The High Price of Freedom of Speech

The television isn't working anymore! We used to have control, the magazines, the newspapers, the TV, we had a tenuous grip! But now; The Internet!

Shock expressed today as a survey to fill the August News Deficit reveals that nearlly 2/3 of the people we asked think the INTERNET is WRONG.

"People can give music away FREE! Software is FREE! There are Cracks and Keygens! HTML is actually pretty simple! People may have known for a long time that TV and Media coverage is true only for a given value of true! This is only one step away from COMMUNISM!" anon

What really seethes and breathes below our veneer of 'civilisation'? Look to the internet. Everything that is good and bad, everything that is at all of my generation is there on display. Escape from labels, a face you must present, the repercussions of face to face interaction. Amongst the slithering insinuating advertisments flirt without the awkwardness on Facebook, share pictures with friends, create an avatar and become part of an alternate society in MMORPGS, responsibly edit and correct wikinformation, follow online comics, graphic novels, listen to un signed musicians, read brilliant pieces of ad hoc journalism and writing, promote yourself, sell yourself, earn money, achieve. Notoriety, respect. representation. A voice.

A Voice.

There are so many voices. Post address details of feminist bloggers, threaten them with rape, download abusive porn, any porn, post videos of schoolmates you have lured and viciously attacked, fill your blog with racist, sexist, anti Semitic, anti Muslim propaganda. Let the bile overflow. Promote your views, sell mousemats with their picture on, earn money, achieve. A voice. And when the police come knocking? It'd never happen. but what if it did? Well that's easy- blame the internet, 'police the internet!' Watch the videos, the documentary, post your comments, apply the veneer. and enjoy the sickly sweet stench of your vitriol, you are an Upstanding Citizen. When you were their age you had the decency to do these things in private.

This is who we are.

It is a 'we', there needs to be a notion of responsibility, of wonder, and of disgust. But also a moment of elation, as we really can, truly, look upon what is: 'us'.