Sopa: I thought that was a type of chair?

So in case you have been living under a rock and are just hearing about SOPA let me help bring you up to speed. SOPA is an acronym for Stop Online Piracy Act; the proposed bill would hold websites responsible for the actions of their users. Effectively immobilizing the overseas sites that provide pirated material. The problem is that the bill is written in such a way that the terms are very broad and border on censorship. Many of the proponents of this act are the companies with the most to gain by eliminating piracy anyway they can, this includes large companies such as Paramount, and Time Warner. These companies have definitely been affected by the loss of revenue from piracy. However does that mean that we should be told where we can go and what we can see on the internet? We all want to stop the piracy of copyrighted materials, however is this the way we should go about it.
Do you want to live in a country that restricts what you can see and where you can go on the internet. Opponents of this act claim that this is the very nature of this act, and that even though it may not intended to censor the American public in actuality that is exactly what it would do. Tech companies such as Google, and social sites such as Facebook are opposing the act on that basis. In my opinion, we must find a way to limit the piracy without jeopardizing the companies in the US, which cannot control the actions of their users. This is similar to prosecuting a car dealer if the owner of the car decides to go out and use the car in the commission of a crime. Are we going to hold all carmakers and dealers responsible? No, what we would do is write a law that would be precise in action, and that is what needs to happen here. I welcome all opinions on the matter the only way we can change things is to start a dialogue.


References
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm

Real Time with Bill Maher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7bIDBD6eus

All around SC.

There is a movement in South Carolina that is bringing back real Hip-Hop. This is more evident with the release of a video that is not filled with flash and half naked video girls. The video All around da town by Fat Rat da Czar, and Directed by SMD is not one of the videos that glorifies violence or the mistreatment of women, it is a poetic narrative expanding on experiences from real situations that many face while trying to take care of a family. Now, I am not at all saying that there is not a time and place for that sort of thing. Everyone has moments that need to be scored by that type of music, however everyday life is not nor will it ever be an after dark video. So for me, and many others that think like me, this is a refreshing escape back to what Hip-Hop is the embodiment of, growing, changing and building up our own communities. It is not hard to see where we are as opposed to where we came from. Musically, artists want to push the envelope and be the next to say or do the most outlandish or controversial thing. It is just good business to create press opportunities and keep your name in rotation. Somewhere along the way we forgot what it was that we were really doing. Our music is the manifestation of the communities we live and grew up in, or at least it was. The music business over the last decade has been all about the business of making money and the heart and soul that once was the catalyst was replaced by a need for fame and notoriety. Maybe the day of an artist really feeling something when a song is written is gone, maybe not. One thing is sure as long as there are artist out there willing to share their experiences Hip-hop still has a fighting chance to make a difference.


Refrences
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/explaining-the-fall-of-hip-hop/
http://allhiphop.com/2009/08/24/lawyer-calls-for-hip-hop-%C2%93morality-clause-in-contracts/