Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

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infinite_guest
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Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby infinite_guest » 27 Jan 2010, 12:47

If this has been posted before, I'm sorry.

http://henryjenkins.org/2010/01/will_new_law_block_many_slash.html

Now, I can understand wanting to cut down on child pornography and sites that give you directions on how to build a bomb. But really, that's the thing about the Internet. There's no control on information, and if you do try to control it, you'll end up blocking perfectly decent sites as well. This happened on LiveJournal in 2009, where a great many communities/journals were banned on the grounds that they had 'child sexual abuse' and/or 'child pornography' (or lolita) in their interest section. A lot of these comms were related to people discussing how they'd been abused as children or were ones about EGL fashion, and a lot of the journals were for roleplays.

Alas, most politicians can't relate to fans or have no intention of even considering the effects that this ban might have on international fandoms. They're just looking for the next big scare that they can latch onto and get more ignorant voters on their side.

And that's terrible.

(edited to fix link)
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Elomin Sha » 27 Jan 2010, 12:49

Broken link.

(Edited for not being broken anymore)

Shouldn't they worry more about the crocodiles, poisonous spiders/snakes, stingrays and sharks instead of electrical content?
Last edited by Elomin Sha on 27 Jan 2010, 12:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby infinite_guest » 27 Jan 2010, 12:49

Fix'd!
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Theremin » 27 Jan 2010, 12:55

I thought Australia was one of those industrilaized, 'first world' countries...so why are they utilizing similar policies to China?
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby infinite_guest » 27 Jan 2010, 12:58

I get the impression that their government is full of purse-clutching old ladies who've never heard of the Internet until today.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Metcarfre » 27 Jan 2010, 12:59

Australia is disproportionately influenced by rural voters, despite being the most urbanized country in the world.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Bananafish » 27 Jan 2010, 13:06

this is hilarious and not surprising
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Fumbles » 27 Jan 2010, 17:39

Many perfectly legal sites are set to be blocked. Unfortunately no matter how much fuss is made over it the government ARE going to implement it.

So far, out of the wide range of people I've talked to, not one person is for it. They are either against it or do not mind/care
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Alja-Markir » 27 Jan 2010, 17:53

If you guys like, I can run orbital bombardment on the houses of the MPs which support this measure. I've got lots of spare trebuchets.

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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Huxley » 27 Jan 2010, 18:00

Darn it Alja, if you keep on promoting orbital-violence towards innocent Australian clotpole politicians they'll ban LRR's forum on the grounds that we're encouraging terrorism!
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Alja-Markir » 27 Jan 2010, 18:07

Would it help if I declared war first?

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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby MattAn » 28 Jan 2010, 13:25

TO THE ACTION NEWS TEAM HELICOPTER, GENTLEMEN!

No, seriously. This is pretty much old news. There have been countless Twitter "twibbons" and a mass of debates on TV panel shows like The 7PM Project (the only GOOD Australian news/panel show), where NO ONE SUPPORTS THIS FILTER.

There's one political party, either Family First (I wouldn't doubt them..) or something that's pushing for this nationwide internet filter to combat child porn, illegal downloading and yes, even LEGAL and perfectly legitimate digital download of video games, be it via Steam or whatever. Here's the thing though.. It won't stop child porn sites/P2P networks at all. There's always ways around it, has our government never heard of MSN or anything like that? The old perverts haven't exactly run out of options.

Trust me, there ARE good politicians around in Australia, but the ones forcing this filter through and those attacking video games or whatever else are completely different (and deranged) people.

..Hell, I actually happened to meet my local state and federal representatives (state one is Liberal, federal is Labor) a few days ago and both seem really competent. I'm even considering raising the issue with either of 'em and asking what the crappity crap can be done to put a stop to it.

And Alja? Feel free to wipe Canberra right of the map. That's where the kings of almighty dipshittery are. Then New South Wales can re-take that patch of land that the "Australian Capital Territory" took over.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Master Gunner » 28 Jan 2010, 14:22

Raise the issue, send them a letter. The more they know that even the "common person" is against it, the more they'll be willing to speak out against it and try to stop the mess.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Metcarfre » 28 Jan 2010, 15:26

Geez, yeah. A snail mail letter in this day and age - especially for a young 'un like yourself to send - would be earth-shattering.

Remember to start with "Dear Sirs, I wish to register a complaint..."
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby masamune » 28 Jan 2010, 21:34

most of us have been sending out all sorts of complaints/petitions etc for a long while now. it's fruitless, like most protest. not that i won't keep trying until i can get out of this dump. send boats, people!
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Jillers » 29 Jan 2010, 08:51

I've sent letters to my politicians before, and do you know what I got back? Form letter. I don't know how it is in Australia, but I know over here politicians generally don't care about your opinion unless it's an election year, or you have many monies to give them.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Bananafish » 29 Jan 2010, 10:29

Jillers wrote:I've sent letters to my politicians before, and do you know what I got back? Form letter. I don't know how it is in Australia, but I know over here politicians generally don't care about your opinion unless it's an election year, or you have many monies to give them.
Good luck Australian Internet Comrades!


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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby FFN » 31 Jan 2010, 15:57

Hileict wrote:TO THE ACTION NEWS TEAM HELICOPTER, GENTLEMEN!

