Net Neutrality

Neutrality on the net. Such a hot topic and understandably so. I remember my first website on the net. It was 1997 or 98 and I set it up for my hairstyling business. Sank a lot of my money into it, think it got me one client in the salon in total. Fast forward to now, my Facebook page, website and Linked in bring me a lot of business and keep me visual on the net. My small hair and make-up business gets views, comments and ultimately, business. I imagine with the loss of net neutrality, this may not be the case. 

It irks me to have my Internet experience turned into the same as my television experience. The net was where I used to get away from advertising and the word of the big brother companies. It used to be a place where I could research and discover all kinds of weird and wonderful facts and watch skydiving videos free of advertisements. Not so now. Those pesky ads are everywhere, and I have to wait five seconds to close them. The end of net neutrality would further exasperate this issue. Not only will I have to endure those pesky advertisements, but the net would no longer be my personal experience. I would be stuck watching what those rich corporations want me watching or searching, or wait forever for the things that really interest me to download. This would effectively change the whole face of the Internet. No more freedom of speech or eclectic choices. Just cardboard cut-out, here's what the rich people want you to see, boredom. 

Net neutrality isn't all about me, though that is how I ponder it. It's about freedom of speech and freedom of press, and freedom of expression. It's the last place that Americans can truly discover like-minded individuals, interests and pass times. Advertisers and big corporations don't decide what's posted. Everyone with something to say can have a voice. Ending that would be catastrophic to the last vestiges of democracy the American public so dearly clings to. Things could be hidden, buy buy buy would replace tiny blogs, fun free videos and remote tiny eclectic websites. 

The biggest danger of losing net neutrality is the monopoly afforded to large corporations over small mom and pop businesses. The big guys would always come first and the little guys would be lost in oblivion. This cuts off a tool that these small businesses have come to depend upon for visibility. Allowing these giants to edge out small business would be catastrophic. Many small businesses would suffer and could eventually close. 

I'm sure the ISP providers would be against net neutrality. Imagine the money they could make! Huge corporations knocking at their doors offering thousands, they wouldn't even have to charge a lot to their customers, the corporations would pay for it. You may read this and think yeah, free Internet. No the Internet would no longer be free. You could get it for nothing, but you always get what you pay for. 

President Obama has the right idea when it comes to net neutrality. Let's leave the last truly free place on this planet be. 

Blackfish

The short animation, The Orca Awareness Project reminds me of when I lived in Niagara Falls. I can still hear the jingle for Marineland, as the commercial played on the television screen. Though Marineland has been a successful business for years in that vicinity, many of us were well aware that keeping animals such as whales and dolphins in captivity was just plain wrong. We also heard many stories coming out of the park about the mistreatment of the animals. Peta has the park in its radar now as well.

It is important that art focuses on important and relevant issues. It engages the viewer and asks them to question the way things are. I firmly believe that projects like the Orca Awareness Project are relevant and important. We humans are mammals just as the whales. They have the capacity to think and feel just as we do. It is important that message is conveyed to the people who would frequent these types of establishments if they were not made aware of the cruelty of their existence. 

When I look upon the things that we humans do to other beings, it astounds me that we have so little love, empathy and compassion within us. At what point in history did man stand up and say, I matter, what I want matters and it does not matter who or what suffers, so long as I get what I want? When did we collectively decide that we were more important than any other living being on this planet?

We are at a tipping point in history. Not only are we collectively becoming aware of the cruelty of our actions in regards to other beings, but we are also taking notice and action on a level not seen before. The Internet has made us aware of what is happening all over the planet in regards to animal cruelty and the damage to the environment. Almost twenty years of the Internet feeding us this information. When are we going to collectively get off our asses and actually do something about it? 

I see the beginning, people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Souls who are now mindfully taking into consideration the effects of their personal carbon footprint. Animal activists are all over my Facebook newsfeed. We are beginning to stir, but we have to move faster. How much have we already lost, and how much will we lose before we make the significant changes necessary to actually live in harmony with the birds and the bees and our fellow man? 

Here I sit writing about these issues. I'm sitting, doing nothing, but making marks upon the Internet for others too see. I'm not doing anything effective. It is time to start planning a life that lives in harmony and stop planning a life that just follows the destructive path of those before. The most important part is to move from the plan to action. It’s time to get off my ass and start making marks that actually matter. 

In Regards to "The Great Fragmentation".

Jon Evans in his article The great Fragmentation, explores some interesting ideas concerning individuality and micro communities forming across the Internet. In an interesting passage he comments on his beliefs that this fragmenting of the mainstream is a positive turn of events, 

"A society in which people accept that their personal views generally are and will remain minority perspectives, rather than seeking to impose “normal” beliefs and tastes on any who don’t fit in, is enormously healthier, both culturally and politically. Given time, maybe this social transformation could even fragment American politics beyond its infantile two-party divide, into a genuine three-or-more-party democracy like the rest of the West enjoys".

