Why isn't there more vocal opposition to groups like this?
Because the average american doesn't care if you take away a freedom, so long as it's not one that they use. Most people don't look at porn on public library computers, so they don't care.
Sadly enough, I was like this too. I remember being in highschool, and the school was imposing a rule against wearing hats, or jackets because they might be "gang symbols" gangs? in the suburbs? what the fuck ever. Anyways, I didn't sign the petition against this rule, I figured why bother? Neither I, nor any of my friends, wore jackets nor hats, so it didn't effect me.
I might have grown up a bit since then, but I think a lot of the people who live in the u.s. think like I thought in highschool. Which explains the general atrophy of freedoms.
"As a result, cultural barriers collapsed, people started judging by ideas instead of the color of your skin or your age, and a private revolution took off in the homes of the average joe."
Huh? Why wasn't I told about this private resolution? From my sister, I get lots of jokes forwarded to me, which I'd seen 4-5 years earlier. From my parents, I get them sending me links about how catholicism is the religion, as the attempt to win me back into the fold. My uncle got a computer, likely as a result of seeing the news specials about how one could get lots of porn, and occaisionally forwards me a joke that my sister forwarded me a year ago.
Perhaps it is just the rest of my family who are mutants. Perhaps the actual Joe Sixpack and his family are logging onto the internet, and are inexhaustively searching for new ideas to discuss/think about, instead of logging onto coke.com to view the latest and greatest coke commercial.
Personally, I think that the average person is ruled by apathy and a sense of "protect the children." Thinking is hard work, and after coming home from a 9-5 job, most just want to "unwind." To the average person, the internet is just a new version of the newspaper and tv.
The only boundary that I think the internet might help expand for some, is their ideas about sexuality. This might happen because suddenly text and pictures which one would have had to buy at an adult book store, and hide in your sock drawer are suddenly easy to get to (and yes, not all of it (nor even most) is educational, but there is educational material out there).
However, because of the way they get access to such information (so that's what the clitoris is, thanks southpark), it might actually narrow what they are willing to discuss in public/private with their partner. They might go to sexuality.org and find out how to possibly please their spouse/SO better, but they might not use it. After all, this knowledge was found on a website which has dirty pictures, and all human sexuality is bad. While the reader can have easy access to such information, many are going to still feel like they are sneaking around. Doing something bad.
Why do they feel they are doing something bad? Because Joe and Jane Sixpack have fallen victim to the meme that some information is bad. And with the Sixpack's browsing habits, they are unlikely to come across a meme which doesn't think that some information should be taboo. And even if they did, would the new meme actually be strong enough to replace something that's been around for 10+ years?
No, instead the computer with internet access is now just a different TV, where people only visit msnbc.com, and the new idea is still something frowned upon, and everyone is a big time victim of NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard).
Perhaps this might change with the children, if they start looking around for stuff to read while still young and curious, but then we come across to the censors who will pull any tricks they can in their war to "save the children."
Slashdot Mirror
Because the average american doesn't care if you take away a freedom, so long as it's not one that they use. Most people don't look at porn on public library computers, so they don't care.
Sadly enough, I was like this too. I remember being in highschool, and the school was imposing a rule against wearing hats, or jackets because they might be "gang symbols" gangs? in the suburbs? what the fuck ever. Anyways, I didn't sign the petition against this rule, I figured why bother? Neither I, nor any of my friends, wore jackets nor hats, so it didn't effect me.
I might have grown up a bit since then, but I think a lot of the people who live in the u.s. think like I thought in highschool. Which explains the general atrophy of freedoms.
Huh? Why wasn't I told about this private resolution? From my sister, I get lots of jokes forwarded to me, which I'd seen 4-5 years earlier. From my parents, I get them sending me links about how catholicism is the religion, as the attempt to win me back into the fold. My uncle got a computer, likely as a result of seeing the news specials about how one could get lots of porn, and occaisionally forwards me a joke that my sister forwarded me a year ago.
Perhaps it is just the rest of my family who are mutants. Perhaps the actual Joe Sixpack and his family are logging onto the internet, and are inexhaustively searching for new ideas to discuss/think about, instead of logging onto coke.com to view the latest and greatest coke commercial.
Personally, I think that the average person is ruled by apathy and a sense of "protect the children." Thinking is hard work, and after coming home from a 9-5 job, most just want to "unwind." To the average person, the internet is just a new version of the newspaper and tv.
The only boundary that I think the internet might help expand for some, is their ideas about sexuality. This might happen because suddenly text and pictures which one would have had to buy at an adult book store, and hide in your sock drawer are suddenly easy to get to (and yes, not all of it (nor even most) is educational, but there is educational material out there).
However, because of the way they get access to such information (so that's what the clitoris is, thanks southpark), it might actually narrow what they are willing to discuss in public/private with their partner. They might go to sexuality.org and find out how to possibly please their spouse/SO better, but they might not use it. After all, this knowledge was found on a website which has dirty pictures, and all human sexuality is bad. While the reader can have easy access to such information, many are going to still feel like they are sneaking around. Doing something bad.
Why do they feel they are doing something bad? Because Joe and Jane Sixpack have fallen victim to the meme that some information is bad. And with the Sixpack's browsing habits, they are unlikely to come across a meme which doesn't think that some information should be taboo. And even if they did, would the new meme actually be strong enough to replace something that's been around for 10+ years?
No, instead the computer with internet access is now just a different TV, where people only visit msnbc.com, and the new idea is still something frowned upon, and everyone is a big time victim of NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard).
Perhaps this might change with the children, if they start looking around for stuff to read while still young and curious, but then we come across to the censors who will pull any tricks they can in their war to "save the children."