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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."

20 of 514 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The smell of misinformation in the morning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    > "Students learn to repeat the program's motto:
    > ''If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it."

    Ahem, if I *tried* to pay my gf for sex she'd more more than a little P.O.ed. ;-)

  2. Re:Outrageous by benna · · Score: 1, Funny

    NOTHING is less reasonable than the war on drugs!

    --
    "It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
  3. Hmmm.... by c0dedude · · Score: 4, Funny

    Coming Soon: The Junior Anti-Piracy League?

    Orwell is teh r0x0rz.

    --
    Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
  4. Re:Using children? by Jesus_666 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because the special interest has lots of money? Come on, we're talking about schools here. Most of them are probably so underfunded that they'd paint their classrooms red-green-blue-yellow and have their students say "All Hail Bill Gates!" every morning if they got twenty bucks for it.

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  5. Update: 1933 by MisterLawyer · · Score: 3, Funny

    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."

  6. Re:Just like DARE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    at my school.. the cop from DARE passed around 3 joints to show everyone... and he said "if i dont get all three of these back this schools getting locked down and everyones getting searched till i find it.." and like 30 minutes later when everyone got to see 'em and they got passed back the cop had 4

    --www.bash.org

  7. Ok, I just had to bring this up ... by mscdex · · Score: 3, Funny
  8. Re:In the words of Pink Floyd by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control"

    Yeah, I just downloaded that one. It's really cool.

  9. Role-playing by sabNetwork · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

    --

    1. Re:Role-playing by Oracle+of+Bandwidth · · Score: 2, Funny

      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.

      They had a Jack Valenti, but the Film Producer rolled a critical hit with his +1 camera, and no cleric was willing to help Jack.

      At least that is what I think of when I hear "role-playing"

  10. oh, about... by vena · · Score: 4, Funny

    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*

  11. Re:Just like DARE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Drug use in America's high schools is at an all-time low.

    I suspect that when you use the expression "all-time" you're using your own private definition of "all", of "time", or of both.

  12. These Programs are great!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    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.

  13. Re:The smell of misinformation in the morning by meffie · · Score: 2, Funny

    > Ahem, if I *tried* to pay my gf for sex she'd more more than a little P.O.ed. ;-)

    See didn't mind when I paid her.

  14. Re:In the words of Pink Floyd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's two double negatives. Go back to school and learn some grammar.

  15. Re:Outrageous by Patrik_AKA_RedX · · Score: 3, Funny

    Outrageous? No, I think it's funny. I already can see this happening: MPAA/RIAA henchman spends 2 houres trying to brainwash the kids. "Any questions?" he asks. One of the students raises his hand and asks: "What was the URL of that Kazaa-program again?"

  16. Re:Onwards and upwards... by pyrrhonist · · Score: 3, Funny
    I always thought it read as invisible. Really.

    And I always thought it was, "and to the Republic for Richard Stanz".

    You learn something new everyday on Slashdot.

    --
    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  17. Parody by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 3, Funny
    No time to read through all the comments - it's finals time.

    coke parody - this is a parody of the MPAA actions in schools. Rather funny, once you read it all.

  18. Re:Onwards and upwards... by STrinity · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, my my Ann Coulter fantasy involves her pulling a cart up and down 14th Street in DC while naked and with a horse-tail butt-plug stuffed up her ass as I whip her with a cat-o-nine-tails.

    But I'm just weird like that.

    --
    Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
  19. What we teach... by BrynM · · Score: 3, Funny
    From the article:
    In the past year, the Motion Picture Association of America has spent approximately $200,000 to launch its program called ''What's The Diff?" to combat digital piracy. Despite the criticism, the trade group plans to continue the program next school year.
    What about actually teaching these kids usable skills in school? Math? English?

    Upon further reading, I realized that they did teach the kids a usable skill...

    Many children in the class indicated they had never downloaded anything before... 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."
    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...)