SOPA and PIPA and Priorities

If you haven’t heard about SOPA and PIPA you’ve been living in a hole (and I may just join you there).  These are two bills before congress that aim to stop piracy on the internet, but many have argued that these bills won’t work, they will be bad for companies online, and the bills will enable the US government to block certain websites using methods similar to the way China censors the internet.

Lawyers, online companies, and some big names are speaking out against SOPA and PIPA.  People are posting all over Facebook and Twitter.  There are videos on YouTube.  Wikipedia shut down for a day (!) and other big websites have protested in their own way.  People are encouraging others to sign petitions and contact their lawmakers in Congress.  There are commercials on TV.  Some people are getting pretty upset.

But I have to question just how important this is in the grand scheme of things and I really have to question all the attention and huge deal this has so quickly become.  Don’t get me wrong- this is important and the internet is an important thing.  I am not a fan of piracy and I am not a fan of censorship. 

But is potential censorship of the internet really as big of a problem as 18,000 children dying each and every day because they don’t have enough to eat?  Is potential censorship of the internet really more important than the one BILLION people around the world who don’t have access to clean water or the two BILLION people around the world who don’t have access to proper sanitation?  Is internet censorship more important than the 27 million people in the world who are victims of modern day slavery?  Should we really be more concerned about internet censorship than about the hundreds or thousands of people in our own communities who are homeless or hungry?  Should we really be spending our time being so concerned about the internet when millions of people around the world die of preventable diseases like malaria?

I think we need to reevaluate our priorities.

If we need to get so upset about internet censorship, then we also need to get upset about human trafficking, homelessness, hunger, starvation, preventable diseases, and access to clean water and sanitation.

Can you imagine what would happen if millions of people gave as much attention, time, energy, and resources to addressing these other world issues as have been given to SOPA and PIPA?!?  Can you imagine what would happen if people got as excited and passionate about ending world poverty as they have about preventing internet censorship?  Just think what would happen if as many people contacted their lawmakers about ending homelessness as contacted their lawmakers about SOPA and PIPA.

Just something to think about…