Oh, the power of the Internet. It is truly the one venue that can unite the masses.
Unless you live under a rock with absolutely no access to any sort of technological devices with Internet capabilities, you have probably heard about the controversial anti-piracy bills being proposed by Congress. But just in case you are a caveperson, here’s a quick recap.
Last week, both the House and the Senate tried to pass vastly unpopular anti-piracy legislation only to be met with a firestorm of protest. Both wings of Congress had separate bills, with the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) being proposed by the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) being proposed by the Senate. The bills would give the Justice Department the power to go after foreign websites that commit intellectual property theft. The government would then have the power to force American companies, such as Internet service providers, credit card companies and online advertisers to end any sort of relationship with the site in question.
Controversy arose over the proposal because several Internet companies said that up and coming sites would not be able to take on the possible costs of defending their sites against possible violations. Proponents against the bill say that it could also to lead blogging sites being motivated to severely monitor content, which could potentially infringe on freedom of speech.
Now it’s understandable why there is so much resistance to these proposals. Any possible infringement on freedom of speech should always be quashed, no matter what the circumstances.  But let’s be real. The average American is not truly concerned with 1st Amendment rights when it comes to this issue. The average American is concerned with losing all of that great free content that comes with having access to the Internet.
This notion that we all need to unite to protect our rights is well and noble, but it’s a little unrealistic. Being able to say what you want when you want on the Internet is one of the great perks of the technology. There is no question about that. Complete freedom of speech on the Internet has allowed for the transferring of ideas and understanding of different cultures at more of a rapid pace than ever before, and has even led to social revolutions across the globe. These aspects now play a crucial role within a global society that could have never existed previously.
With that being said, I find it hard to believe that the outrage exhibited last week by individuals, not Internet companies, was solely based on the loss of a right. A large part was based on the loss of free content. Face it, people love free things. It does not matter what it may be, if it’s free then it’s better. So my one request to everyone would be this: stop with the phony outrage over free speech and admit that you just want to download the new Drake album without having to pay. There’s nothing wrong with that. The old school swindle is as American as apple pie. Granted, it won’t help your case with Congress or Hollywood. But what average American really wants to appease them?