We always like to think of the UK as being pretty much like us yanks don’t we? That they have freedoms and liberty as well as we do… but we tend to forget there is a reason we fought to break away from them. It’s censorshit time again people.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron wants to “protect the children” from the naughty, evil, vile, scumcovered internet and to do that he is going to protect all of you adults just the same. Hey, how about we protect the children from censorshit huh? He is instituting a law that would require all UK ISP’s to block the following materials from coming into your home, wireless device, phone or anywhere else. On paper he wants to stop ‘hardcore pornography’ but Cameron is also including in his little internet witchhunt; ‘violent material’, ‘esoteric material’, ‘suicide related sites’, ‘anorexia and eating disorder websites’, ‘web forums’, ‘web blocking circumvention tools’, ‘extremist and terrorist related content’ and more. Let me ask you something on each of these as I feel this warrants deeper investigation, just who decides what constitutes what? Was the Video Nasties not enough for you people?
- ‘Hardcore Pornography’: What is hardcore? Is it Penetration? Is it a cumshot? Is it Analingus? The wet stop on the sheets, are those an indicator of ‘hardcore pornography’? We all define hardcore as something different, hell we all define pornography as something different so who the hell is this to tell YOU what YOU find ‘hardcore’? By the way, if you remove the ability to find porn on the net… it will just survive on DVD’s, VHS or even the old way, magazines. Also, just try to stop shit like Tor.. I want to see that. People want porn and they will find access to porn.
- ‘Violent Material’: Define violent to me, do it. Is it shooting a guy in the face with a shotgun? Is it a 400 year old vampire biting a girl? Is it the coyote falling off the cliff and getting smashed into an accordion shape? Is it forcibly removing the rights and freedoms of a people?
- ‘Esoteric Material’: I don’t even know what this means in terms of blocking it from the internet. From the Merriam Webster Dictionary:
Definition of ESOTERIC
1 a : designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone.
b : requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group.
2 a : limited to a small circle.
b : private, confidential.
3 : of special, rare, or unusual interest
With that dictionary definition up there… just what is the possible reasoning to have any of that blocked by the government? Only a few people like something so that, by definition makes it esoteric, makes it illegal to look up on the internet huh? This makes no sense. If you are a toy train enthusiast that is an esoteric hobby by definition so that will therefore be blocked on the net. Makes sense to me, keeps us all safer when toy trains and homemade bombs fall into the same category.
- ‘Suicide Related Sites’: The reason for this is what? Most ‘suicide related sites’ attempt to stop suicide from happening so what is the downside to this? Also, what fucking right do you have, implied or otherwise, to stop someone simply READING about something. I get it, you want to stem the commission of suicide, fine, but this is not the way. Suicide is something that is thought about and wrestled over for many reasons and unless you address the reasons themselves, this is all moot. Someone who wishes to commit the act will find a way to do it, you can’t stop them until you fix the problem that initiated the issue.
- ‘Anorexia And Eating Disorder Websites’: Again, just like above this is poorly defined right off… is this blocking websites that help those with anorexia and eating disorders or those who encourage such activities? Either way, I would say you are free to express such desires, and even in the UK this is still legal in print but apparently not on the net.
- ‘Web Forums’: This one just baffles me, web forums? Any web forums? Forums at the bottom of a news site’s page? No comments on youtube videos? Not only does this need a far greater definition but this one really needs as much explanation as the esoteric issue. What does this solve to have forum access blocked?
- ‘Web Blocking Circumvention Tools’: They want to ban you getting access to the very things that would stop what they are doing, it makes sense (in a cold logical kind of way), but again, this is such a broad term it becomes essentially meaningless. Technically just about any web tool is designed to circumvent something, be it ads, the default service provider, copyright or just about everything on the web. This is about doing what you are told, when you are told and learning to like it.
- ‘Extremist And Terrorist Related Content’: Okay, I get what they are TRYING to do here but they are being very hardliner about it, to the point of it being extremist in method itself. Think about it… who defines extremist? I am an extremist to some people, is my content blocked in the UK? You can’t ban something just because you don’t like it or think it’s a bad influence. Terrorist is also a word that is not as cut and dried as it seems, same issue here. The internet NEEDS to be open and free to all persons.
There IS an “opt in” feature on this though for my UK readers. You can call your ISP and tell them that you want the porn, the violent material etc…* and they will unlock that material to your home/device. Remember, you are paying them to block you access to something that you used to get for free. Let me ask this though, how many of you will actually do this? How many of you will take the time to stand up against this blatant and frankly disgusting misuse of power to make a difference? I already know the answer and that makes me weep as we both know most of you just don’t care. This all being implemented in the UK has to make you all ask me why do I, being an american, care at all? I care because most of you don’t and if I don’t care, then we all lose, all of us. You can not allow this to happen over there just as I can not allow this to happen here (and don’t be fooled, my US readers, it already is, Comcast/Infinity has started tests of blocking sites such as Liveleak and BestGore from their customers). If this is unopposed in the UK it will set a, dangerous, precedent for the US and if you can’t see the storm coming on the horizon you are blind or you simply don’t want to see it. Open your eyes and tell the all powerful “them” that you will not sit idly by as they strip your freedoms from you, that will you protest and you will fight… that freedom is worth fighting for.
*(You have to tell them exactly what you want though, it’s a kind of shaming tactic as they assume most of you that watch tranny’s in the middle of an anal destruction will be too embarrassed to ask for the privilege of watching such).
Tell me to shut the fuck up a 1201beyond@gmail.com and make sure to leave a comment even if it’s a nasty one (especially if it’s a nasty one).