Censorware
This is going to be another entry about censorware. Sort of. It's really about speaking up. It's mostly about Seth Finkelstein, with a mention or two about boingboing, Google, and the rest of the blogverse.
Wow. I could actually hear the close clicks.
Let's start with the pertinent history for those two who just met me. Let's say it Western Union style: Activist mother begat activist son. I tilt at windmills. I throw armfuls of emptiness into the air. I explain baseball to my five year-old daughter. I don't mind spending my time in losing battles.
That brings me to Seth Finkelstein.
I don't know him personally, but reading his blog makes me think Finkelstein does mind fighting a losing battle. His battle is important, but I'll get to that in a minute. Just the other day he wrote:
Again, what good does this tiny blog-squeak do, against the sheer volume of the Associated Press, and the inevitable blog echoing? sad face ]
I believe in blog-squeak Seth. (The Internet is casual. Can I call him Seth?)
I don't own a press, but I've worked for those who do. Yet, you couldn't find even two per-cent of what I've written unless you open the box of newspapers clippings I found when my father passed away. The companies kept copies. For each article there is a dusty copy in a place aptly named the morgue. The rest wrapped fish, and sat under beagles with bowel control issues.
Seth seems concerned about working in obscurity. I want to point out that fame is fleeting, but good work never disappears. As least as long as Google indexes it.
I stumbled on Seth's blog during the messy Blue-BoingBoing-Bonner-Cramer-Farivar-Ito-SmartFilter business of last week. He wrote something I wish I had:
From one perspective, the way it's been handled would make a good Monty Python comedy routine, something I'll parody as:"The Minister Of Silly Posts has issued the following statement: "I shall have nothing to do with the rumors that my opponent likes to wear lady's knickers on his head, and eat peanut butter from his partner's private areas. His alleged extremely weird sexual fetishes should not be an issue in this campaign. Even if the reports of his multiple drunken orgies were true, no laws were broken, and all attendees were consenting adults. As there has been no credible evidence he has seduced underage schoolgirls, exchanged drugs for sex, or sold his office to High Street tarts, we should strive to keep this campaign on a higher level. That is all. Thank you."
Damn. That was funny.
I started reading more of Infothought and realized I'd been missing something. I'm amazed how hard Seth has worked against censorware. He was part of the Censorware Project before that went to hell. Part of that fall-out means that Finkelstein has an "enemy" working at Slashdot. He, of course, is persona non grata to the censorware companies.
Read Seth's blog and you'll find he accurately describes the influence of the "a-lister" blogs. Piss off an a lister and you're in a world of hurt. Your voice is lost in the cacophony of his or her fans as they endlessly recycle the attack against you. Sure, you can leave a comment correcting the issue. You can search for your name and leave correcting comments in all the satellite blogs. Who has time for that?
I do. I do because I actually believe "silence is the voice of complicity." The place where z-listers and a-listers are mixed is in the search engines. You never know when a post from 2003 is going to pop up in a search and help someone in 2006.
Seth has fought censorware. He didn't just complain when it affected his bottom line. He was interviewed. He testified. He coded and decoded. He wrote. He refrained from writing. He spent his own limited income to help everyone. He quit.
While I was an administrator I fought censorware locally. Seth fought it globally.
I know what I'm about to say isn't enough. It's all I have to give. Seth, you have my respect. Thanks.
Photo of Seth Finkelstein from Wikipedia
