jurisprudence: no two cases are alike, and any seemingly trivial fact may provide a key difference between two apparently identical cases.
In thie case, making one copy and distributing it to one person is still distribution, and, yes, is still illegal, no matter what "most people" may think. The studios price that into their fee models for over-the-air boradcasters, however, so they don't try to recoup that loss directly. (Also, those copies are of lower fidelity than the originals, so the studios don't worry too much about them.) The mass copying can't be priced in, since it would punish honest consumers too much, so the studios go after the thieves who do it.
By the way, the movie being redistributed isn't the thing which is stolen. It's the fee that they should be paying to redistribute the movie. The distributor still has that fee, and the producer doesn't. That's the theft, not the infringement itself. The infringement is merely the menas by which the theft is happening.
Many of the "Founding Fathers" - Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Paine, Franklin, and Madison, to name a few - were Deists, Unitarians, or in some other way explictly disagreed with Christian dogma.
They rejected certain popular Christian dogma, true. But is what they rejected defining of what you would consider Christianity? In the most generic sense, Christianity means a follower of Christ or his teachings. Deists, Unitarians (as opposed to Trinitarians), etc are all generally considered to be Christians by modern definition.
The "Treaty of Peace and Friendship" with Tripoli, written duing the Washington administration, states that "the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
True, though again, that depends upon your definition of "Christianity". Using the broad definition, there is sufficient evidence contrary to that statement throughout all early writings, including the Declaration of Independence and writings pertaining to the Constitution (cf. "denominations" as opposed to "religion"). If we are to assume that they did not lie in this treaty, then I would suggest that their definition of "Christian" was indeed limited to a very specific sect of the followers of Christ or the Bible.
Fortunately, we have a constitution that makes it clear that it is not the state's job to judge the truth or falsity of the proposition "God exists".
While I agree with you that that is not the state's job (though the state does a lot that I don't think is its job), I think you are indirectly referring to the First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
We must be careful to understand what all these terms mean. As with "Christianity", people have widely varied ideas of "religion" and "establishment", as well as "freedom of speech", etc.
I do not think it is quite as plain as you imply.
e.g. I certainly don't want anyone to be forced to be Christians or Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus or Taoists or Animists or Totemists, etc. But religion is a complicated notion, encompassing morality and human behavior and norms. What exactly is it and how do we isolate it such that we do not create another religion by isolating it?
That's inviting the wolves to guards the flock.
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
WRONG.
Copyright law handles DISTRIBUTION, not merely reproduction. I can copy whatever I want a million times over, as long as I don't distribute it, or if I do, I either destroy the copies or include them along with the original.
You ain't seen nothin' yet...
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0226-03.htm
I should clarify: I was responding to an AC who claimed that copyright only applies to distribution. That's a popular misconception.
And, for the productively inactive among you, here's a clickable form of that link to the interactive legal site at Cornell: clicky clicky.
The RIAA or the Ferengui?
I just called my little brother up and told him to IMMEDIATELY let me know if they start anything like that at his school. I told him why what they are doing is wrong (he didn't see a problem with a company paying to have their corporate interests taught as lesson in school), and that I would give him a list of questions/topics to bring up in class if they tried to push any of this stuff on him.
So what sorts of questions/comments would you guys bring up if you were in this class, if you wanted to poke holes in it and rally the class behind you?
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
from the article "... it rewards those students who parrot the industry line with trips and free DVDs. "
:0)
So on the one hand they're being told that 'if they don't pay for it, they've stolen it', and on the other, they're rewarded... with things they haven't paid for (except maybe with their souls..
GENERAL PUBLIC SIGNATURE (GPS) Any replies (derivatives) of this post must also use the GPS
"Copyright Dogma?"
:P
Gee, Slashdot isn't biased...
I guess it's bad to embrace the fact that copyright holders have the right not to have their works pirated.
Christians often defend the pledge in a knee-jerk reaction against its atheist detractors. If we look more closely, we might see in pledge a threat to our own religious freedom.
When did it become OK to teach our children to swear oaths to man-made idols?
Weren't Christians persecuted in Rome for refusal to take part in similar rituals?
If you perform illegal actions (bombings, vandalism, etc.) to address this problem, then by definition you are a terrorist. Why in the hell would you advocate that?
Living in a democracy is a wonderful thing. It's wonderful enough to warrant going to war over issues that threaten democracy. Use your energy and resources to support candidates whose beliefs are closest to yours.
The actions of the MPAA, Junior Acheivers Inc. and the public officials who are responsible for this program in our public classrooms or are capabile of stopping this but don't are immoral in my opinion. Whether or not what their actions are illegal is the more important issue to our society. If it's not illegal it should be. I am personally going to make sure that the ACLU is aware of this problem. If they agree to do something about it, I am going to make a donation to them. The only way to change this is through democracy and that is why the ACLU or any organization that opposes this needs your support.