No, seriously. This is pretty much old news. There have been countless Twitter "twibbons" and a mass of debates on TV panel shows like The 7PM Project (the only GOOD Australian news/panel show), where NO ONE SUPPORTS THIS FILTER.
You have terrible taste in television programmes. :D :) :D :lol: :P

EDIT: EDITED FOR TONE AND CLARITY.
Last edited by FFN on 03 Feb 2010, 21:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Smeghead » 31 Jan 2010, 17:37

We all know that the current australian goverment looks at gamers like timebombs waiting to happen, and is convinced that anyone who has ever played a game is tainted somehow (better be prepared for "Anti-gamer Deathsquads" roaming the streets in a not-to-distant future).

But now they do this? I can understand the reason behind the idea, and it's one of the best reasons there can be; to stop child pornography. but it's handeled the wrong way.
So now what? does all australian pornstars who just happen to be born flat have to get implants or move out of the country to continue working? Are plastic surgeons bribing the government or something?
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby DRog » 31 Jan 2010, 22:49

I believe that any internet filter is bad, but Australia has been trying a bit too hard lately. It's almost as if they plan to make an antiJapan (Napaj?) and are failing miserably. I don't know much about Australian politics, but censorship hasn't worked out with any country. Child pornography is terrible, but it's going a bit too far. Alja, I'll pull over some ballistas and help the war effort.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Wraith » 01 Feb 2010, 12:16

infinite_guest wrote:Alas, most politicians can't relate to fans or have no intention of even considering the effects that this ban might have on international fandoms.


I've been very vocal about being against these type internet filters. They do more harm than good. That being said, This statement seems a bit silly to me. Whether I agree or disagree with someone, it's important to me to try to understand WHY someone has an opposing view of something; and I'm not sure you've done that in this case. The issue here is that in the minds of the politicians that would support this, they're protecting children from sexual predators. I would imagine that for someone who firmly believes this, it's not a matter of being able to "relate" to fans; it's a matter of not giving a damn if some people miss out on downloading "Chobits" if it means saving a child from a potential rapist.

In short, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that their hearts are in the right place, but their execution is a bit mislead.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby Alja-Markir » 01 Feb 2010, 14:18

Tabboo is a tricky thing to manage.

On the one hand, if a tabboo is strong enough, the behavior becomes very rare, because the cost is too high for anyone who would want to perform that behavior. On the other hand, if the same tabboo is only a weak one, or one which is difficult to enforce, it actually increases the rate of incidence of the behavior.

There's a whole "rebel" culture which feeds directly off that latter notion. You find something that is only moderately tabboo, something startling but not abhorant, and you adopt it full force as a way of defying authority. Styling your hair outlandishly, wearing bizarre fashions of clothing, using unusual terminology and dialect, listening to fringe musicians, consuming drugs and controlled substances, taking part in alternate social events and behaviors, et cetera. These are all instances of pushing past normal social boundaries and flaunting weak tabboos. Over time, the tabboos erode away and disappear.

To ban a certain behavior or cultural practice effectively, you need to do it properly and across the board. When the first world war was getting started in Europe, the president of the United States at that time, Woodrow Wilson, pushed through legislature effectively banning German culture. You could not speak or teach the language, could not show public displays of German culture, hamburgers were renamed "Freedom Sandwhiches", and every American of German descent was treated with suspicion and pressured to conform to American expectations of behavior and identity in public. Some of these were rounded up, questioned, jailed, and deported. It was a full scale tabboo to support Germany in any way, with only the most minor of exceptions.

Of course, this was in an age of Jingoism, Nationalism, and far less ubiqitous media availability. It was also a temporary measure enacted in a time of global crisis. Most importantly, however, as well enforced as it was, it wasn't fully enforcable. You couldn't strip American citizens of their culture or rights without a real fight. Sure, you could harass some and hope the rest would fall in line out of fear, but to deal with every last person of German descent or scrap of German culture? It'd be impossible.

As far as "protecting the children" goes, Australia'd do much better to lock up the families of children, as the overwhelming majority of child abuses are perpetrated by the child's closest relatives.

Huh. Kinda sounds like Plato's Republic, in a bizarre way.

~Alja~
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby empath » 01 Feb 2010, 14:31

Wraith wrote:{a nice hot cup of perspective with a side order of reality check}



THANK YOU; I was literally about to pen a 'now hold on just a second here' to all the slavering, jingoistic anti-politician diatribes in the last few posts, but you made a very calm and reasoned rebuttle to all the knee-jerk 'anti-anti' fervor. Image

Seriously: "better be prepared for "Anti-gamer Deathsquads" roaming the streets in a not-to-distant future"? REALLY? You're sounding more like the fanatics you're ascribing your opponents out to be, as well as putting ammunition in the hands of your opponents by making yourself seem unreasonable and irrational. ("See, gentle voters? This is what we have to deal with - they won't compromise, they won't listen to reason; they must be stopped!")

Tone back the hyperbole and take a moment to do what Wraith is suggesting:

Put yourself in the perspective of your opponent and come to understand WHY they're taking these actions and holding these beliefs.

Otherwise you're gonna come off as more closed-minded than the OFLC, the ACMA, and similar.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby zfubarz » 01 Feb 2010, 17:16

All of their(the politicians) beliefs are founded on fallacy and bigotry though. Can't really blame the internets for taking up arms against it.

Edit: this type of situation is really no better than book burning.
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Re: Australia, You're Trying Too Hard

Postby empath » 01 Feb 2010, 22:08

Wellllll, it's better than book burning in ONE respect: no air pollution from the fires.
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