First Megaupload, then THE WORLD WIDE WEB.

[IanDanKilmaster]

You might be referring to Rep. Issa's statements that he was told by the Majority Leader that there wouldn't be a vote on SOPA until there was a consensus.  There was still no official decision to postpone the vote indefinitely until AFTER the blackout.

[Red-Machine]

My main gripe is I dislike it when people say "Fuck yeah.  We did this!" when in actual fact, they had very little effect on the outcome.

I also dislike that the majority of people who oppose stuff have no idea of why it's a bad thing, someone's just told them that it's a bad thing and not bothered to research it themselves.  Just like the majority of people who support it have no understanding of how it works or the possible ramifications of it coming into effect.

I'm a firm holder of the belief that people should not involve themselves in politics or lawmaking (or lawBREAKING) unless they understand what's going on.  When they don't, all it serves to do is spread fear, uncertainty and doubt.  That and a lot of bad laws get passed because somebody couldn't understand the big picture.

Please be aware that I'm not directing this at any of you guys, cus most of you at least have an understanding of how the internet works.  I'm just glad I paid attention in politics/law class enough to get what's going on behind the scenes here.

[IanDanKilmaster]

My main gripe is I dislike it when people say "Fuck yeah.  We did this!" when in actual fact, they had very little effect on the outcome.

They "who"?

I can see where some of this is coming from, really I can, but why do you feel the need to bring the vitriol in here?  Why attempt to misrepresent my point to exorcise that frustration?  I just see it as very counter-productive.

[Red-Machine]

"They" was meant as an over-arching, general term.

For clarification: when people want to protest about something, they laud their right to free speech, say they're fighting the power for the good of the people.  Which is all well and good, and they should be encouraged to do so when there is need for it.  When the protest is over, and they get the result they want, they assume that the result was acheived because of their protesting and take the credit for it.  Hence the "Fuck yeah.  We did this!" mentality I was referring to.

Nobody I spoke to was even aware that there had been calls in congress and the senate to postpone the vote until after it happened.  If these people had done their research, they would have known about this already and the "Fuck yeah.  We did this!" mentality would have not been so prevalent.  Give credit where credit is due, but don't assume credit just because the result you want is acheived.  Find out if you had an effect on the outcome before you start getting the beers out and celebrating.

I was saying earlier that I dislike it when people support or oppose a law without fully understanding it.  It's an issue we're facing in the UK right now with budget cuts and a few other law changes.  Someone will look at a proposed bill, see something they don't like and natural human reaction is to oppose the whole.  I hear things like "It infringes on this right, or that right" and "You're taking this away from me!" and that really bugs me, because if people actually took the time to read the entire thing and understand the meaning and intention behind it, they might not be so opposed to it in principle.

I am in no way referring to SOPA or PIPA here, those are indeed bad laws that need to be opposed.  I'm just going on a rant here about my general feelings on lawmaking/breaking...

[Dr. Kraus]

The entire country is going crazy, at least Pittsburgh's general population understands what's going on and what this bill could do to our freedoms and such.

[IanDanKilmaster]

"They" was meant as an over-arching, general term.

The thing is, when you quote someone and then you reply in the manner you did, it comes across as very direct.  As in, "what the f**k is your problem, you didn't do s**t!", and of course, I know "I" didn't have very much to do with what was going on in Congress.

For clarification: when people want to protest about something, they laud their right to free speech, say they're fighting the power for the good of the people.  Which is all well and good, and they should be encouraged to do so when there is need for it.  When the protest is over, and they get the result they want, they assume that the result was acheived because of their protesting and take the credit for it.  Hence the "Fuck yeah.  We did this!" mentality I was referring to.

Here's the thing, you're neglecting to mention that the guy who drafted the bill didn't start back-pedaling until after the event.  The event he referred to the day before as a "publicity stunt".  Just because there was already rumbling in Congress over the bill doesn't mean the blackout itself didn't have an effect.  More importantly, even as a symbolic gesture the protest meant a lot, as it showed that the people in this country can put their petty differences aside and can work together for the common good.  Is it irritating that some ignorant bandwagon jumpers act like they won some kind of war?  Yes, of course it is, but that's no reason to dismiss the positive aspects of this protest.  If one to take your attitude at face value it would come across as, "your protest didn't mean s**t, sit your fat ass at home and fap".  I honestly think it is good people feel as good as they do about this because it could mean those same people are more likely to become more politically active in the future.  That being said, they shouldn't act like this is the end of it and rest of their laurels, certainly not.  Now is the time people need to make their voices heard, and let the jackasses in D.C. know that we've had enough business-as-usual lobbying and politicking and want things to change for the better.

I would love for people to become better informed and help in the fight against legislation like H.R. 1981 or trade agreements like ACTA, but that's not going to happen if I'm beating people over the head with condescension, rage, and cynicism.

[Chocofreak13]

i regret coming in here. why does everything devolve into bickering on this forum?

@kraus: i'll download the video tomorrow, but if it comes to stuff like that, we could all just start depending on each other. "hey, you've got that album? i've got this one! let's trade!"

though having the 90's options is nice as a failsafe as well. :\