At the height of the Affordable Healthcare Act I had a meeting with a now former member of the House who was unsure of whether or not he could support the legislation. He carried around all 3,000 plus pages in a large three ring binder with each page thumbed through, highlighted and dog eared as he tried to figure out what his position would be. At one meeting he peppered a group of us with questions, details that we might have glossed over after page 675 but he had made sure to write down and figure out the impact on his district. I remember at once being irritated as I awaited an answer that was more than a shrug and also impressed by the seriousness with which he took his position in congress. Though he was one of 435 and not every vote he cast would be as crucial as the attempt to rehaul the nation’s healthcare system; he still read every single bill that came across his desk. And that was and still is a rarity.
I recalled this experience during yesterday’s mass protest and inevitable hysteria over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). I say ‘mass hysteria’ not because I agree with either bill in their entirety or because I think that people should not be honestly it isn’t the bill language (and yes, I have read both bills) it is about the process leading up to their introductions and the after. My twitter stream was full of folks blacking out their sites and putting giant black ‘CENSORED’ bars over their avatars to protest. But the more retweets and bandwagon hopping I saw the more I thought to myself: Do you know what you’re protesting? Or are you doing it because you heard about something that someone else heard about via Wikipedia and because your friend’s friend is against SOPA, you are too? I’m not trying to be an asshole (famous last words) but it’s a question that needs to be asked before being all “RAWR! STOP SOPA!” then calling your congressperson about an issue that you know little to nothing about.
Of those up in arms how many actually know the name of their member of congress? And of those members of the House and Senate who signed on to SOPA and PIPA as cosponsors really knew the intricacies of piracy and copyrighted content and whether the bill they were attaching their names to could present unintended consequences. Has anyone noticed that the head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) one of the key backers of SOPA is currently being headed by former Senator and Presidential candidate, Chris Dodd? Oh and the other chief backer was none other than Rupert ‘I don’t know nothing ’bout no phone hacking’ Murdoch. The former who could easily get former Senate friends to jump on board onto what they thought was a harmless piece of legislation and the latter is a gagillionaire.
But more importantly: Did anyone actually read either bill? The cosponsors? The bandwagon jumpers? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
I didn’t say any of these things to be an asshole but to point out that sometimes congress doesn’t make the best decisions ever. This could be because it’s a topic that is so new that they know very little about it (SOPA and PIPA fall into that category as intellectual property when it comes to online content is still so new) or it could be because someone with the right ties and deep pockets wanted a law written and found a sponsor who said ‘Sure! Why not?’ again without really going into the repercussions of such. This is all just speculation of course as I have no clue who or what got the ball rolling but I do know and geared witness to people who aren’t knowledgeable on a subject area playing expert. And that is bad.
I’ll leave you with this thought and a bit of a personal note: It has taken me years – my entire adult life – to learn to be an independent thinker and to not have a ‘bridge jumping’ mentality (If everyone jumped off a bridge would you do it). I mentioned this in my previous post but I want to know every side of the story so that I’m not only well-versed in the facts for my own arguments but so I can also play ‘Devil’s advocate’. I started this site not just because I like to talk about electoral politics and current events but because I noticed that more often than not people were quick to be opponents or proponents without knowing the background. I wanted to be able to start a discussion and to not play a political pundit but to say here is the issue and here are some great resources. Go forth and get schooled. In a time of turmoil and where everyone can play an expert in any field, I hope to foster critical thinking. Reading a bill before denouncing it is the best place to start. And with this entire SOPA/PIPA/I don’t really know but I heard situation I am realizing that there is a need for sites like mine to get people talking and hopefully know what they’re talking about.
As an aside: For all those up in arms yesterday I hope that just because the day of action is over and the topic has been tabled in the House and will be filibustered in the Senate that doesn’t mean that you won’t continue to learn, explore and engage. The work of congress doesn’t end just because no one is paying attention. It is made more effective when people do pay attention. I wish that those who got SOPA excited will get just as excited about education, the state of the economy, jobs, Social Security and this election.
How SOPA would affect you: FAQ
Ten Things You Need to Know About SOPA and PIPA
What is SOPA? Anti-piracy bill explained
Congress, SOPA and a fight over the web
4 Comments
Thanks for your thoughts. I realize you mean to educate, but the tone of this piece comes off a bit preachy (which I am sure was not your intent) and does more to deter people from getting involved rather than encourage future (and hopefully move informed action). You can’t fault them for not understanding process and how the game is played–even some of the most insider, insiders still are mystified by which issues get taken up, which ones move and which ones are killed and when. I work in policy, too, and I think the best thing we can do at the moment is thank people for playing and strongly encourage them to play again. And again and again and again. And it is up to us wonky-types to keep trying to find ways to help them play along better.
I realized the tone when writing only because I was so annoyed. I just hate to see people doing something because everyone else is and then trying to tell me what I should and shouldn’t support based on something they haven’t read. That said I do agree that I need to do more to get people involved and thinking about the process. My frustration just came out in the process.
I hear you! This business can have its days! Stay strong!
Great piece, Heather. For what it’s worth, I did read it, mostly because anything having to do with the Internet is part of my job, and because clients inevitably want counsel on these things – mine certainly did. I didnt black anything out – my site, my avatar – but I did say a quick prayer to St. Isidore of Seville, patron saint of the Internet, to watch over us all.