5 ms·

Oh look, a more convenient way to commit slackivism! Now you don't even have to pay attention to what's going on in the world, just wait to receive an email wit

Oh look, a more convenient way to commit slackivism! Now you don't even have to pay attention to what's going on in the world, just wait to receive an email with instructions! I expected better from someone in his position. Why not use his influence to galvanize people into effecting change by getting involved in the political process? This slackivist crap isn't going to work every time a major bill is on the cusp of passing in either legislature.

antithesis 14y ago
The blackout or 'bat signal' page can contain all the relevant information, reaching out to a lot more people. Many people would miss out on that page because of lazy webmasters.
- nzealand 14y ago
  Who are you calling lazy?
kmfrk 14y ago
What's bad about using all available tools? Worked pretty well for SOPA/PIPA, the way I remember it. It's more of a pet project than a start-up, so I don't imagine it will take up too much of his time. If it does, it's going to feel a little vain and put the people behind more in the centre than the cause.
- Dirlewanger 14y ago
  Banging pots and pans by blacking out websites worked well the first time, it most likely will not a second time. But then again, who knows. If it does galvanize enough people to call their representatives each time another SOPA comes along, then good I guess, for the time being? Regardless, it's only a tiny battle won in a war with no end in sight and can't be resolved through blacking out websites each time.
jrockway 14y ago
Let me guess, you work for the RIAA...
crusso 14y ago
Do we all really need to devote our entire lives to following bullshit politics? Can't we just give some people we trust for now a little smite authority? Then when they see government colluding with big business to take away our liberties they hit the big red button? In the meantime, is it really that evil for the rest of us to get back to our friends, families, hobbies, spiritual pursuits, and such? I say this as a person who spends his non-working time watching political news shows... but that's because it interests me. Seems a shame that the default economical/political/internet framework isn't one that gravitates toward liberty and eschews those who try to grab power over our lives.
- Dirlewanger 14y ago
  Maybe you're fine with other people dictating how you should think. I'm not.
  - crusso 14y ago
    That's kind of inflammatory, don't you think? Giving someone temporary authority to act in your interests based upon opinions they've expressed and behavior they've exhibited is hardly allowing them to dictate what I think. We abdicate authority to people all the time: doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, weathermen, etc. Extending a reasonable amount of trust to those who devote all their time to a particular subject isn't allowing other people to dictate how you think.
- pnathan 14y ago
  "(s)elected representative" I believe is the traditional term here.
- newman314 14y ago
  Power corrupts. Sad but true.
- smsm42 14y ago
  If one doesn't want to follow politics, one should not complain that people who do follow politics beat you at it and make it according to their interests. Somehow people have no trouble following latest exploits of some Hollywood starlets, latest developments of TV soap operas or the intimate details of the careers of their favorite sports personality, but when it comes to things that directly influence their lives, their prosperity and their liberty - they don't want to know shit, just give them some red button and let somebody else decide when to push it, anything more is demanding too much. That doesn't work if you want to have liberties. Society of free men can not be built by only delegating your civic responsibilities to somebody else. Otherwise pretty soon it would turn out you are not free anymore but completely dependent on those to whom you delegated your responsibilities.
mcantor 14y ago
Honest question: Does calling your representative not count as getting involved?
tylermenezes 14y ago
A lot of politics is based on people not actually knowing what's happening. There's a reason the approval rating for Congress is so much lower than the approval rating for any individual congressman - people pay attention to a few major decisions which make the news, and that's it. I'm glad the internet is finally taking advantage of their position to get average people informed about what's happening.

antithesis 14y ago

The blackout or 'bat signal' page can contain all the relevant information, reaching out to a lot more people. Many people would miss out on that page because of lazy webmasters.

nzealand 14y ago
Who are you calling lazy?

kmfrk 14y ago

What's bad about using all available tools? Worked pretty well for SOPA/PIPA, the way I remember it. It's more of a pet project than a start-up, so I don't imagine it will take up too much of his time. If it does, it's going to feel a little vain and put the people behind more in the centre than the cause.

Dirlewanger 14y ago
Banging pots and pans by blacking out websites worked well the first time, it most likely will not a second time. But then again, who knows. If it does galvanize enough people to call their representatives each time another SOPA comes along, then good I guess, for the time being? Regardless, it's only a tiny battle won in a war with no end in sight and can't be resolved through blacking out websites each time.

jrockway 14y ago

Let me guess, you work for the RIAA...

crusso 14y ago

Do we all really need to devote our entire lives to following bullshit politics? Can't we just give some people we trust for now a little smite authority? Then when they see government colluding with big business to take away our liberties they hit the big red button? In the meantime, is it really that evil for the rest of us to get back to our friends, families, hobbies, spiritual pursuits, and such? I say this as a person who spends his non-working time watching political news shows... but that's because it interests me. Seems a shame that the default economical/political/internet framework isn't one that gravitates toward liberty and eschews those who try to grab power over our lives.

Dirlewanger 14y ago
Maybe you're fine with other people dictating how you should think. I'm not.
- crusso 14y ago
  That's kind of inflammatory, don't you think? Giving someone temporary authority to act in your interests based upon opinions they've expressed and behavior they've exhibited is hardly allowing them to dictate what I think. We abdicate authority to people all the time: doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, weathermen, etc. Extending a reasonable amount of trust to those who devote all their time to a particular subject isn't allowing other people to dictate how you think.
pnathan 14y ago
"(s)elected representative" I believe is the traditional term here.
newman314 14y ago
Power corrupts. Sad but true.
smsm42 14y ago
If one doesn't want to follow politics, one should not complain that people who do follow politics beat you at it and make it according to their interests. Somehow people have no trouble following latest exploits of some Hollywood starlets, latest developments of TV soap operas or the intimate details of the careers of their favorite sports personality, but when it comes to things that directly influence their lives, their prosperity and their liberty - they don't want to know shit, just give them some red button and let somebody else decide when to push it, anything more is demanding too much. That doesn't work if you want to have liberties. Society of free men can not be built by only delegating your civic responsibilities to somebody else. Otherwise pretty soon it would turn out you are not free anymore but completely dependent on those to whom you delegated your responsibilities.

mcantor 14y ago

Honest question: Does calling your representative not count as getting involved?

tylermenezes 14y ago

A lot of politics is based on people not actually knowing what's happening. There's a reason the approval rating for Congress is so much lower than the approval rating for any individual congressman - people pay attention to a few major decisions which make the news, and that's it. I'm glad the internet is finally taking advantage of their position to get average people informed about what's happening.