...they're doing it in a venue that children are *legally obligated* to attend. Worse, this venue is supported by *taxes I pay*, and I don't remember giving the district permission to teach my child this shit during school hours. In fact, I don't even remember being asked whether I thought this was an appropriate use of school facilities or time.
Just another example of government whoring itself out to corporate America regardless of the will of the people. 'Representative democracy', my ass.
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
I notice that the MPAA is giving away DVDs, trips to Hollywood and so on as part of their 'curriculum.' All those little brats not paying for stuff--it makes you sick thinking about what their turning our good, law abiding kids into.
Cogito, ergo sig.
"If you haven't paid for it..., you've stolen it."
The real downside is that the corporations are trying to instill the concept of monentary transfer for a purchase.
For many things, you haven't stolen them if you don't pay... but you aren't doing a good thing if you don't give something back: Your time, your code, your money, your knowledge, your skill... there are many ways to pay for something.
Maybe we could subvert this a little by passing along the idea: If you don't give payback for that song you just downloaded, you're a leech... go share some songs with everyone else to even-up the tab.
The cutlass, my friend, the cutlass.
There is no surer way to convince the next generation that copying music and movies is cool than to have a bunch of suits preaching at them about it in school. Whoever thought this up must have been the hall monitor back in junior high.
I'm an old fart at 30 and I still buy my music (though I'm pretty much just indie these days). But all the people I know under 25 think that paying for music is stupid. I'm not going to make a morality call, but the mindshare is nearly lost on the next generation. Taking it to school and telling them it's as bad as smoking pot isn't going to get them very far.
Too bad they don't realize that they're just going to have to downsize the industry. Modern realities ensure they just can't sell stuff the way they used to for the prices they used to. Oh well.
Cheers.
Should this program be carried out by CPU, PLC, or one of the new Service Groups ?
Can we get Teela-O-MLY to do a piece for it ?
Or is it OK to hire some Volunteer Collection Agencies to test-market it ?
Oops- there goes the bell...
...and he grinned, like a fox eating shit out of a wire brush.
I didn't lie to my parents
They never asked you about masturbation, then.
There's a word that describes you as a teenager: WEENIE.
Obedience is not good behavior. You were born into a world of rules, and that fact alone is tyrannical.
[You have a stable society when some nut guns down a schoolyard and the law doesn't change.]
and the scales tip even further...
I just hope we can manage it when our kids reach school age.
Which is a fine example, really, especially seeing as how Bell was not the sole inventor of the telephone. He was merely the first one to obtain a patent on it (someone else also applied for a patent on the phone the very same day. See here, here, and Good Ol Google.
In Sweden, where I grew up, we had an ex-junkie come talk to our class about his life a few years earlier. About what his life was like now. About how innocently it had all started. Emotional stuff about his parents. About his friends, the ones who died, the ones who still tried to get him back to his old habits, the girls who fucked for heroin.
He spoke slowly and forgot words. He was clearly fucked up. We _believed_ him - he was real.
Opinions stated are mine and do not reflect those of the Illuminati
And you are also a FAILURE!!! For those who want to join my rampage against the right, please study my journal entries. The right on Slashdot now has a formidable opponent in the form of a humorist/philosopher! Time to step up the roasting as we approach November!!
Who is Twirlip of the Mists?
The so called "War on drugs" is the biggest failure ever. Trying to control how people use their own fscking bodies is simply the most obscure idea ever concieved. And trying to enforce it "zero tolerance"-style is true madness.
However, people are brainwashed that drugs are "evil", thus fighting drug-users is a good thing(tm). You know what? Assuming people who use "drugs" is stupid, is just plain stupidity in itself.
What do you know about drugs? Have you read it somewhere or do you truly know it? (I.e. have you used any yourself?). Not only stupid people use drugs. It just happens that some stupid people fuck up on drugs. People are more than their drugs, believe it or not.
But there's more. Some people are alchoholics. Just because stupid people drink beer, doesn't make beerdrinking is stupid.
Drugs or beer, there's this subtle difference between a user and abuser. People just tend to take notice of abusers somehow. I for once, would rather share company with a pothead than an alchoholic, but that's just me.
Hey! Lighten up, watch some Bill Hicks DVDs! :)
Some things are clearly more than black and white if you look into them. If you truly got this black'n'white view of drugs, you too have been brainwashed.
Just like this amazing RIAA-endorsed "education" is brainwashing, and brainwashking is bad regardsless.
Fight brainwashing. (Slightly on-topic for once).
Not Buzzword 2.0 compliant. Please speak english.
Pepsi?
Serve Gonk.
HAHA! Tricked you into looking at my post!
Good to know that you're still spouting uninformed, trollish bullshit.
Have you stopped eating the lead paint yet? If you move onto latex and start listening to classical, maybe you can recover some of those IQ points you lost.
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!