What can one person do about censorship?

Hi everyone!

Now, firstly, I have changed my plans to systematically talk about each episode of The Big Questions, because they might easily not be about something that I want to talk about. I will carry on mentioning it in my posts, but I'm not going to systematically discuss everything they talk about, because I have better things to do on here.

My last post was about Richard O'Dwyer, and since then, it has come to my attention that we are living in a world that is becoming worryingly overcome by censorship. Last week, Wikipedia was down in protest against SOPA and PIPA (two things which I really can't be bothered to explain about, but would basically ruin everyone's use of the Internet, and also threaten our right to share information. Look it up if you haven't heard of it, but most people have). The popular video-sharing sites, MegaUpload and MegaVideo, have been closed down and replaced with a snazzy but depressing FBI logo. YouTube are taking things down, and who knows where it could lead next? Blogger, perhaps? I hope no one closes my blog, I have some pretty important stuff on here!

Anyway, hopefully this will only be a temporary thing - after all, if MegaVideo and the other things don't come back, someone will probably create something similar once the fuss has died down) but here is George's Official Advice for Guarding Yourself Against Censorship on the Internet and Worldwide (GOAGYACIW) (Well, the feds would probably like me to phrase it like that anyway):

1. Be a scavenger. If you can't find the video you want, or the information you need, go through every single link... even if it doesn't look like it will lead to anything. That is how I found MegaVideo in the first place. It feels kind of like scratching and scrabbling through the Net. The feds are like a fire - no matter how powerful they are, there is always something left behind.

2. Create a domino effect with what you find. A domino effect is when something happens, which triggers something else, which triggers another event, like dominos leaning against each other and ultimately knocking themselves over. When you find something... find out who made it, who they are associated with, and you might find something else... and something else, and something else...

3. Write a blog, or something similar. I've been writing this blog for quite a while now, and it is so rewarding. If anyone wants to read my opinions, they can just click on a link and see what I have to say. Writing all your opinions publicly also makes them more clear in your own mind, and makes it easier to justify them to yourself.

4. Stand up in the face of authority. There are some people who feel that just because someone has socially more power than them (like the Government, the police or the FBI) then that means that they have to do it. I want to emphasise that it is fine to challenge, or say no, to someone who is trying to intimidate you into doing what they want. Why should they have more power over your life than you? With a few very obvious exceptions (like murderers and people like that), there is no reason why one human being should have that kind of power over another human being's life. Rosa Parks challenged authority when she refused to give up her seat on the bus, and she is remembered as a hero. In this day and age, if someone does the equivalent of that, they are criticised and condemned.

5. The fundamental answer to the question 'What can one person do about censorship?' is 'Team up with someone else!' The overall answer is: make friends. It is difficult for one person to make a difference entirely on their own. Even this blog is inspired by ideas which I have taken from other people, like Laurie Penny and Jody McIntyre and the other people I have commended on here. The thing is, everyone has ideals, but it is only when people choose to share them with each other that something wonderful can occur when everyone's ideas and information is pooled. I have some wonderful friends who I talk to and learn things from, and I would not be the person that I am without them. So the overall answer to guard yourself from censorship, whether on the Internet or not, is: Talk to people! After all, they can't control what you say... yet.

Anyway, I'm not sure this post is quite as good as some of my previous ones, but hopefully someone will see where I am coming from here. America has too much power over the rest of the world, and I will sit here and tell the world about it from my living room in Bristol, because that is what I do.

I will leave you with a comedy sketch, which has a vague connection to what I have been talking about. It's not very practical, but it is about standing up to authority - and I would love to treat the police like that! Watch the girl's hat as well:



See you on the next blog!