Re: [OS:N:] Re: Open Source in Schools and then some

[Evan Leibovitch <evan telly org>]

On Wed, 4 Sep 2002 jmcdermo redhat com wrote:

>    That again was the point. Computers are changing the face of
> society. Which is sociological change. So, in response to your
> earlier letter I am not going to "give you a break" and I will not
> dismiss this just because you believe the model does not affect
> _your_ daily life.

Of course it affects _my_ life, because I work with it. What's less clear
is whether it affects the lives of my technophobe friends. How is the DMCA
changing their lives.

Note that I'm not saying the DMCA should be left unchallenged, just that
it's practically wasted breath trying to convince technophobes that this
means something to them.

> Do you really want to start the next generation off in the hole with
> less freedoms than they have today, and precedents to maintain that
> state?

Of course they do. That's why they elect governments that pass laws to
ban assault weapons, criminalize driving while using cellphones and force
restaurants to get rid of smoking areas. People not only give up rights,
they gladly advocate the taking away of the rights of others. Happens all
the time. People are constantly curtailing freedoms in favor of some
perceived greater good.

The DMCA is hardly a groundbreaking example of removal of rights, it just
happens to be one that (rightfully) gets open sourcers tied up in knots.
But just as the NRA believe it exists to maintain certain kinds of rights,
the EFF and similar orgs exist to maintain other kinds of freedoms.

This is hardly anything new.

>    The fact of the matter is people to easilly disregard Open Source
> developers and users as "zealots" and "just preaching" when in fact
> the time has come when rights are being flushed down the drain.

Keep waving your arms in the air, to people who don't care about your
message, and the labels will continue to stick.

It's vital to carry the message as deep into the IT community as we can.
When we succeed there the results will filter through into the rest of
society, and that's arguably already started to happen. But it *must* be
filtered that way -- for societal shifts do not turn on a dime. Going
direct to the uncaring masses is an exercize in futility and possible
humiliation.

But, hey, it's your life. If you believe that this is your calling, knock
yourself out. I just don't think it's the most efficient use of your
political energy.


-- 
Evan Leibovitch, Brampton, Canada <evan at telly dot org>
Anything not worth doing is not worth doing well.