Pearl Jam & AT&T Censorship Ordeal

[yeahwho]

On Sunday in Chicago AT&T had a webcast of PJ live from Lollapalooza, Chicago. During the song Daughter references to George Bush were cut out of the performance.

So in typical PJ fashion they rallied loud enough about what does boil down to blatant censorship and called AT&T out on their website.

So the funny thing is now millions of people know about this instance rather than nobody knowing, which is which AT&T really was looking for.

So yeah, where was I? That fucking ROCKS!!!! (http://news.google.com/nwshp?tab=vn&ncl=1119144361&hl=en&topic=e)

Here is the actual footage of Daughter. Scroll down (http://pearljam.com/news/index.php?what=News#195).

[TurdBerglar]

uhhhh

so?

[yeahwho]

uhhhh

so?

No big deal here go on about your business and let internet content be decided by AT&T, freedoms and expression, political, or otherwise is corporate responsibility not citizens.

[TurdBerglar]

i see no problem. i don't agree with it and it's something i would not do. but they should be able to do what they want in that regard. it's their fucking company not yours or anyone elses.

[yeahwho]

i see no problem. i don't agree with it and it's something i would not do. but they should be able to do what they want in that regard. it's their fucking company not yours or anyone elses.

OK then, when AT&T is one of the top providers of internet service, they should just say up front "you buy, we'll decide". The internet has become a corporate entity. The intention is for them to provide a service, us to decide how it is used. At best perhaps for really dumb people they could mention that some of the things on the internet may be offensive to certain individuals, parents take caution and adults without the ability to discern information please buy our "USA Apple Pie and Disney" version of AT&T internets.

Otherwise leave the internet alone. It is not AT&T's product.

Like Pearl Jam isn't going to say something bad about GWB. Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[TurdBerglar]

like i said, i don't agree with censorship. but i do agree with being able to do whatever the fuck you want with whatever it is that you're selling.

what if some jackass was trying to tell you how you should sell your services? wouldn't that piss you off?

[BBboy20]

In the end, a song is a product and like movies on TV, the company that provides has the right to cut what they want.

[Documad]

When artists agree to take that stage, I'll bet that they agree to have their performance broadcast over the internet. I'll also bet that they are told (via contract terms of some kind) that the performance may be edited for some things (profanity can be bleeped) but not for content (political statements or a song the company doesn't like). AT&T got caught and was forced to admit that a mistake was made--i.e. the contract was violated "by accident" or because of "an oversensitive employee." But then we find out that AT&T has done it before, and only when a band makes a political statement that might upset a right-winger. That's disturbing.

As we go forward in time, access to high speed internet will become more and more crucial in our lives. If things progress in this arena like they have progressed in all other arenas, there will be fewer and fewer providers. I may have a choice of only one or two providers -- especially if I don't live in a major metropolitan city. My sole provider may be AT&T. What happens when my provider decides to limit the content that's available to me or the content that I can submit on the internet? Will you say that it's a private matter--a contract--between me and my provider? What if my one available provider won't agree to give me the uncensored access I seek? Questions like these are the reasons that broadcast television was traditionally regulated by the government.

I suspect that we've seen a glimpse of our future in this Pearl Jam thing. Good for Pearl Jam for screaming bloody murder and trying to wake some people up.

[BBboy20]

Good for Pearl Jam for screaming bloody murder and trying to wake some people up.People are too stupid to wake up.

[yeahwho]

People are too stupid to wake up.
Yep, I have to agree. Pretty fucking stupid to not be able to grasp that the ISP you choose should also be a guardian of the first amendment, privacy and freedom to all ideas and concepts.

The internet can be easily restricted, China has found a way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_ China). And US companies profit from selling them the tools to help censor information about things like "ideas" and "freedom".

So kudos to my hometown boys Pearl Jam for opening their pieholes and making a bitch about AT&T's fucked up perception of the world. It's time to wake up, unfortunately people really may be too stupid to.

[paulb]

I was at that show...great PJ show... who cares if he got censored?

[Documad]

Apparently yeahwho, Pearl Jam, and I care. :rolleyes:

My friends drove down to Chicago for the weekend. They wondered whether Daft Punk actually tour or just send guys around wearing the helmets.
It could be any two guys in the pyramid. :p