About Black March:
Jan. 21st, 2012 09:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mary_j_59Several of my friends have posted about Black March. The Internet bill has been defeated - for now - but, obviously, we still need to remain vigilant, because the corporations will keep trying to control information and the free flow of ideas. That's what corporations do. So, people are pledging that, in March, they will not go to the movies, will not download music, will not buy books, etc. And-
I just can't agree. I just can't. No, I don't want to give any more money to Disney, for example, who are just brutal about copyright. But, if a friend has a book coming out in March, why should I refuse to buy it? If a friend has written a song, why shouldn't I support them by buying that song?
Then, of course, there's my job. I'm a librarian, and a part of my job is collection development. That means I buy books and media for the teens in my town. Am I to just stop doing that part of my job in protest at the corporations and their grasping for power? I don't think so. It's my job to provide information, not to block it.
What I'm saying is that this situation isn't as simple as we may think. If you pledge not to buy books or music for an entire month, think about who you are really hurting. It's probably - alas - not the big corporations. Would that it were, but it's not.
My two cents.
I just can't agree. I just can't. No, I don't want to give any more money to Disney, for example, who are just brutal about copyright. But, if a friend has a book coming out in March, why should I refuse to buy it? If a friend has written a song, why shouldn't I support them by buying that song?
Then, of course, there's my job. I'm a librarian, and a part of my job is collection development. That means I buy books and media for the teens in my town. Am I to just stop doing that part of my job in protest at the corporations and their grasping for power? I don't think so. It's my job to provide information, not to block it.
What I'm saying is that this situation isn't as simple as we may think. If you pledge not to buy books or music for an entire month, think about who you are really hurting. It's probably - alas - not the big corporations. Would that it were, but it's not.
My two cents.
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no subject
Date: 2012-01-22 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-22 06:15 am (UTC)I don't think anyone expects you to stop doing your job as a librarian. That would be ridiculous.
I've seen a White-list of publishers and independent companies who support the protest. Why not look at their products in March? Buy at the small local book shop instead of the big chain store.
Personally I've never been one to buy anything on publication date. Perhaps because in the old days before Amazon, I always had to wait for weeks to get English books or the records I really wanted in the local shop. I'm used to it.
It's not the complete boycott, but when many people do even this small thing it shows in the statistic.
My slightly different take on it, after I spent several hours to explain the importance of Freedom of Speech to some friends at a German forum and why it concerns us as much as people in the US.