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Comment by noonespecial | Hacker News Reader

The internet shouldn't need "saving" from any country. The lopsided control that the US has over the internet is kind of an accident. This should start to sort itself out on its own. It might be worth hurrying along where possible by technical means.

Then again, the more crazy the Americans pour on, the faster their influence may wane. "American internet" might start to have the same reputation as American airports.

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It's really sad to see some special interest groups trying to put a damper on what seems to be the only industry growing like crazy and disrupting every other industry: tech.

We can keep protesting, but MAFIAA is relentless and they have all the money we keep giving them through DVD sales, movie tickets, album sales, Netflix, Hulu, cable tv, etc.

If you really want to fight them, stop funding their domestic terrorism.

> only industry ... disrupting every other industry

Why are you surprised that they are trying to save themselves? That's the logical thing for them to do. They have no reason to let the internet destroy them, and every reason to try to prevent that. It sucks for us, because we have to deal with it, but it's a very logical thing for them to do.

It would be better if they learned to coexist with the internet, but most of these industries are not known for being innovative enough to do so.

Saving themselves is logical. Saving themselves by adjusting to the new world and being leaders in of "new content" is equally as valid "destroy all that threatens our current model". The later is probably more logical too, as making enemies who then seek to destroy you is less productive than making friends who seek to further the aims and goals of both groups. Right now the MPAA has chosen pyrrhic victory over a win-win, this is by definition illogical.

It may be illogical for the organization, but it's certainly not for the individuals who actually comprise and run that organization. We need to keep in mind that companies, while useful abstractions, are fundamentally just groups of people, and often suffer as a result of individual shortsightedness.

I suspect that many of the people that actually comprise the RIAA's and MPAA's member companies, and many of the decision makers, are "over the hill" of their careers. They're not interested in radical change or reshaping the industry. The industry as it stands has been good to them, and they want to continue to milk that for as long as it takes so they can retire comfortably.

That attitude -- both hyperconservative and with its over-valuation of short-term gains compared to long-term ones -- adequately explains many of the actions taken by the music industry in the late 90s and the film industry today.

It will take a new generation of leaders in those industries for them to make the leap to new business models that will keep them profitable over the long run in the modern competitive environment.

the more crazy the Americans pour on

Pray tell, which sane politicians are you blessed to have reign over you? I'd like to live in your glorious nation!

nowhere else in the world do politicians have such high ratio of globally projectable power to the amount of outside influence being extorted on them

True, but would there be any less crazy poured on if that weren't the case? The rest of the world currently gets American Crazy as opposed to what? Their own "Objective Rationality"?

To be fair to Avaaz.org, this isn't about "crazy Americans" this is about the opportunity connect to a populist narrative, "Save the Internet from the US". In this way non-profits, NPO's, build a donation base using carefully controlled press releases and volunteers world-wide to connect their entity, the NPO, to helping troubled communities.

Right now they are building a mailing list to capitalize on global anti-Americanism. Understandably, they may not use the mailing exclusively to solicit donations, and will most likely sell it to third-parties, "We may share some of your personal information with certain affiliated groups." It all depends on what they consider more important at the moment, the privacy of the volunteers (anyone who gave their email address/tel #), or the helping the greater good of their causes.

References:

http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/20-5050267/avaaz-foun...

http://www.whois.net/whois/avaaz.org

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/privacy/

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