Skip to content

Thoughts on SOPA From New Orleans

2012-01-20 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Internet & YouTube · news analysis

Walking New Orleans' French Quarter after the SOPA/PIPA blackout, Hank compares the internet to an infinite street of street performers that can't be regulated like a normal street, argues SOPA protects corporations and old media business models rather than people, and is proud the internet banded together to stop it.

What is said

00:00:00 — The SOPA blackout a couple of days ago; brothers opposed to SOPA and PIPA; earlier video; in New Orleans after a show in a synagogue

  • ★★ Hank says that a couple of days ago, when 'the internet was all…' (an on-screen gag), he and John were out of the loop, exhausted from being on the road. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Hank says that as small business owners, employers and copyright holders, he and John are both very opposed to SOPA and PIPA. — 00:00:00
  • ★ Hank notes he made a video about this about two months ago, joking that Vlogbrothers is 'extraordinarily ahead of the curve'. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ The brothers are in New Orleans and played a show last night in a synagogue, weird but awesome; John is at a conference while Hank walks the city with his wife, eating and watching street performers. — 00:00:00 · Katherine Green, Tour de Nerdfighting
  • ★★ The description says the internet blackout resulted in a great number of congresspeople dropping their support for SOPA and PIPA. — 00:00:00 · United States Congress
  • ★★ The description says the internet is coming into its own as a powerful political force, just in time to face serious threats. — 00:00:00
  • ★ The description notes every busker in the video got at least a $5 tip, and that posting a video of a busker raises an interesting intellectual property question. — 00:00:00

00:00:38 — Street performers remind Hank of the internet; the internet as an infinite French Quarter street

  • ★★★ Hank loves street performers because they remind him of the internet: you never know what you'll find, amazing or horrible, sometimes bordering on illegal, often freaky, often using copyrighted content. — 00:00:38 · copyright
  • ★★★ Hank says the internet is like a street in New Orleans' French Quarter, except infinite: accessible from anywhere, with every street corner always the same distance away. — 00:00:38 > «The internet is like a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, except that it's infinite.»

00:01:07 — Offence and danger online; SOPA protects corporations, not people

  • ★★ Like a New Orleans street, the internet holds much that offends; if people are in danger the government can protect them, but in any system bad unanticipated things happen and must be dealt with individually. — 00:01:07
  • ★★★ Hank argues SOPA isn't about the government protecting people but about protecting corporations, 'these new sorts of people'. (playful) — 00:01:07 > «SOPA is about the government protecting these new sorts of people, which we used to call corporations.»

00:01:31 — Can't regulate an infinite street; old economic systems and traditional media versus new content

  • ★★★ Hank says you can't regulate an infinite street the way you regulate a normal street in a normal world. — 00:01:31
  • ★★★ Hank says the world needs healthy economies, but these are not created by propping up old economic systems at the expense of new ones. — 00:01:31
  • ★★★ Hank says traditional media companies are rightly scared, not because people steal their stuff but because creators like the brothers make new content for smaller markets that challenges their monolithic business models. — 00:01:31

00:02:01 — Proud the internet banded together; thanks to the internet, Obama, Nerdfighters and John; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank says that if it isn't stopped now, who knows whether there will in future be outlets for creative people to make a living doing cool stuff. (hedged) — 00:02:01
  • ★★★ Hank is extremely proud that the internet banded together, an amorphous anarchy becoming a solid block against the threat, and cast it aside. — 00:02:01 · collective action
  • ★★ Hank thanks the internet, President Obama, Nerdfighters and John. — 00:02:01 · Barack Obama, Nerdfighteria

Threads in this video

Replies to

BR2_3728dedbdc