I didn’t ask to live in interesting times. All I wanted was to be a published author making lots and lots of sales (and money, of course). How naive was that?
Anyway, interesting is certainly happening. It seems like every time you turn around someone else representing the big 6 or mainstream publishing or something like that is proclaiming doom and the evils of the new age… And then quietly paying someone with actual, you know, power-type stuff to do something to make it all go away.
The latest “make it all go away” is otherwise known as CISPA , a proposed bill being voted on this week. This delightful piece of dreck proclaims itself to be about cyber-security, but contains all sorts of other nasties that would allow almost anything to be considered “dangerous” and censored. The usual suspects are up to their necks in it, but because it’s wrapped in jargon about national security the idiots at the top seem to think it’s fine.
Yet again, we’re seeing people willing to throw everything down the toilet in order to protect themselves from a threat that’s more of a bogeyman than an actual threat. Let’s see… pass legislation that protects people from internet threats by effectively destroying the internet… Baby, meet bathwater. Have a good trip.
What does that have to do with us authors? Gee… Maybe I don’t want to be forced back to the plantation of politically correct pap that a tiny unrepresentative group of wannabe-cool-kid New York City editors want to feed me? Maybe I think that people should be able to read what they want, even if I personally detest it? Maybe I think that since we deal in ideas we’re the ones who need to be most vigilant about political time-servers trying to block ideas in the name of… well, today it’s cyber-security. Tomorrow who knows what they’ll call it.
On the plus side, Tor has announced they’re going DRM-free. Congratulations, folks, you’ve seen the light. Now, how about trying not to smash it by squashing the net and indie publishing.
Cynical? Bitter? Not me.
Mad Genius Club 
10 responses to “Interesting times”
Very good.
Thanks, Paul. Sometimes I get a bit ranty.
Well, sometimes we need a boot, to get us from just put our heads down and ignoreing the real world. Not the best tactic when the present government keeps erring on the side of despotism.
The bastards keep doing it – I think so we’ll end up so damn tired they can push their shit through.
I don’t have anything to add you seemed to cover it all quite nicely.
‘Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity’. I just murdered that quote, but sometimes I wonder if it is malice or stupidity that is running this country.
I’m inclined to see a mixture. Stupidity by the well-meaning people who introduce this kind of legislation, and malice on the part of those who propose it to the legislators and media and who carefully tap-dance around the ramifications. “Oh, no, no one will ever go after blogs/corporate web sites/’Net-based publishers.” Un huh, riiiight. Because no one has ever misused legislation or regulations, and regulations never expand past their initial purpose. Really. Honest. Cross my heart and hope to . . . “urk! Awrg, ugh,” gasp, thud.
Ah, yes. The tyranny of good intentions mixed with the powerful organizing things to suit themselves. Always a nasty combination – and really, you shouldn’t say things like “cross my heart and hope to die” around here. People might actually, you know, believe you.
I always figured it as sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice, with a dash of “if there’s a choice between stupidity and conspiracy, even the most breathtaking stupidity beats conspiracy every time. These people aren’t capable of holding a conspiracy together”.
Thank you, Amanda. I have been so unplugged lately this one would have slipped past me.
You have been unplugged – this post was Kate 🙂