Slashdot Mirror
Teacher Fired for P2P Lecture
An anonymous reader writes "A teacher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, was forced to resign after a talk about P2P networks. You can read his side of the story on his blog." From the article: "The day before the conference, the Dean (pressured by the Spanish Recording Industry Association 'Promusicae' as I found out later, and he recognized himself in a quote to the national newspaper El Pais, and even the Motion Picture Association of America, as another newspaper quotes) tried to stop it by denying permission to use the scheduled venue. So I scheduled a second one, and that was denied again. And a third time. Finally I gave the conference on the university cafeteria, for 5 hours, in front of 150 people." Commentary on this story at BoingBoing as well.
Exactly. What else would *YOU* do if they told you that unless you leave, they will fire the whole department along with you? If not loyalty to your department then at least loyalty and respect for your colleagues should make you give in and quit. There are other ways to fight this kind of battle.
I find it really sad in this day and age, and in a supposedly civilized country as Spain, that freedom of speech is so mistreated.
It wouldn't surprise me if this happened in the United States, where RIAA, MPAA, and $GENERIC_MEGACORP actually rule, but in a modern first-world country in Europe?
Stupidity is an equal opportunity striker.
Fellow slashdotter Bill Dog
Them: Don't do that.
Him: (does it)
Them: I said, don't do that.
Him: (does it)
Them: WTF? We've told you NOT TO DO THAT twice. We're the boss. Stop it.
Him: (does it)
Them: *sigh* I want your resignation.
Him: Damn!
Slashdot: PROFESSOR FIRED FOR TALKING ABOUT P2P NETWORKS!
Comments: OMG WTF CORPORATE GREED WTF OMG BULLSHIT HE WAS FIRED FOR P2P!!!!! TEH GHEY.
Come on, guys. Just once can we have an honest lead?
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
Nobody stopped him from saying what he wanted to say. They stopped him from organizing an audience for it on their facilities. Don't confuse the right to speak your mind with the right to be heard. Nobody has a right to an audience of 500 kids on a college campus to hear their views.
And, freedom of speech is not synonymous with "freedom from consequences." You have the right to say whatever you want and, with some exceptions ("fire" in a theatre), not be jailed for it. That doesn't mean that there are no consequences. Just look at the Harvard professor who expressed that perhaps men are genetically predisposed towards math and science and women are not. The guy caught unreal heat for it and has all but taken back the suggestion that we look into it. Was his freedom of speech denied? Absolutely not. He said it, didn't he? Nobody stopped him. He hasn't been arrested for it or stopped from saying it again.
But there are consequences. When people say "free of speech" they confuse it with "freedom from consequences." The issue is muddled here because it's a university, an arm of the government, so by enacting penalties, isn't the "government" effectively limiting free speech? Hard to say, that's a grey area. My opinion is no, the guy is an employee and his employer has ever right to control what he says, especially when he says it on his employee's dime and on his employee's property.
The fact that this impetus against the professor was fomented by corporate lobbyists is more worrisome, but I don't know anything about Spanish law on such matters.
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
How does my post get marked flamebait?
Because it's the fucking truth?
Seriously, all the people fucking resign after doing pretty trivial shit. If people had guts, they would stick to their beliefs and fight tooth and nail for what they believe in.
Instead we get a group of talkers that, when put on the line, cower away and back down from what is important.
The loss of self-dignity is a tough thing to live with.
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!