[d_r]

Is anyone else irked by Forbes' need to use a "revenge of the nerds" picture there? I feel like the SOPA argument is inherently skewed for most Americans, and it is bitterly unfair.

Pro side: "we're stopping evil foreign counterfeiters, we're helping save American jobs, we're looking out for your safety."

Con side: "complicated sounding tech mumbo jumbo, this will break the internet, and some references to Libya"

Which side would you support if you didn't know any better?

SOPA affects more than just the "nerds." How can the messaging be improved? How can it be made more compelling to resonate more with laypeople?

Why aren't the "influential" people focusing on the message?

[kn0thing]

I agree. This is why I'll be dressed more like a businessman than a nerd, like the last time: https://plus.google.com/113164038788726940319/posts/ab9eFgmo...

[invalidOrTaken]

Would you consider open-sourcing the preparation of your address? You'd still retain full control of what you actually say (how would anyone stop you?) but you could potentially have a lot of very sharp researchers/designers/copywriters (hilariously enough, I suspect pure programming skills would be the least useful here) going over every inch of it and providing statistics, infographics, drawings, suggestions, etc. Between HN and /r/SOPA, it could very well be helpful.

[zemo]

on Bloomberg you called us [tech nerds] job creators, and said "more government isn't the solution". Please, for the love of god, run for office.

[chernevik]

That look doesn't work any better than would Mitt Romney in a hoodie.

You don't look comfortable in your own clothes.

[chunkyslink]

Dude, you look like a Nerd dressed as a businessman. All good tho'.

[rythie]

Yes. This is not about some geeks with a minor website, it's about a multi-trillion dollar [1] industry being sabotaged by some old school media companies that can't adapt to the new world. What's more, what they want to do won't even solve their problem.

[1] Ok, I don't know how big the internet industry, but no-one else seems to know either, and worldwide it's probably in that ballpark - and most likely everyone will be affected.

[jhancock]

This is not just about media companies. SOPA is part of a barrier to blockade anything that may violate any Intellectual Property. This includes selling pharmaceuticals from Canada, edge case property violations like a handbag that looks similar to Gucci's latest model, but doesn't use the brand name, electronics that may violate a patent in the manufacturing process but the end product is not similar to anything else on the market.

If you think its just the RIAA/MPAA pushing this agenda, look no further than the money flow and you see its the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that is the largest supporter. Downloading bittorrents is just the poster boy for this campaign.

[astrodust]

I've heard piracy costs the world economy 18 billion jobs and $200 trillion in lost revenue, so you're probably in the right ball-park.

[teyc]

The issue at hand isn't businesses being sabotaged, but rather , nobody wants the world to go back to ironcurtains being drawn and government has the monopoly on truth.

[fiesycal]

I'm just curious how bankers and the like value industries. Do they value them by the total sum of all company valuations, total sum of all company revenues or total sum of all company profits? Or something entirely different? If anyone in the industry knows could you enlighten me?

[jkeel]

The usage of "nerds" by several of the US Representatives bothers me a lot. It's already putting up a wall and does invoke the "revenge of the nerds" picture. My wife (who is not in tech.) even said, "at least we know where all the jocks and bullies went after graduation, they became senators and congressmen". While her statement was mainly joking, I feel she does hit on a point. That point is that they are further portraying the negativity to education that we see a lot in the US.

[celoyd]

How can the messaging be improved? How can it be made more compelling to resonate more with laypeople?

Explain SOPA as (1) censorship and (2) a heavy burden on legitimate business. These are honest ways of describing it in everyday terms, and at least one of those points should resonate with almost any American, whatever their political identity.

Given the time to lay out a clearer case, explain that even if you agree with some of the intentions behind SOPA, it’s unlikely to be effective at stopping piracy. If passed, it would probably have to be at least partly rolled back.

And explain that the kind of highly creative, small-time artists whom people instinctively want to defend are, in general, hurt by draconian IP policy.

I think this is realistic and counteracts the impression that people who object to SOPA are all Professor Frink.

[ericb]

Censorship is the wrong approach. Our current regime is anti-civil liberty (free speech included). You need to use the right language against them.

SOPA regulations will increase the size of our government, cost millions of jobs, and billions of dollars in market value, while destroying America's technological edge. The legislation hurts small businesses(how can they have blog comments without being sued under SOPA). Also, you need to find a way to call the bill a tax increase.

[zemo]

How can the messaging be improved? How can it be made more compelling to resonate more with laypeople?

The major social networks could protest by temporarily disabling the profiles of politicians that support SOPA. Might be a good precursor to a larger voluntary blackout.

edit: hmm, downvotes. Would anyone care to elaborate on why such a protest would be a bad idea?

[khafra]

Put yourself in the shoes of a politician. You're an elderly alpha male; you don't understand the internet but you feel vaguely threatened by it.

Now, the internet attacks you. You personally. It shuts down some "profile" thing your staffers set up.

How do you react?

[urza]

I would start the message by stressing that the SOPA WONT stop piracy. A 13 y old kid can bypass the name-to-IP problem in just about two minutes.

[biff]

While true, I'd worry that arguing this point carries the risk of shifting the discussion away from "Should the U.S. begin censoring the Internet?" to "How can the U.S. effectively censor the Internet?"

[pilif]

Tell them that if SOPA passes, there might very well be no more YouTube, no more Facebook, no more Tumblr.

[TheSOB88]

I think that is what they want.

[zerostar07]

Tell them that if SOPA passes, socialist European countries will be more free than America.

[chunkyslink]

They are already. They dont care about that.