No, I don't think the raiders did the right thing. Even if they were, for some odd reason, actually doing it for the reasons they claimed (that is, protesting the constant removal of copyrighted content from YouTube), they still did it in a stupidly destructive manner.However, I've noticed a few stupid quotes by some who cared to comment on the issue, so I'm going to rip straight into them.
"I mean, think of what would have happened if you were a pre-teen or younger, and you found this video of your favourite recording artists performing a song you enjoy, and suddenly it cuts to the image of a lot of men demeaning and performing degrading acts on a female who is paid to perform as though she is enjoying it."
Y'know, it's funny how I NEVER hear about people protesting the woman committing degrading acts to the man. People are always complaining about the man demeaning the woman in porn but I never hear them complain about the woman demeaning the man. What, are men the only ones capable of demeaning anyone in porn?
And how the hell is the act of sex demeaning or degrading? It's not! I mean, obviously there will be people who watch it and degrade the women in the porn themselves by thinking of them as nothing but sex objects, but the act of sex itself is NOT demeaning or degrading AT ALL.
I mean, it's not like the "actresses" would've entered into the porn industry if they thought that porn was demeaning to them.
"All people, children included, should have access to such information and be allowed to make their own decisions and come to their own conclusions about it. Though the YouTube raid is rather childish, it will force some parents to acknowledge and explain things to their children that they would rather pretend don't exist."
Ah, I agree with you... slightly. You're right, the act of sex is an issue that shouldn't be perpetually ignored or treated as a subject of stigma. HOWEVER, it's not a good idea to expose young children to such material in the first place. Isn't it better to just wait until they're of a certain age like, say, 10? Maybe then you can educate them on the matters of sex, telling them only what they need to know. They can find out the rest as they get older.
"The only solution is stricter government controls on the content of the internet, and harsher punishments for those who violate those controls. Everyone involved in this hacking attack should receive no less than 25 years in prison, and should have to register as sex offenders."
Yeah, that's a fantastic idea. Stick someone in jail for stupidly deciding to troll YouTube with porn. You fucking moron, these are dumbass teenagers we're talking about. An 15-19 year old is not so likely to be as mature as a 25 year old, so do you REALLY think it's a good idea to jail them for 25 years just for being stupid and immature? You're just as idiotic as they are. Can you imagine what it would be like for him to come back into the world after 25 years of jail time? He'll be AT LEAST 40 years old and have next to nothing on his CV/resume, and because he's registered as a sex offender this might further impact on his expected inability to get any decent job after having spent two and a half decades locked away with REAL CRIMINALS. And you think this is fair justice? You actually think this is proper punishment for someone who made a stupid, negligible mistake due to his teenage idiocy?
Oh, and I can just imagine what it'd be like on his first day behind bars:
"I'm was just convicted for armed robbery, assault and destruction of property. What're you in for?"
"Oh... I uploaded pornographic material to YouTube..."
"It's bad that such material was uploaded to target children, but let's remember what YouTube is all about, allowing people to upload videos, and to share them with the rest of the world and to do it free of charge. Now this second characteristic I believe will make it close to impossible for YouTube to have trained people sit down and scan every video uploaded. If you are concerned about your kids watching such stuff, please take the pain to protect them."
Exactly. The internet is not a babysitter. PARENTS, DO YOUR FREAKING JOB PROPERLY - otherwise, don't start bitching when you wake up from a two-hour nap to find your 7 year old looking at hardcore pornography. This guy is not an idiot.
Note: I'd also like to add that any of the following examples would be defined as a sex offender by common law:
- Obviously, a guy who has stalked, bound and raped a woman. This is to be expected for the title of "sex offender".
- A guy who had consensual sex with his girlfriend once when he was 18 and she was 15. (in countries where 16 is the age of consent)
- If one of the above idiots had his way, a dick-minded teen who becomes bored enough to troll YouTube by uploading porn.
