Just read a great article on the continued crackdown on internet freedom, specifically YouTube. (You can read the full article HERE.) I think many people are under the impression that if you post something on YouTube, they can’t really take it down unless it has copyright infringement or a fat naked guy doing yoga. And I think the reason 90% of the country believes that is because the videos they post and/or watch are exclusively starring kittens and Beyonce, or perhaps an animated version of something that once starred Beyonce. So most people don’t realize that YouTube regularly blocks videos following the request of government agencies. “The latest example is You Tube’s compliance with a request from the British government to censor footage of the British Constitution Group Lawful Rebellion protest, during which they attempted to civilly arrest Judge Michael Peake at Birkenhead county court.”
Politicians in the US and Britain love to point out that the evil China censors its internet. And it’s true, they do. But it appears it’s happening here too. And my complaint about this is that the government is censoring the WRONG SHIT! If you want to protect American or British society, then censor the fucking mind-numbing bullshit that is pureeing our brain matter, videos of nonsense and nonevents, viral clips of idiots behaving like nitwits! However, videos of protests and people standing up in the face of the shit storm (without so much as an umbrella) are not what is harming this culture. Consider this an open letter to the governments responsible for the crackdown on free speech–You are attempting to cover up the ONLY thing that might save us from ourselves.
But to be honest, I’m not that worried. Censoring the truth is a fool’s errand at the end of the day. It’s akin to punching waves… or trying to avoid hearing the latest Beyonce brain tumor.
PS – In the new episode of the Moment of Clarity Show I talk with Roseanne Barr about the attempted choking of internet freedom and freedom of speech. We discuss Aaron Schwartz, Bradley Manning, and so much more. Watch it here –
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Rock.
POSTING THIS TO MY FB IMMEDIATELY!