I agree with Evans wholeheartedly. A large group of people with the exact same ideals and beliefs is not only unhealthy, but also dangerous. One can look to history for examples of the destruction groupthink has wreaked on mankind. From the Crusades to Isis, and multiple evils in between. 

Every individual human being is born with a distinct personality with distinct gifts and attributes. Through the combination of nature and nurture we evolve into adults with individual beliefs, ideals and interests. It is this individuality that has brought about some of the greatest inventions of mankind. We would not be flying if it wasn't for the nutcase Wright brothers. If Tesla was forced to fit into the mainstream, well he'd have been locked up in an insane asylum. Setting aside individuality and personal interests to be part of a norm essentially cuts the individual off from their personal interests and ideas. There is a reason "thinking out of the box" became such a popular saying during the 90's. With the dawn of the Internet, society as a whole, realized that fitting in did not instigate change or development. 

The Crusades are probably the best example of the death and destruction that is caused by groupthink. Be it religion, political, or moral beliefs and ideals when large groups of people come together and damn all those who do not think or act or believe as they do insanity ensues. As Evans pointed out, the two party system in the US is a great example of this insanity as well. 

When individuals reach out to others with similar beliefs and they foster many different ideas and beliefs this creates an eclectic web of connections. Sam likes skydiving, photography and scuba diving; she is a libertarian with personal spiritual beliefs she chooses to ponder alone. Ben is a conservative Christian, who also likes skydiving and photography. Sam and Ben form a friendship and affinity through their shared interests, and allow each to pursue their religious and political beliefs on their own. This is how man can transcend the hate. 

It has always been my personal belief that live and let live is the ideal way to approach life. Though it is important to ensure that lives are not lost or harmed while pursuing individuality, I honestly believe that it is how life should be approached. 

Common Sense, a Logical Fallacy.

In Chris Jordan’s short video, “Midway a Message From the Gyre”, the creator asks his audience a powerful question,

“Do we have the courage to face the realities of our time and allow ourselves to feel deeply enough that it transforms us and our future?”

A powerful question to all of mankind. With his challenge to us all to become courageous and bring about change within our society, and ourselves to stop needless death from our senseless waste, he leaves his viewers steeped in introspection.

One is left questioning the ways that they can be courageous to help bring about change, for myself, I continue to wonder how it is even possible to stem the tide of destruction unleashed by mankind, not only upon the environment and animals of the world, but on members of our own race. We are disgusting animals; as demonstrated by many environmental catastrophes, but the Pacific Garbage Patch is probably amongst the most ugly and deadly examples.

Change needs courage. I know courage well, as you see, I have no common sense, or rather my common sense makes no sense to others. Courage is having your own sense, nothing common about it. You take a look at the way things are and make a decision to not abide it. It begins first within you. You accept your mistakes in the past, and then you look at how those mistakes have contributed to what is happening. Then the hardest and most courageous part begins. You make the changes in yourself.

Real change requires small steps, with a lot of courage. First you stop yourself from contributing actions and attitudes. You stop blaming and hating yourself and others as well. You begin to forgive. Once the self and others are forgiven, then you can move forward to the most difficult steps to change, speaking and acting from the centre of your personal change within.

Though much of my life could have been worse, as I could have been born in Africa starving with aids, my life has not been a bowl of cherries either. Early childhood molestation, physical, mental, emotional abuse, bullying, rape and the subsequent wrestling I've had to do with myself to not allow that damaged child within to run my life. A battle that I have had mild degrees of success with as I am not hiding from my pain and shame within a narcotic induced haze nor at the bottom of a bottle or wine glass. Though I did try to do exactly that many times, the sense within me demanded I rise above. So I did.

I began to speak. Many would argue that common sense dictates you don’t publicly speak of these issues. Well I disagree. My sense says we should all be speaking about these issues. If they weren’t hushed and shoved under the carpet, and victims of sexual and mental abuse publicly discussed the issues, this kind of behavior would be much less rampant in our society than it is today. Society would make changes and become much more understanding. Social pressures would force change upon perpetrators and take the onus off of the victims. The victims of these crimes would be given a fairer shake if they were allowed to speak without fear of being blamed, or labeled crazy. I can assure you that if you have experienced the effects of any kind of abuse, you would know,  the mental aerobics required to overcome the effects in your personality are exhausting, and can contribute to making you vulnerable to further abusive situations.

So you see, I have no common sense. I do, however have a sense of myself and what I believe to be right and wrong and I will continue to discuss these issues openly because I want to make changes. I want to take away a child’s pain before it begins, before they end up in a drug induced coma, before the alcohol kills them, before society labels them crazy and unstable, before they have to lose their common sense.